John Daniel Davidson has a report at The Federalist that claims The Conversion of Ayaan Hirsi Ali To Christianity Is A Dire Warning To The West. I have many questions, left unanswered by Ali herself, but I welcome her conversion, as our Lord, Jesus Christ welcomes all who come to him. Praise be to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who is the only one who can bring this about.
Over the weekend, Ayaan Hirsi Ali revealed in an essay at Unherd that she has become a Christian. For Christians, this is welcome and joyous news. But it’s also instructive. A former Muslim who very publicly rejected Islam and became an avowed atheist in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Ali has been speaking and writing in defense of Western civilization and liberal values for decades.
Now she has come to the conclusion that there is no way to maintain Western civilization and no way to preserve its liberal values apart from Christianity. Just as she came to discover the fundamentalist Islam of her youth was a dead end, she has also discovered the atheism she adopted in response to it is also a dead end.
Ali is correct that classical liberalism, the recognition of the natural rights of humanity because we are human, that even true science grew out of mens' faith in Jesus Christ. For if what Jesus taught, what we read in the Bible is true, then the Creator of the Universe is rational. If He is rational and knowable, then we can discover how things work through rational means. But Ali also missis something here:
She’s also right about that but wrong to think Christianity is primarily about countering those forces or preserving a particular civilizational or political project. As great as Western civilization is, it arose as a byproduct of the Christian faith, the sole object of which is communion with Almighty God by means of salvation through Jesus Christ. Things like freedom of speech, rule of law, and human rights are fruits of the Christian faith, but they are not what Christianity is about.
Ayann Hirsi Ali is clearly new to the faith. There are foundational beliefs that go along with our belief in Christ that explain much. For instance, we believe that man was created in the image of God; we are God's representatives on earth. So, while Muslims believe in the killing of infidels, Jews, even other Muslims if it will further the faith, we can only kill in self-defense. We believe in Truth and it is a sin to lie, while Muslims can lie, again to advance the faith. Muslims must work hard to earn their heaven. But we believe that heaven is opened to all who believe and are baptized. The doors of heaven are always open, while the gates of hell are locked on the inside.
Of course, if one truly believes, one will want to show it. Certainly giving of your time and money helps to show it. Ali's coming out as a Christian is also showing it, especially for an ex-Muslim, who will be a target as an apostate. Christians have made many innovations that have bettered humanity, but remember that Christ has already done everything needed. He has already defeated the Devil and the death the origianal sin brought into the world. God does not need our sacrifices, for what does a being who created everything with a word need? What He wants is a contrite heart. And a contrite heart brings us to prayer and to communion with God. But Ali will learn all of this.
The heavenly hosts are no doubt singing "Hallelujahs" over another prodigal daughter who has found her way home. At the same time, one has to notice the differences between Christianity and Islam. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob one the one hand, and Allah on the other, seem to be opposites. We know who our God is. So, the other guy must be the Father of lies.
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