Terrorfying

The tragedy of 9/11 had just passed; churches are full, a nation in mourning.

A charismatic man is the guest speaker for a youth group. An over-protective dad, like many over-protective dads, and he is trying to teach a group of high school students about the "religions of the world," namely about Mormonism and Islam.

He knows a lot and appears to know a lot, shiny and red with excitement. He talks about mountains and virgins in heaven and multiple wives. And then he says this, "You know, Muslims and Christians, we're not that different. And you know those radical extreme Muslims, they would do so much good if they were that radical for Christ. We should all be that radical for Christ."

A room full of high school students nods its collective head. How can we bring them to Christ to be radical Christians? 

And a girl on leadership who is taking notes stops. Did he really just say that? She wants a second opinion and glances around to catch some other confused stare. All she sees are nods. But something about that man's statement, the theory and urgency behind those statements, doesn't make sense. At least, she hopes it doesn't make sense. Because if it does, if that room nodded its collective nod of approval for that ideology, then that was the terror. It is the terror bred from terror. And as the room around her gears up for a spiritual war mis-waged, she knows that some will sign up to fight with guns in a war misunderstood. And so instead of nodding with the rest of that room, she bows her head to pray.