Two Kinds of People

There are only two kinds of people in this world:  Those who run away from God and those who run to God.

Those that run away from God don’t want to have anything to do with Him and, most likely, do not believe He exists.  Those who run to God recognize who He is, that He exists, and that it is a joy to know, trust, and worship Him.

In Psalm 14:1, the wisdom of King David’s words comes to us from more than 3,000 years ago, 

“The fool says in his heart,
    ‘There is no God.’”

And in Hebrews 11:6 we read,

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

And in Quran 6:71 we read,

"Shall we invoke instead of Allah that which neither benefits us nor harms us and be turned back on our heels after Allah has guided us? We would then be like one whom the devils enticed to wander upon the earth confused, while he has companions inviting him to guidance, calling, 'Come to us.' Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the only guidance; and we have been commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds.”

Some readers may accuse me of calling them fools because they do not believe in God.  I reply that I have not called you fools.  King David, the most highly revered King of Israel, calls you fools.  I invite you to repent and acknowledge the one true God.

I like those who run to God.  I enjoy being among people who take their faith in God seriously.  This is the one motivating factor that compels me to maintain this blog.  While the blog concentrates on relationships between Christians and Muslims, it does not mean that I would not enjoy encounters with anybody else who takes their faith in the one true God seriously.

There are those who define their theology so narrowly that they exclude good, godly people who take their faith in God seriously.

The ironic thing is that someplace right now there is, most likely, a group of Jews meeting in a Synagogue who are rejoicing that they alone possess the full truth of God. And there is also right now, most likely, a group of Muslims meeting in a Mosque, who are also rejoicing that they alone possess the full truth of God. And there is also right now, most likely, a group of Christians meeting in a Church, who are also rejoicing that they alone possess the full truth of God. I confess that I, as a Christian, have been a part of such conversations on occasions. And I repent.

None of these three groups fully agree about what the full truth of God is. Consequently, there are only two possible outcomes. The first is that only one of these groups can truly be right and possess the full truth of God.  And many in these groups insist that this is the case. The second possibility, which is more probable, is that all of these groups possess something of the truth of God. But, as humans, we are incapable of perfectly understanding all of the mind of God. So, the understanding that each group has independently attained is simply imperfect. Consequently, it occurs to me that Jews, Muslims, and Christians all have adequate understanding of the truth, but not perfect understanding.

I reiterate the following from a prior blog post:

In the seventeenth century, there was a philosopher known as Herbert of Cherbury, who questioned the serious divisions among the various monotheistic religions–Muslims, Jews, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Catholics, and Protestants.  And he came up with five essential assertions that he believed were common to all monotheistic religions.  His goal was to establish common ground between these religions.  The five assertions are:

(1) There is a God; 
(2) This God ought to be worshiped; 
(3) The connection of virtue with piety is and always has been the most important part of religious practice; 
(4) While people are aware of their evils, they can and must expiate them by repentance; and 
(5) People face reward or punishment after this life.

This blog’s title, “A Divine Wink,” comes from Acts 17:30, which reads, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at.” I believe God still gives a Divine wink today at the ignorance that separates good, God-fearing people who take their faith in God seriously.

I am a program director for an organization called Peace Catalyst International, which is an evangelical, Christian organization that envisions local movements of Christians and Muslims around the world living in peace and working together with their neighbors to create safe, just, and vibrant communities.  

Peace Catalyst International promotes the slogan among Christians and Muslims, “We refuse to  be enemies.” Insh'allah. (May it be God's will.)  Please click here to financially help our efforts to promote goodwill and peaceful, edifying relations between Christians and Muslims.

I invite you to read my novel, A Divine Wink: When Love and Religion Become Rivals. In the novel, devout Muslim woman falls in love with a devout Christian man, and their love must survive opposition from their families and their separate, unsympathetic religions. See how their faith in the only true God allows them to overcome this opposition. Click here to make this novel a part of your life.

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