August 18, 2026 | www.gospelofjesuschrist.blog | River Wilde
Something has been building in Dearborn, Michigan, and today the city has become a symbol of a much larger struggle taking place throughout America.
But before we call this simply a battle between religions, political parties, immigrants, or cultures, Christians should ask a much deeper question:
What does the Bible say is really happening?
Paul gives us an extraordinary perspective:
Ephesians 6:12 — KJV
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
That changes how we should look at Dearborn.
The Muslim man living peacefully beside his Christian neighbor is not the enemy. The Arab-American shopkeeper is not the enemy. Neither is the Jewish family, the biker, the protester, the immigrant, or the person with whom we strongly disagree.
The spiritual enemy is something much greater. It is hatred, deception, violence, lawlessness and rejection of truth. And those things can enter any community, just as is the case of Dearborn.
How Dearborn Became What It Is Today
Dearborn’s enormous Arab-American population did not suddenly appear.
Arab immigration into the area stretches back generations. The City of Dearborn itself says Arab Americans began settling there in significant numbers beginning in the late 1920s, when employment at Henry Ford’s enormous Rouge industrial complex attracted immigrant workers.
More immigration followed over subsequent decades as families arrived from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Jordan and elsewhere.
Today, Dearborn has more than 100,000 residents, and approximately 30 percent of its population is foreign-born. This is important because what happened was not an invasion occurring overnight.
It was a demographic transformation occurring over generations.
People came to America, raised families, opened businesses, became doctors, police officers, teachers and elected officials, and participated in American political life. That distinction matters.
Then Something Changed
The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the devastating war that followed in Gaza profoundly affected Dearborn.
Many Dearborn residents have family connections to Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and other parts of the Middle East. Anger over American support for Israel therefore became intensely personal.
The Associated Press documented the growing political divide in Michigan as Arab-American and Muslim voters increasingly felt betrayed by Washington’s handling of the Gaza war.
Dearborn consequently became one of America’s most visible centers of pro-Palestinian political activism. But something else happened. In some demonstrations, criticism of American foreign policy crossed a very serious line.
“Death to America”
At a 2024 Al-Quds Day demonstration in Dearborn, members of the crowd were recorded chanting:
“Death to America.”
That actually happened. The organization responsible for the rally subsequently said the chants were “wrongful” and “a mistake,” while Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud also condemned them as unacceptable.
We should neither pretend the chant didn’t happen nor pretend that every Muslim living in Dearborn participated in or agrees with it. Both would be false. But Christians should still recognize something profoundly disturbing about hearing people standing inside the United States of America chanting for its death.
Jesus taught:
Matthew 12:35 — KJV
“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”
Words matter. Hatred matters. And once hatred becomes acceptable speech, it can become increasingly difficult to contain.
Then Came the Reaction
Another dangerous development followed. As videos from Dearborn circulated nationally, some Americans began looking at the entire Muslim population of the city as an enemy. Dearborn was even publicly characterized as America’s “jihad capital.”
The reaction became serious enough that police increased security around houses of worship and other locations because officials were concerned about threats against residents. And here is where Christians must be extremely careful.
Evil does not become good simply because it is directed against another evil.
Hatred of Americans is wrong. Antisemitism is wrong. Celebrating terrorism is wrong. Calling for the destruction of Israel is wrong. But hatred of Muslims simply because they are Muslims is also wrong. Threatening innocent Muslim families is wrong. Burning things merely to provoke people into violence accomplishes nothing good.
Jesus did not tell us:
Love your neighbor unless he belongs to another religion.
He said:
Matthew 5:44 — KJV
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you…”
That may be one of the hardest teachings Christ ever gave us.
And Now America Is Watching Dearborn
This is why the current situation concerns me.
Two groups can become convinced that they are fighting evil while simultaneously allowing hatred to transform both of them. One side shouts. The other side shouts louder. One side provokes. The other retaliates. Someone threatens violence. Someone else promises greater violence. And eventually nobody remembers how it started.
Scripture describes the progression frighteningly well:
James 3:16 — KJV
“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.”
Notice those words:
STRIFE → CONFUSION → EVERY EVIL WORK.
That is precisely why Christians should refuse to participate in hatred.
Good Versus Evil Is NOT Muslim Versus Christian
This may be the most important thing I can say about Dearborn. If we reduce this to:
CHRISTIANS = GOOD
MUSLIMS = EVIL
we have misunderstood the Gospel. Every human being needs Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:23 — KJV
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
That includes Muslims. It includes Christians. It includes Jews. It includes politicians. It includes protesters. It includes me.
The Christian message to Dearborn therefore shouldn’t be:
“We hate you. Get out of our country.”
It should be:
“We want you to know Jesus Christ.”
There is an enormous difference.
There Really IS a Battle Between Good and Evil
I nevertheless believe Christians would be equally mistaken to pretend there isn’t a spiritual battle occurring. There is. Jesus Himself described Satan as the father of lies.
John 8:44 — KJV
“…he is a liar, and the father of it.”
Satan thrives wherever people can be convinced to hate one another. Imagine what he accomplishes when he convinces Muslims to hate Christians…Christians to hate Muslims…Arabs to hate Jews…Jews to hate Arabs…immigrants to hate America…and Americans to hate immigrants.
Everybody becomes angry while Satan sits back and watches. That is spiritual warfare.
