Hovey argues that the absence of martyrdom in today’s church is mostly because the modern church poses no threat to the dominant culture.

I would add that the modern Christianity is often complicit in its aping of North American culture – one need only walk into a Christian bookstore to confirm this. Mass Christian popular culture and Christian consumerism.

The church needs to maintain a robust “ethic of succession” (for more on this see “Colossians Remixed” by Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat). However, this is not to suggest a “Christ versus culture” paradigm. I am suggesting that too often in modern Christianity we have acquiesced to cultural norms where we should expect to see points of friction between Christianity and culture.

This is a powerful post. There is a lot to ponder on in what Wagdi shared, and several challenges that we as believers should take to heart and act upon. I especially am drawn to this quote from your post:

“Islam is not a threat, it is a golden opportunity and churches should adopt a mosque to pray for.”

I pray that more and more believers in North America will have this mindset, and that our hearts will be filled with love and compassion for Muslims (and the lost from all backgrounds) around us.