5. Interfaith dialogue
While Dr. Lutzer is not against debating or befriending people of other faiths, he believes that “interfaith dialogue” can be harmful. He mentions as an example a Muslim apologetics book that explains how to present Islam in a way that makes people more likely to accept it. The result, Dr. Lutzer believes, is that interfaith dialogue is leading certain churches to be taken in by false ideas.
Preparing and Trusting
“The average American Christian believes that if the church were really all that it should be, we would have no persecution. We’d have a government that would be favorable to us.” But, said Dr. Lutzer, “that’s not been true throughout history.” Because Christianity has always been and will always be counter-cultural, we can always expect the culture to push back on it. “That comes with the territory,” he said. We must be prepared, therefore, to make a stand without shame, our identities firmly rooted in Christ.
At the same time, we must never forget that all people, no matter what they believe or how different they are from us, are made in the image of God and have immense value. We should never talk down to them, remembering that “God absolutely hates pride.”
Then, no matter what happens, we must trust that God is in control now, just as He was when the Israelites were taken captive by their enemies. Said Dr. Lutzer, “At a time when it seems as if we’re losing so much, we’ve basically lost the culture war…can we continue to recognize the sovereignty of God?”
