Before I get any death threats for the above title, I just ask you to not shoot the messenger. This post is about a Christian Evangelist and the toy pig he has called “Muhammed.” (Yeah I know, he even got the spelling wrong)
Bill Keller, host of LivePrayer - a TV, Radio and email Christian Evangelistic venture, has posted a video on YouTube in response to the case of Gillian Gibbons, who was sentenced to 15 days in a Sudan jail after being convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her student to call a teddy bear “Muhammad.”
Gibbons had been found guilty of inciting religious hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs, her sentence could have been 40 lashes and up to six months of prison.
Now I could rant all day long at how bizarre Gillian’s case is - especially the fact that Muhammad is such a common name in Muslim countries. My TV was saturated with images of fanatical mobs in Sudan brandishing machete’s calling for Gillian to be executed. Just too pathetic to even dwell on.
But then you get a Christian response to the situation. Bill Keller, with an email subscription of 2.4 million people, posts the following video on YouTube:
For a background on Keller, here is the Wikipedia entry on LivePrayer. Based in Florida, LivePrayer receives 40,000 emails EACH DAY for prayer requests. A team of 700 retired pastors pray over and respond to each request.He wont be a victim of the recent Senate inquiry into the finances of Christian big wigs as he is paid a salary of $50,000 and is against those who “build bigger buildings instead of winning the lost for Christ”. So kudo’s to him for that.
He does however have a bit of a checkered past. Becoming a Christian at the age of 12, he started a computer business while in college and was convicted of insider trading - where he spent almost 3 years in prison. While in prison, he recommitted to his faith and launched LivePrayer in 1999. I don’t hold anything against him - we all have our skeletons.
But to post such a video in the current climate is in poor taste. As a Christian, I, by default, find the teachings of Mohammad to be wrong and see a race of people developing into a very angry and violent group of fellow human beings.
But they still are loved by God and Jesus died for every single one of them. And for a Christian Evangelist to post such a video shows nothing of the love that burns in the heart of our Messiah.
Keller might produce this content in the safety of his Florida studio’s - thousands of miles away from Islamic controlled areas. But he has to remember that there are faithful servants of God in these areas risking their lives to bring the Gospel to these people in a way they can relate to.
One viewing of this video and much of their work with the people is snuffed.
Tags: Islam, Christianity, Muhammad, Bill Keller, LivePrayer, Evangelist, Gillian Gibbons, Sudan
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