Yesterday, when a reporter decided to gather more information about JAW's "sorry booth", everyone was excited and hopeful that it would provide good publicity to further the gospel message. And yet thus far, the article has only incited angry and disappointed comments, from presumably Christian readers.

I have to admit, I also have mixed feelings about such activities. Because with events like this, we can run the risk of crashing down a slippery slope. It's fine for us to apologize for those angry "preachers" that constantly tell people they are going to hell, without the slightest hint of love in their voices. But it is not okay for us to apologize for hell. Because yes, Jesus was the epitome of love-- but he also spent a great deal of time illustrating the gravity and reality of hell. We can apologize for all those loveless messages about hell, but we can't apologize for hell itself. It would imply that Jesus was either wrong or a liar and that the cross was unnecessary. I'm not saying that this happened, but it's a possibility and we have to be careful.

That being said, though, I don't think the event or the article warranted such harsh criticism. It's a bit ironic. I can't help but feel that all the commenters are precisely the kinds of Christians that our brothers and sisters were apologizing for yesterday. More than anything though, it's sad that the body of Christ seems so divided. More than erudite words, acts of kindness, and well-planned events, the love we have for one another (i.e. other Christians) was supposed to heighten awareness of Christ's love.

Another issue that troubles me about the comments, is this pervasive hatred toward Muslims. I have to be honest. A part of me is scared of Muslims. (Lets be clear: I'm afraid of them, I don't hate them. That quote about fear leading to hate does not apply.) A couple months ago, I read an interview in which a leading Islamist thinker declared that if people were truly following the Quran to the dot, then yes, they would be killing all non-Muslims. At least a few times a week, I receive updates on worldwide Christian persecution. The vast majority of the reports come from predominantly Muslim nations. So at times, I am afraid of the rise of Islam and how it will inevitably lead to a rise in Christian persecution. Then there are other times when I think it's absolutely ridiculous because one of my friends is a devout Muslim and is one of the kindest individuals I know. At the risk of being politically incorrect, I agree that Islam is evil, but not everyone who follows Islam is evil. As Christians, we have to remember that non-Christians are often deceived into their thinking. Fear and hatred will not help win over souls in this spiritual war. Even if they would take our lives from us, we must pray for and love them.