It's in the news more, but I think Islam has actually lost quite a bit of influence, compared to the favorable impression it had in the 60s & 70s.

That being said, predominantly Islamic nations are probably the least evangelized in the world, and Western missionaries (and their supporters) need to re-tool our efforts for those cultures. Ultimately, I have great optimism that missionaries from Korea, China, India are going to have a great impact over the next couple decades, winning the Muslim world over to Christ's kingdom.

Oh, and as for the ban on minarets, it's a bit silly. It's a superficial effort coming from superficial people - who are more concerned with outward appearances than inward.

I don't see this happening in the U.S. That is, if it is truly an effort to preserve European architecural-culture in their country then it is strictly a Swiss thing. The U.S. is a melting pot that probably would never allow that kind of restriction.

It is kind of silly, though. Just let them build their minarets!

Would it be wrong to characterize a minaret ban as a cheesy attempt to control people that is full of holes? Or is that picking too much on the Swiss?

The issue comes back to how you want minority religions treated. While I'm not a fan of seeing expanded fundamental Islam, a big part of the fear of Islam is that many Islamic nations badly treat MINORITY RELIGIONS! And we as Christians are headed toward, if we're not already there, being the religious minority. We ought to apply the words of Christ here and do for others as we would have done to us. How would we feel about steeple bans? How do we feel about nativity bans?

There's a better way than this. There has to be.

If we want to right to build steeples, we have to allow the right to build minarets. Freedom of religion is not limited to Christianity.

That said, in many parts of America there is a double standard. Christians are denied their freedoms to express their religion while special accommodations are made for Muslims and other minorities. I saw a set-aside Muslim prayer room in an airport not long ago, with foot-washing stations in the adjacent men's room. Folks will bend over backward to accommodate Islam. Why? Probably because they're afraid of getting themselves blown up if they don't.

It's not much different than downtown associations banning churches in the downtown area because it breaks up the cozy retail/bar/restaurant atmosphere, or cities not wanting churches in prime area for high tax income.

Maybe Muslims think the minarets attract attention and draw people into the mosque like Christians do with their steeples. I can't figure out what the substantive reason is for Christians to spend millions of $ on steeples or tall crosses. There are highly substantive / determinative commands from God that are greatly underfunded.

Chris:

Everything about your last sentence is abhorrent to me, antithetical to everything Jesus is calling us toward, such as loving--instead of slandering--those we consider our enemies.

This is a bad move by the Swiss...

i wonder if there will be people who will make a case for co-belligerence with so-called secularists to impede Islamic encroachment?

it would certainly make the fizzling culture war fascinating in a twisted sort of way.

Nate, I totally agree with your comment to Chris. We shouldn't lump religious people together with the extremists who claim to be affiliated with them.

I don't want people thinking of abortion clinic bombers who act in the name of Christianity when they find out I'm a Christian. I think the same must be true of Muslims. Why do people automatically assume all Muslims are terrorists? Small minds and hard hearts.

Limiting one religion, limits them all - eventually.

"...instead of slandering--those we consider our enemies."

Slanderous?
Is it slanderous to speak the truth?
I do not believe so.
How many Buddhist have strapped on an explosive vest and yelled, "Buddha is great!" with the accompanying detonation?

How many Wiccan's have strapped on an explosive vest and yelled, "the earth mother is great" and blown the world around them to small little particles?

So, no, it's not slanderous.

What I want to address is the other subtext which you briefly alluded too, Nate, but yet didn't fully cover.

Christians are called to be sheep.
they get herded.
They get pushed around.
They get penned.
They get butchered.
But the thing through it all is that the sheep never stop being sheep.
Same same Christians.

I see where Chris is coming from, and I want to say is that Muslims are not answerable to Y'shua, we are.
Muslims, along with everyone else who denies Y'shua's resurrection are answerable to G-d Almighty...not to us, followers of Christ.
We are to be imitators of Christ, not of each other, or of the world.

As for the minarets and steeples.../pfft, stones piled on stones...in the grand sweep of history it is all meaninglessness. We hold on to the things that are temporary, and give no consideration to the things that are eternal which I guess is another symptom of our fallen condition.

I have to confess... I want to love my Muslim neighbors, but my great fear is that Islam will use the tolerance of the west and the love of Christians against us.
I realize that's no reason not to love, but I wonder- what does it mean to be as doves and as wise as serpents when talking about living as sheep in the midst of the wolves of a system that seems where it has taken root to veil and marginalize women, outlaw the preaching of the Gospel and more?

