A return to blogging?

So, when I started this blog it was in response to my personal experiences and sentiments after fleeing Lebanon in the wake of the 2006 Lebanon War. As a result of that experience and the fact that I was in grad school studying international relations at the time, the blog took on a decisively political tone with spiritual afterthoughts. I think I might return to blogging (though only time will tell) but with the goal being a more spiritual, rather than political, agenda. My experience is that politics divides ruthlessly and often needlessly, and party loyalties blind moral judgement and turn heart issues into talking heads. God save me from such a fate.

So, instead, I want to continue this blog under the same name with a revised goal, which is, simply put, addressing the question "How should followers of Jesus view Muslims?"

I have found that in a day and age where what we think about Muslims matters greatly, Americans are lacking clear voices that treat this issue in a Christ-centered and human way. I realize that I, as an American who wants to obey Jesus and who lives in the Middle East doing every day life with Arab Muslims, am in a position to present a different perspective. My goal for any reader of this blog is not political conversion, but spiritual conversation that challenges unbiblical paradigms. As much as we should honor sincere leaders in both church and politics, it is important to remember that often the church and the state have been on the wrong side of history, protecting prejudices and standing in the way of sincere disciples loving the people God loves. Lest we repeat those mistakes we should never fear new approaches or ideas- fear of newness led a lot of people to reject Jesus himself.