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Hearing firsthand about Islamic culture increased my understanding, but it also made me nervous about my own society. The very things we resist in Islam, some Christians find tempting. We, too, seek political power and a legal code that reflects revealed morality. We, too, share a concern about raising our children in a climate of moral decadence. We, too, tend to see others (including Muslims) as a stereotyped community, rather than as individuals. Will we turn toward our own version of the harsh fundamentalism sweeping Islam today?

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Previous Yancey columns for Christianity Today include:

A Long, Warm Glow | A respected evangelical elder on the life of faith. (May 16, 2006)

For God's Sake | What 147 elk taught me about prayer. (March 1, 2006)

The Word on the Street | What the homeless taught me about prayer. (Dec. 29, 2005)

Exploring a Parallel Universe | Why does the word evangelical threaten so many people in our culture? (Nov. 3, 2005)

God Behind Barbed Wire | How a Nazi-soldier-turned-theologian found hope. (Aug. 29, 2005)

The Japanese Joseph | What the North Korean regime meant for evil, God used for good. (June 21, 2005)

A Bow and a Kiss | Authentic worship reveals both the friendship and fear of God. (April 28, 2005)

Global Suspense | The trick of faith is to believe in advance what will only make sense in reverse. (March 01, 2005)

Back from the Brothel | Thanks to brave ministries, prostitutes are still entering the kingdom. (Jan. 05, 2005)

Hope for Abraham's Sons | What will it take for us to overcome this violent world? (Oct. 27, 2004)

Forgetting God | Why decadence drives out discipline. (Aug. 30, 2004)

Discreet and Dynamic | Why, with no apparent resources, Chinese churches thrive. (June 28, 2004)

Doubting the Doomsayers | Thank God not everything they say is true. (April 30, 2004)

Cry, The Beloved Continent | Don't let AIDS steal African children's future. (March 04, 2004)

The Colonizers | The best preachers have challenged earth to become more like heaven. (Jan. 16, 2004)

The Leprosy Doctor | Paul Brand showed how to serve others sacrificially and emerge with joy. (Oct. 23, 2003)

Yancey's Where is God When it Hurts, Special Edition, Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived the Church, and his latest book, Rumors of Another World, are available on Christianbook.com.

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July 2006, Vol. 50, No. 7