A Christian response to the brutality of ISIS

This week, John Stonestreet of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview and I talked about the best way American Christians can respond to a video showing the butchering of 21 Christians on a beachfront in Libya. Stonestreet said the 21 Egyptian believers killed by ISIS called to his mind the beheaded martyrs in Revelation 20 who die because of their testimonies about Jesus and then reign with Him for 1,000 years.

“It’s, I hope, hearkening the church back to what it means to be a Christian in the world, which is, our ultimate allegiances belong to Jesus Christ despite the cultural pressure,” Stonestreet said.

Meanwhile, he believes military action is needed to stop ISIS, even though much of the American public is weary of war.

“This is evil that needs to be stopped, and, like it or not, we’re one of the ones that are equipped to do this,” Stonestreet said.

He also had stern words for those in the United States who use the brutal violence against Christians in the Middle East to scold conservative Americans for defending religious freedom here. One Patheos blogger wrote that standing up for florists and cake bakers who lose their businesses for refusing to participate in same-sex weddings “is actually distracting, offensive, and insulting to those who face real persecution for their faith.”

Stonestreet said the two causes are not mutually exclusive, and Americans’ religious freedom allows them to better stand against the brutality of ISIS.

“If we lose religious freedom here, we’re going to lose the nation on the planet that can actually act on behalf of persecuted minorities around the world,” he said.

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