President Obama has caused quite a stir with his comments at the Prayer Breakfast on February 5, 2015. The reason for the outrage of many is his comparison of the Crusades to that of ISIS today. There have been some responses that I believed to be very good, so I will make a list of them here. Consider this a small resource for your convenience.
The President’s comments lacked historical reality. ISIS and the Crusades were not the same. At least in the beginning, the Crusades were designed to take back land that Islam had brutally taken from Christians. Here are a few articles that deal with what actually was happening in history with the Crusades. The first article is from Kevin DeYoung and takes a brief look at what the Crusades were supposed to be about. The second article is written by John Hendryx and discusses why the President’s remarks are ignorant of reality.
As you read both articles you will find an admission that things got carried away in the Crusades. But, to anyone who thinks about ISIS today, that is much different than what is going on right now.
The last article that I wanted to put on here is one that is a bit humorous if you really think about it. It is simply titled “The President at the Prayer Breakfast” and it is written by Albert Mohler. Mohler takes a look at how poor the presidents of the past have been at trying to be theologians. The president is not a theologian and his blunder in thinking proves it, but this does cause a problem. Mohler argues that his lack of understanding the situation is causing him to not have the right answer with the ongoing struggle with ISIS.
I hope that these resources help you to think through some of the politics we are currently facing. I found them to be enlightening and refreshing. I hope that they do the same for you.
R. Dwain Minor
I was online a few minutes ago and saw another article that was interesting on this topic, so I thought I would add it here at the bottom because it is not part of the original post. It is Joe Carter discussing the debate on the president’s remarks. He presents both sides of the argument.
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