“International Burn a Quran Day.” What a bad idea. Even more so, what an un-Christian idea.

What ever happened to loving your enemy? I’m not even saying Muslims are our enemy either; they aren’t.

However, these people — Pastor Terry Jones and his flock of 50 people at the Dove World Outreach Center — must believe that on some level, even though they say they’re doing this out of love.

They say they don’t hate Muslims, they only hate Islam. However, it seems it would be hard to say that when you plan on burning the most important and sacred article of their faith.

Furthermore, they are doing it on Eid ul-Fitr, the holiday that ends the holy month of Ramadan, which falls this year on Sept. 11.

Think about it the other way around. It’d be like a Muslim coming up to a Christian and saying, “I love you,” while setting a Bible on fire. On Christmas day. I’m not sure many Christians would feel loved by the gesture.

On the group’s website, www.doveworld.org, it states that it is, “a New Testament Church based on the Bible.”

If that’s true, here are a few verses, which I think are applicable to why this is a bad idea.

In the book of Romans in chapter 13, it states, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

In this case, the governing authorities would be the city of Gainesville. The interim chief of the fire department denied the group’s permit to burn the Qurans because it is against the city code.

The city code states, “Open burning and outdoor burning are prohibited in the city of Gainesville unless otherwise specifically permitted as provided by this article.” Books are not permitted.

Therefore, the church would be wise to not willfully break the law. Otherwise, it will incur God’s judgment as well as the judgment of the city.

Another passage is found in the book of 1st Timothy in chapter 2, where it states, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior who desires all people to be saved.”

Basically, it’s saying to pray for all people especially those in high positions like kings. That’s because prayer is the easiest form of love.

I think Pastor John Piper said it best more than 20 years ago: “Do not let your prayers be limited to any one group of people or kind of people. Enlarge the circumference of your love. Do not be provincial, sectarian, nationalistic, elitist or racist in your prayers. Let your prayers embrace all kinds of people: high and low, white and black, democrats and republicans, Soviet premiers and Iranian Ayatollahs.”

That way you, Christians, will be able to love all people and may live quiet and peaceful lives. The goal isn’t to make the nightly news with crazy signs and events. It’s so that all people would know Jesus.

So if you’re really serious about loving Muslims and seeing Muslims embrace the Jesus of the New Testament, you don’t burn Qurans. You pray for Muslims, actually meet Muslims and become friends with them.

That’s a much better and a much more Christian way.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.