The ongoing search for the real Terry Jones

I discovered that Terry Jones has a series of YouTube videos. His lead-in video, that is, the one on his website www.doveworld.org is entitled "The Church must stand up." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZhA3gydf6g&feature=player_embedded#! Interesting stuff. He reminds me of Orianna Fallaci and Bat Ye'or. They are like those who climbed the watchtower in more primitive times to warn of an approaching enemy. The people who can watch this and criticize Terry Jones would criticize any preacher who preaches from a Fundamentalist orientation, and Fundamentalism is the predominate religious viewpoint of the Red States.

I just watched one he has entitled "Who can we Trust?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0zENGdA20U Jones sounds like a typical Fundamentalist Preacher. I have heard such preachers preach. He sounds very like them here. He doesn't strike me as being unique. But I shall watch on . . .

By the way, one can subscribe to his videos through www.doveworld.org. I'm tempted to do that in order to keep up with his activities . . . His "Who can we Trust?" video is numbered "48." I doubt that I'll be able to watch the other 47, but I'll try to watch a few. . . .

I watched "Shame, Shame, Shame! Joel Osteen and the Lesbian" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRwvSY8DEnM&feature=related Joel Osteen was apparently invited to say the prayer at the inauguration of a homosexual Texas mayor. Jones thinks he should have turned the invitation down. Jones is taking a Fundamentalist stance in regard to homosexuality.

I watched "Pray for Obama and Give Warning." Actually, Jones is intending a little humor here. He quotes Psalm 109 verse 8, "May his days be few," and suggests that we pray that Obama's days in office be few. The rest is about the need to warn about the effects of sin.

I watched "Islam is of the Devil" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5fhYEJUEWo In this one, Jones gives his reasons for putting up the sign out in front of his church saying "Islam is of the Devil." From this video we can infer that Jones is "Charismatic." That is, he believes in faith healing and present day miracles. The Charismatic position shares its theology with Fundamentalism except in regard to the "gifts." Fundamentalism and the traditional Christian churches do not believe that the "gifts" are for today. Nevertheless the Charismatic "non-denominational" churches are very numerous and I doubt that Fundamentalist and Conservative Christian churches would repudiate most of what Jones is preaching. Whether they would have the guts to stand with him in the battle he has declared is another matter.

In regard to that battle of his, he does tempt me a bit. I do believe that Radical Islam needs to be opposed, and I don't see as much opposition as I would like. However, I am neither a Fundamentalist nor a Charismatic, and I do not see the history of Islam quite the way Jones does. Yes, the Koran when taken as literally as he takes the Bible, does teach the excesses that we see in modern-day Radical Islam. But in earlier days Muslims interpreted the Koran less literally. Jones interprets the Koran just as he does the Bible and his conclusions are consistent with his theology.

Frankly, I'm surprised that more Fundamentalist and Charismatic preachers haven't taken stances similar to Jones', for their theology demands it. But perhaps they have and we haven't heard about them, because none of the rest of them threatened to burn Korans.