I think there is a misconception about "love."
Love is not stupid.
Love is also not ignorant.
Love is aware of the fallenness of man, and accepts the consequences of exposure to potential abuse because there is hope that further down the time line G-d will wrought a miracle in that persons life.

This is where I have a problem with most of my brethern here in the US because they're fat, dumb, and above all...lazy.
Granted, thats a generality, but for the most part the worst thing any Christian here in the US has to face is the turmoil of either sleeping in, or getting their overfed butts to the pew for Sunday morning.
Certainly, their are spiritual turmoils, "do I have that affair with the hottie in the next cubible who smells like spring, and looks like a goddess?" or "Hokey smokes, I so got a work-around on these forms that I can actually game the system to my benefit...yeah baby, in comes the love!"
When is the last time an American in the US was faced with a life or death situation of "today is your opportunity to live by recanting your laughably stupid faith."?

Which leads me to what is quite possibly the most compelling question for the church as a whole throughout history...

"talking about living as sheep in the midst of the wolves of a system that seems where it has taken root to veil and marginalize women, outlaw the preaching of the Gospel and more?"

We, as a faith, have been...hmm...I'm being told to be constructive here...okay, we as a faith from the beginning of the 3rd century to now have been very accomadating to the world.
So, either you believe Y'shua, that this world, with all it's wonderous beauties and magnificence is a pathetically pale reflection of the world to come and act on that belief;
or you don't believe Y'shua, protect yourself, hide your words about your faith, mumble your worship, and accept the world around you as is and live like this as good as it will ever get.
I would say due to the historical record of the Church, we've been following the latter part of that option.
So I say, either live the life you have chosen through belief, or give yourself a break, and go have fun while you still have time.
That is my answer to the preaching of the gospel in Muslim countries.

Great. I'm preparing myself for another entire generation of right-wing Christian Persecution emails.

It won't be 24 hours before someone has crafted a story about the Muslim Obama threatening war with Switzerland, or about how he's going to outlaw church steeples, or something wilder yet.

it is interesting that the conversation here has diverted from the actual question posed by Skye - such as Chris' outlandish/foolish statement.

The body of Christ functions far better when it is in a posture of service than when it is guarding its institutions. The pastor that helps defend a minaret will have more of a hearing to share the gospel then the pastor leading the charge to ban it.

To love the poor is humanly difficult.
To love our enemy is humanly impossible.
To love the poor is to love those who cannot love us in return like the love of our family.
To love our enemy is to love those who have hurt us, or would hurt us, or worst, would kill us.

Mother Teresa loved the poor. Few among us could love the poor as she did.

Love our enemy? Everyday Christians, could we? Perhaps, a handful now could answer yes.

Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian Holocaust survivor, could have surely answered yes - especially during that soul-stirring day after her imprisonment when she's giving a talk about God's forgiveness.

Like a bat out of hell, she caught, just then, a glimpse, among the audience, of the face of her "enemy" - one of the cruelest guards in notorious concentration camp. His haunting image jogged her shameful memory of her walking naked in front of him, where she saw her own sister's frail form, her ribs sharp beneath her parchment skin; she died later.

"Now he was in front of me, hand thrust out...And I, who had spoken so glibly of forgiveness, fumbled in my pocketbook rather than take that hand...it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do..." she narrated.

What would come next would let us into the secret of how we can love our enemy.

Corrie Ten Boom prayed. "Jesus, help me! I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling."

"And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm and sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. 'I forgive you, brother! With all my heart.'" She cried.

As I read the poignant narrative, a construction company slogan flashed across my memory: "The difficult we do right away. The impossible takes a little time."

Loving the people getting off the mosque with minarets? Wait a minute - pray for Jesus' help.

To Minaret or Not To Minaret should not be the question for pastors or other real Christians. I think this quote of yours is the question: "The question for those of us in the American church, particularly in leadership, is how will we interpret the growing population of Muslims in our country?" God has brought the mission field to us. Do we have the courage to tell them that, "...the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"? We don't even seem to have the courage to tell our all-American brothers and sisters that truth. I believe that because we have stopped preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified and calling the unsaved to repentance that we are going to get Minarets and more. We have become so tolerent of Satan's game that skulls and skeletons are not even noticed by school dress codes anymore. Who's worried about Minarets? We believe that sexual promiscuity and homosexuality are irrelevant to God in today's world. Who's worried about Minarets? We have sunk so low as a church in our unwillingness to be obedient to the bible that we don't know how to differentiate truth anymore. Who's worried about Minarets?

The Swiss church sunk a long time ago. Now they have Minarets.