Through the glass darkly

In one of the best summaries of love ever written, the Apostle Paul described his ultimate hope as coming face to face with Christ. That hope is driven by faith and put in practice by being an effective witness to the love of God by loving others as we are loved. Serving Christ means that you lift the crosses of others. It means the world shall know us by our love.

Scripture also promises that our sins will come to light. No matter carefully hidden, every act of harm we brought to others will be unearthed. And heaven help you if you hurt others in the name of Christ. That is an act of an unspeakable heresy.

Jesus said we are to spread the good news that God loves all. All. Period. If we preach hatred for any individual or group, we have failed that mission. Failed Christ. Betrayed Christ by knowing right and doing wrong.

The wretched film about the prophet Muhammad illustrates truth coming to light. If you have avoided the news in the past week, a film called "Innocence of Muslims" sparked violence in many predominantly Muslim countries. The film mocks Muhammad in ways sure to offend Muslims. Not only was it insulting, it was initially blamed on an Israeli Jew with funding by at least 100 Jewish donors.

Everything about the creation of this film is a study in deception. The actors were told they were making a low budget show about Egypt. The permit listed the project as "Desert Warriors" with no mention of the religious subtext. The dialogue was overdubbed in English and Arabic. The director is associated with the porn industry. The people behind the movie and its promotion are Christians, not Jews.

The film is also a study of how easy it is spread hatred. Mobs in over 20 predominantly Muslim countries attacked American embassies and businesses. Among the dead including the American ambassador to Libya and 3 other State Department personnel along with scores of others on the violent streets.

Coptic Christians expatriated from Egypt to the United States have been identified as the "brains" behind this offensive movie. It is quite a collection. The producer is from the Coptic community in California and has a history of bank fraud. Another is the head of a Christian charity, Media for Christ.

Media for Christ, a Duarte, Calif.-based Christian nonprofit group, applied for the film permit, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported. The charity's misson statement is to "glow Jesus' light" to the world.

Media for Christ is run by Joseph Nassralla Abdelmasih.

Joseph Nassralla Abdelmasih is the president for Media for Christ, which identifies itself as a non-denominational evangelical Christian organization that provides spiritual aid and humanitarian assistance. Nassralla has been introduced at speaking events as a Coptic Christian and human rights activist from Egypt.

Last year, Nassralla participated in a demonstration asking for Sheriff Lee Baca to resign over his praise of the Council on American Islamic Relations, an Islamic civil liberties group.

The film was heavily promoted on social media by activist Morris Sadek.

An anti-Muslim agitator named Morris Sadek, president of an obscure organization called the National American Coptic Assembly near Washington, D.C., promoted the film by email, Twitter and Facebook.

Sadek is despised in Egypt, even among many fellow Copts who see him as a loose cannon. His citizenship was revoked by his native country in 2011 for "calling for war against Egypt," among other crimes, according to the Egypt Independent newspaper.

The Coptic connection has put the Christian community in Egypt at great risk. They have been frequent targets of persecution in recent years. The growing political power of fundamentalist Muslims in Egypt has many in the Copt community holding their breath. This movie is a match thrown into dry tinder. A young woman described life as Christian in Egypt this way:

"I can't go to church alone; my brother must be with me. I can't go out at night. When I return from work, a male – either my father or brother – must be waiting for me at the subway station," she said. "Being a Christian ... is hard in Egypt in these conditions."

Two self-proclaimed evangelical American Christians have also promoted the movie. Terry Jones is the Florida pastor that gained fame with his Koran burning stunts. Steve Klein is pastor of a tiny church in California and also has a long record of anti-Muslim rhetoric and deeds.

It is not surprising that a small group can spread hatred and violence. The problem is that these little men call themselves Christians. They betrayed Christ with their lies and their hatred. Christ called us to be effective witnesses for God's love. That does not include insulting Muslims and inflaming tensions.

Perhaps it would be wise to think about what Christ would like us to learn from this fiasco.

How many times have you heard our religious and political leaders making disparaging comments about Islam? The answer is too many. We have seen protests against the building of mosques. We have seen mosques burned to ground. We have seen enthusiastic support for torture, assassinations, and military action against Muslims. With few exceptions, the guilty parties have been Christians.

How many times have we stood up for the teachings of Christ and demanded that our fellow Christians stop preaching hatred of Muslims? The answer is rarely. It typically goes unchallenged.

We serve Christ. You cannot serve Christ with hatred. It is not possible. There are no circumstances in which hatred is acceptable in the name of Christ. None. Period. End of story. When you hate, you raise doubts about the reality of Christ in the minds of others.

Nahmamides (aka Ramban), a prominent rabbi, questioned whether Jesus could possibly be the messiah since his followers were filled with hatred, violence, and injustice. That was 800 years ago in Spain. That was after the Crusades, but before the Inquisition and genocidal campaigns against Jews across Europe well into the 20th century.

Paul was correct. Love is greater than faith and hope. It is how you show your allegiance to Christ.