Watch This …(Updated)

Here’s a woman of remarkable courage and clarity. It’s a fascinating dialogue between a secularist critic of Islam, an interviewer, and, I assume, an Islamic teacher. Update: A friend of a friend writes to say, “Al Jazeera TV station had the program . . . Continue reading →

Office Hours—To the Church at Smyrna: The Story of Fikret Bocek

This week Office Hours talks with Fikret Bocek, graduate of Westminster Seminary California and a Reformed church planter and pastor in Izmir (Smyrna), Turkey. In this interview, recorded last summer, just after the planting of the congregation in May, 2009, Fikret tells . . . Continue reading →

Why “Nice” Is Such An Impotent Category

The news is filled with comments made by people who knew the Boston Marathon bombers that they were “nice”, regular people. They cannot believe that the Tsarnaev brothers could be violent. This is not the first time we have heard such observations, . . . Continue reading →

They Carried Out Rudimentary Tests

The killers, who were dressed in Western clothes, ordered all Muslims to leave, before carrying out rudimentary tests to see if hostages could recite the Koran and name the mother of the Prophet Mohammed. Read more» Paul Bentley and David Williams RESOURCES . . . Continue reading →

Don’t Ignore The Conditions of Omar

A jihadi group occupying the Syrian town of Raqqa recently gave Christian minorities living there three choices: 1) convert to Islam, 2) remain but pay tribute and accept third-class subject status, or 3) die by the sword. According to the BBC, the . . . Continue reading →

Inventing Grievances

As Riley-Smith explains, however, the Muslim memory of the Crusades is of very recent vintage. Carole Hillenbrand first uncovered this fact in her groundbreaking book The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives. The truth is that medieval Muslims came to realize that the Crusades were . . . Continue reading →

ISIS Is Islamic Apocalypticism

The reality is that the Islamic State is Islamic. Very Islamic. Yes, it has attracted psychopaths and adventure seekers, drawn largely from the disaffected populations of the Middle East and Europe. But the religion preached by its most ardent followers derives from . . . Continue reading →

Spiritual Weapons For A Spiritual Battle

The radicalization of the vulnerable is a sobering reality. Guilt, shame, and the longing for lost innocence can make people do the most terrible things—as long as salvation awaits on the other side. Whether it’s drinking Kool-Aid or strapping on a suicide . . . Continue reading →