Over the weekend, we saw several significant terrorist actions adding to an already tense world that’s on edge because of public beheadings and lone terror operatives in France, Australia, and now Denmark. In addition to the recent terror attack in Denmark, ISIS releases one of the most insidious videos to date. The high quality video, produced with edgy graphics and high quality picture shows the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians on a beach in Lybia1. These videos are so graphic that most main-stream media outlets simply refuse to run them (understandably). This situation is bad, how bad? Probably worse than anyone is being told. This is leading the western world to view Muslims in a certain way, even if it goes unspoken. You hear the remarks at the grocery store, in line while shopping, at school, at work- most acknowledge the insanity that drives Muslim terrorists. And though no one would deny that not all Muslims are violent, there is an increasing swell to the stereotype that Muslims are odd for believing in a religion that does in fact sanction Islamic global domination (Surah 8:39). With Islamic terrorism out of control and with Christian persecution at an all time high, the question here is, what do we do with the imprecatory prayers in Scripture? Is there a New Testament precedent for such prayers, if not, what relevance do scores of Psalms have for the contemporary church? Keep reading
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Should We Pray for the Defeat of ISIS, or Their Conversion?
The Book of Common Prayer contains a form of prayer for times like our own. It is called the Litany, or General Supplication, or in some versions of the Prayer Book, the Great Litany, The Litany may be prayed after Morning Prayer, as a part of Morning Prayer, or separately as as a service of its own, depending upon the Prayer Book that is used. In the 1979 Prayer Book it may be used as the entrance rite of the Holy Eucharist. Prayers for the conversion of ISIS and their defeat may be appended to the Litany.
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