They’re on my bus every day. I see their moms and dads and grandparents. Loving caring family members who want the very best for their very beautiful children. I’m a school bus driver now. Retired school teacher in Chicagoland.

Yes, I see the Muslims every day. They’re everywhere in Chicago. Their dress seems strange to us, but in many cases is more like the Biblical norm than some of our loose-living Westerners who will expose most anything these days.

I watch them go into their mosques. I get very jealous for their souls. I’d love to see such enthusiasm among the men of my church and the church in general. I see dads and grand-dads and the little boys too walking hand in hand to what they believe is the house of God. Such zeal. Such commitment. Such consistency. My heart hurts over it.

I have been known to address these men as they come out from their meeting. I tell them of the love of Jesus, and how Jesus will give them rest in their souls. As a united front, they are consistently against or even very against my message.

Like you, I picture that these men would all welcome a Caliphate as is being formed in the Middle East right now. Though they are on various levels of understanding of their holy book, I imagine they would smile inwardly or outwardly if suddenly, or even after a prolonged struggle, Islam were the only religion allowed in the United States.

At least, that’s what I understand when I watch the news. Then I wonder, How close to the Christian mindset are these Muslims? Are they all inward fanatics? Do they all really care that much?

Oh they are worlds apart from our beliefs. Jesus is God. Their Jesus is prophet only. God is Father. Their God is a neutered, distant, stern descendant – at least in name – of the old pagan moon god. Their book is Koran, their example is Muhammad. Our book is the Bible, our example and personal friend is the Son of God Himself. Worlds apart are we.

But mindset. Attitude. Do I assume correctly that there are in Islam, as in those professing (not possessing) Christ, a huge number of Muslim-in-name-only folks? And many more who are, like in Christendom, very very lukewarm? Are there those, like the vast number of Christians, who love a good ritual from time to time, but who never live in the spirit of their religion (in our case, the Holy Spirit of God)?

We are being made aware more and more that there is an element of Islam that is radical and dangerous and ugly and ready to take over the world by any means necessary. But that the vast number of Muslims are peace-loving sheep that just want to survive, and even prosper, in a land of freedom and , let’s admit it, wealth.

And both groups can prove their point by Koran! Now that sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Two sides of a theological point being pulled out of the same Holy Book? We’ve been doing that for years. Free will or predestination? Pre-trib or post-trib? Sprinkled or immersed? All of that, and oh so many more contradictory points, out of the same Bible! I don’t at all suggest that all those points are in there, only that some people find them in there, often to their own spiritual loss.

So we must allow that Muslims do the same. Yes, radical jihad and peaceful Islam are all in the same Koran. They are not lying about this. The one “side” , given to a zeal for worldwide Islam, uses their holy book to prove they are to behead all the infidels. The other “side”, for their own purposes, uses the same book to prove we are to live at peace with our neighbors.

But, and this is so crucial, though statements that prove both sides are surely in the Koran, the key to both sides is context. As in the true Holy Book, it really does matter who said something, why he said it, when he said it, where he said it, and for what reason he said it.

Two contradictory statements are not both true. Period. Search the context, and you find the truth about the matter. Let’s take a look at the context of the Koranic war statements and peace statements, and see which of the current Muslims is living according to his faith, and which is hiding behind an outdated text.

I refer you now to the work of an Egyptian Christian, raised speaking the Arabic language, who has given to us an English translation of the Koran. I am going to read to you from his introductory comments, then trace a teaching through the Koran that will be very helpful.