YEARNING TO BREATHE FREE? Thoughts on Immigration, Islam & Freedom

I just finished reading Yearning to Breathe Free and it left me feeling very proud to be an American and it left me cherishing even more the ideals of the Baptist heritage I have embraced for many years. This book has correctly diagnosed the real problem with the "war on terror." That is, that this is really a war against radical Islam that has no place for the five freedoms put forth in the First Amendment: Free speech, a free press, a free church in a free state, free assembly, and the right to petition the government without reprisal. This is what America was founded upon and it is for these freedoms that I thank God I am an American and truly hope that these freedoms will spread throughout the world, especially in the Muslim world. Of related interest are eight distinctives of Baptist doctrine. I was born a Roman Catholic, was converted in the ministry of a Pentecostal church, became a baptist by conviction. These eight distinctives are, to me, what makes a Baptist church the most ideal and biblical of all denominations. What Are the Eight Baptist Distinctives? These teachings may be remembered by associating them with the letters that form the word "BAPTISTS." Biblical Authority The Bible is the final authority in all matters of belief and practice because the Bible is inspired by God and bears the absolute authority of God Himself. Whatever the Bible affirms, Baptists accept as true. No human opinion or decree of any church group can override the Bible. Even creeds and confessions of faith, which attempt to articulate the theology of Scripture, do not carry Scripture's inherent authority. 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:20, 21 Autonomy of the Local Church The local church is an independent body accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church. All human authority for governing the local church resides within the local church itself. Thus the church is autonomous, or self-governing. No religious hierarchy outside the local church may dictate a church's beliefs or practices. Autonomy does not mean isolation. A Baptist church may fellowship with other churches around mutual interests and in an associational tie, but a Baptist church cannot be a "member" of any other body. Colossians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 19, 23 Priesthood of the Believer "Priest" is defined as "one authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and God." Every believer today is a priest of God and may enter into His presence in prayer directly through our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. No other mediator is needed between God and people. As priests, we can study God's Word, pray for others, and offer spiritual worship to God. We all have equal access to God--whether we are a preacher or not. 1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 5:9, 10 Two Ordinances The local church should practice two ordinances: (1) baptism of believers by immersion in water, identifying the individual with Christ

This is excellent reading. I highly recommend this book. I must say I learned a few things.

Here is a plainly written book that reveals the basic teachings of Islam. Teachings that have produced violence for many centuries. From the first battle of the newly formed United States Marines at Tripoli, to 9/11, to both Gulf Wars, this book, with clarity, shows that socities and governments act upon what they believe. When our president said, "the terrorists have hi-jacked a peaceful religion", his metaphor was not simply poorly chosen, but blatently untrue. There is no unity, for instance, between Christians and Jews. Their beliefs are mutually exclusive of each other. Yet, they do not kill each other. Islam, on the other hand, teaches from the Koran that all societies must be brought to "surrender" and "submission" and are blatently inferior to Islamic society. When Islamic soldiers fight and lose, the hatred of the West grows. When 9/11 hit, thousands upon thousands of Muslims, from New Jersey to the Middle East, poured into the streets to celebrate "Allah's victory over the infidels". There was no voice from the Muslim community condemning violence. Why? Because the Koran itself teaches the violent conquest of the world. Both the Koran and history clearly show Jews and Christians that Islam is anything but peaceful. From "God bless Hitler" to "Europe will have its 9/11", right up to "Freedom Go to Hell!", Islamic teaching, funding in the United States by the Saudi governement, is an enemy of freedom. Here in America, Muslims can be citizens. In Islamic countries, no Jew or Christian can be a citizen. Many nations have the death penalty for a Muslim who converts to another religion. Americans simply do not understand the pathological hatred of the West, in particular, of the Jews, and Israel. There is only one nation in the Middle East where a Muslim can have citizenship in a non-Muslim country: Israel. We have come to cherish freedom of religion, but that freedom must not be a license to kill in the name of religion. Hopefully, this book will be that wake up call to this dangerous "religion" and culture that seeks domination over Israel, the United States, Europe, and the rest of the world. Immigration policies are only assisting the Islamic movement, and funding the Islamic War in which we are now engaged. Soldiers in Iraq and other places are not dying for the price of a barrel of oil; they are sacrificing their lives for freedom. Give this book a chance. Although I may not agree with some of its content in regard to interpreting history, its chapters on Islam are must reads for all of us. This is why I gave it 5 stars. I could not put it down.

"Yearning to be Free" is a very lucid treatise on a vital and timely topic. Dykstra shows how interrelated are the subjects of immigration, Islam, and the quest for true freedom. Every American aught to be aware of the present dangers and to protect the freedom known to and defended by our forefathers.