The Church in Baghdad
Apparently the opening of “Snakes on a Plane” wasn’t as strong as had been hoped. It is a movie about a plane in trouble and slithering, poisonous snakes. And people aren’t interested in watching? Go figure.
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One of the NY papers screamed “SNAKE ON A PLANE” today beside the picture of John Mark Karr returning to the USA to face charges about the murder of Jonbenet Ramsay. Like many of you, I was sorry to see all the attention given to his background in the Church of Christ in Alabama.
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Great day yesterday — and among the hundreds of new students and their parents were several regulars from this blog. So nice to put faces to names.
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A powerful section in Claiborne’s The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
“They read a statement from the Christian church directed to the Muslim community, declaring that they love them and believe they were created in the image of God. Then we sang familiar songs like ‘Amazing Grace.’ We said the Lord’s Prayer in several languages. . . .
“Afterward, I was able to meet with one of the bishops who had organized the gathering, and I explained to him that I was shocked to find so many Christians in Iraq. He looked at me, puzzled, and then gently said, ‘Yes, my friend, this is where it all began. This is the land of your ancestors. That is the Tigris River, and the Euphrates. Have you read about them?’ I was floored — by my ignorance and by the ancient roots of my faith. It is the land of my ancestors.”
There was no reason for Claiborne to feel ignorant about the roots of his faith. He, as well as any other educated Christian, knew that he was in the seat of Christianity when he expressed surprise. I’m sure that what he was surprised at was finding many Christians in a part of the world ruled by a “religion” that sees anyone not adhering to its dogma as a mortal enemy to be destroyed.
No way will my wife ever see that movie. And my theory is that if Adam had been a Texan, he’d have shot the serpent before the first word and there’d have been no fall.
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None of the coverage I’ve seen up here in NY has ever mentioned Karr’s religion at all. The only quote I found googling “Karr” and “Church of Christ” was a preacher saying he “was not real normal”.
It’s just a sad story all around. If indeed this guy’s confession is true, don’t we as a nation owe a HUGE apology to the Ramsey’s? And isn’t it tragic, if it’s true, that her mother has already died before her vindication?
Mike R. – He doesn’t say he was surprised to find out that the roots of faith go there. He was shocked to find so many Christian believers there.
Mike – I commented in the bowels of your Friday post – but it was great to meet you at early service yesterday (which was pretty packed out) and we were blessed to be there!
I hope SOAP has a limited run on your blog.
BTW, Noel Whitlock did a good job yesterday on his first day at College in Searcy. Big shoes to fill.
You are still missed by many!!
I beg to differ! According to some box office websites, SoaP is the #1 movie from this weekend, beating out that loser Will Ferrell and his NASCAR film.
Who needs Ricky Bobby when you’ve got Neville Flynn?!?
I’m in Alabama and I have not heard a connection of Karr and CoC.
The whole thing is sick. It appears he isn’t really the killer, but “desires” that he would have been. That is even sicker to me than actually commiting the murder.
“Snakes on a Plane” . They should have named it something else so no one would know what it is actually about. You couldn’t pay me enough to go see that movie.
Even in modern day Iraq, OUR GOD REIGNS!
Mike, when you get a chance, please blog about Randy’s trip to meet with Iraqi Christians. I have heard that an “Acts like movement” is going on there. Inquiring minds want to know!
DU
My vote is also “thumbs down” on Snakes on a Plane. Yuck. But, to each his or her own.
GKB – Just wanted to see if I could pull you out of the hidden corners of the blog.
I miss Ashley already. I’m trying to come to grips with the idea that she lives in Texas now! So help me, if you make a Rangers or an Astros fan out of her, I will never forgive you! (Not that she likes the Angels either…I think she claims the Yankees like her mother does, but I’m hoping you can devote a sermon or two to the dangers inherent in such beliefs.)
Please, please, please…take good care of her. Her Uncle Steve has been thinking about her all day.
We all tend to believe that the church had its beginning on Main Street USA. WHY? Of course it started in the east and spread everywhere! Contrary to popular belief, the U.S. didn’t bring christianity to this Muslum world.
Mike,
I would suggest to you “From the Holy Mountain” by William Dalrymple, a British travel author.
He discovered a sixth century manuscript called “The Spiritual Meadow” by St. John Moschos. Moschos travelled around ancient Byzantium, visiting monasteries and hermitages and churches, noting their decline.
Dalrymple recreated that journey in the mid 90′s, tracing Moschos’ steps from Mt. Athos (the Holy Mountain) in Greece to Alexandria and upper Egypt. It is a well-written and fascinating chroncle of eastern Christianity, and poignant reminder that Christianity is more an Eastern religion/philosophy than Western.
One thing that still strikes me: Jesus would probably feel more at home in an Islamic worship service than in a modern, Western, American one, especially a mega-church worship service…
Like I said, it’s a good read, if you’re into that kind of thing.
I haven’t seen ‘Snakes on a Plane’ (yet) but does it have a good theme song like ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’???
Mike-
It probably wouldn’t go over well here but I was floored by Claiborne’s conversation soon after that (I believe) about how the American Christians feel about the current war situation. I almost cried.
Man would everybody shut up about the snakes, now I’ll have to fly with my feet up in my seat.
What kind of trouble do you think I’d get in if I brought a rubber snake on a plane? Maybe they will show up on the ‘Banned Items’ list soon!
Beaner!!! LOL
This picture combines two from my ‘I really don’t like this’ list:
Snakes
Flying/Planes
The combination of the two is 100% offputting for me. No THANKS!! lol
“They read a statement from the Christian church directed to the Muslim community, declaring that they love them and believe they were created in the image of God.”
This is great! I wish we could recognize this about eveyone.
“They read a statement from the Christian church directed to the Muslim community, declaring that they love them and believe they were created in the image of God.”
Take out Muslim and put in gay and this exactly the point many of us were fighting to make with the Soul Force visit to ACU last year. Powerful words to fill any blank in with.
I wonder about that verse in Genesis where God tells the serpant, “I will put enmity between you and the woman…” I have always wondered if that was the reason tha so many women just freak out over snakes.
The producers of his movie just wrote of half the movie-going population before it hit the first screen.
Re: Christians in Baghdad–if any of you joined the prayer initiative, “Forty Days of Prayer for Iran” this past spring, you would have been overwhelmed by the Christian community in Iran. The web site was excellent, the videos of each day’s focus (education, college students, military, children, etc.) very informative, and the music beautiful and haunting. Don’t know the funding behind all of it, but the web master was masterful! Global day of prayer website gives you access to the Iran location. http://www.globaldayofprayer.com should get you there.
“I wonder about that verse in Genesis where God tells the serpant, “I will put enmity between you and the woman…” I have always wondered if that was the reason tha so many women just freak out over snakes.”
I HATE snakes. I have always cited this verse as Biblical justification for it.
Hi,
might we not as Christians, accept Mohammed as a prophet and decipher his works? Can we learn and come to terms with differences?
We have Isiiiah and the Egyptian Moses to use as examples.
Can Christianity absorb Islam – like the English language has absorbed so many languages? Can Jihad attack a fellow believer – what will then be their strategy?
Conversion – to the subsumed belief system?
Google is the best search engine
Hi Guys
I’m from South Africa. Found this blog by playing on Google – “Christian church baghdad”
I am urgently looking of contact details of Christians or churches in Iraq, more specifically Baghdad, but I’m not choosey.
I believe the Lord will send me to the right people.
We urgently need Christians in Iraq for interseccion – fellow believers who will pray continiously for a certain purpose.
Can ANYONE PLEASE help?
Regards
H
There is only ONE true religion – the Bible tells us so