Look at What Jesus Said Would Happen
Jesus warned about the condition of mankind approaching the end:
Matthew 24:12 — KJV
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”
That scripture feels remarkably relevant when watching communities turn against one another. The warning isn’t merely that evil increases. Something happens to love. It grows cold. People stop seeing human beings. They begin seeing categories. Muslim. Christian. Jew. Left. Right. Immigrant. American. Enemy. And once somebody becomes merely an enemy, treating them cruelly becomes much easier.
So, What Should Christians Do?
This is where followers of Jesus Christ have an enormous responsibility. We should stand boldly for truth without becoming hateful. We can condemn “Death to America” without condemning every Muslim American.
We can oppose radical Islamic ideology without mistreating peaceful Muslim neighbors. We can defend Israel’s right to exist while grieving innocent Palestinian suffering.
We can defend America’s Constitution while defending the constitutional religious liberty of people whose religion we believe is wrong.
And most importantly:
We can tell people about Jesus Christ.
Paul wrote:
Romans 12:21 — KJV
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Think about that. God doesn’t tell us merely to identify evil. He tells us how to defeat it. WITH GOOD.
Perhaps Dearborn Is Showing Us Something Much Bigger
Dearborn may ultimately be less a story about Islam than a picture of what is happening to America. We are becoming increasingly divided into camps. Everyone believes the other side is destroying the country. Everyone is angry. Everyone is frightened. Everyone is shouting. And fewer people are listening.
Jesus warned:
Mark 3:25 — KJV
“And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”
America should pay attention. Christians especially should pay attention. Because darkness does not need everyone to become evil. It merely needs good people to begin behaving like the evil they oppose.
Our calling is different. We expose darkness. We defend truth. We protect the innocent. We oppose violence. We refuse hatred. And above everything else, we point people toward Jesus Christ.
Because ultimately the battle taking place in Dearborn—or anywhere else—isn’t simply a political battle. It is a battle for human hearts.
John 8:12 — KJV
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
That is where I believe Christians belong in this struggle. Not carrying the darkness of hatred into the fight. But carrying the Light of Jesus Christ into the darkness.
When is it RIGHT to FIGHT?!?
The KJV does not teach that a Christian must passively allow innocent people to be murdered, assaulted, or seriously harmed. But it also draws a strong line between protecting someone from immediate harm and retaliating out of anger, hatred, or revenge.
Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek” is central, but it should be read alongside the rest of Scripture.
Matthew 5:39 — KJV
“But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
This teaches us not to answer personal insult, humiliation, or injury with vengeance. Jesus immediately continues with examples involving lawsuits, compelled service, giving, and loving enemies. The emphasis is on refusing the cycle of retaliation.
But Scripture does not say that if someone is attacking your wife, child, neighbor, or another innocent person, you should simply watch.
Protecting innocent life
One of the clearest principles is:
Proverbs 24:11 — KJV
“If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;”
There is a biblical responsibility to care about people who are in danger.
Likewise:
Psalm 82:4 — KJV
“Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.”
There is an important difference between defending and avenging.
God forbids personal revenge
Paul couldn’t be clearer:
Romans 12:19 — KJV
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
So, if somebody insults me, humiliates me, mocks Christianity, burns something I consider sacred, or says something hateful, that doesn’t give me biblical permission to attack them. That’s retaliation.
But suppose someone begins physically attacking an innocent person and that person’s life is in danger. Trying to stop the attack is fundamentally different.
The purpose is not:
“I’m going to hurt you because I hate you.”
The purpose is:
“I’m going to stop you from hurting this person.”
What about Jesus telling the disciples to buy swords?
Jesus said:
Luke 22:36 — KJV
“…and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.”
That verse certainly demonstrates that possessing a means of protection was not automatically sinful. But we should be careful not to turn it into unlimited authorization for violence, because only a few verses later Peter used a sword.
Luke 22:50–51 — KJV
“And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.
And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.”
Matthew records Jesus’ warning:
Matthew 26:52 — KJV
“Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.”
Peter was attempting to defend Jesus, yet Jesus stopped him because this was not the time or purpose for which force was appropriate.
That teaches an important lesson: simply believing our cause is righteous doesn’t automatically make violence righteous.
Government has a different responsibility
Romans 13 also recognizes legitimate governmental authority to restrain wrongdoing:
Romans 13:4 — KJV
“…for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”
Police officers, courts, and lawful government therefore have responsibilities that aren’t identical to an individual’s right to retaliate.
So, when is it right to “fight back”?
Taken together, I think the KJV gives us a useful distinction:
- Insulted? Don’t retaliate.
- Mocked? Don’t retaliate.
- Your faith insulted? Don’t retaliate violently.
- Someone hates you? Love your enemy.
- Someone has wronged you in the past? Don’t seek vengeance.
- An immediate attack threatens you or another innocent person’s life? Scripture gives strong principles for protecting life and stopping evil—but the purpose should be protection, not punishment or revenge.
And once the threat has stopped, our justification for defensive force stops with it. Punishment belongs to lawful authorities and ultimately to God.
That distinction is especially important when thinking about Dearborn. Offensive speech—even something as reprehensible as “Death to America”—doesn’t give Christians biblical permission to attack Muslims, protesters, or anybody else. But if someone actually begins committing violence against innocent people, protecting the innocent is a very different moral question from taking revenge against an entire group.
Perhaps the simplest KJV principle is:
Romans 12:18 — KJV
“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”
Notice that Paul says “if it be possible.” Christians are called to pursue peace vigorously—but Scripture never requires us to call evil good, nor does loving our enemies mean abandoning innocent people when they are genuinely in danger.
I personally feel the need to physically protect the freedoms of this country, and am prepared to do so if needed. I feel a personal responsibility to act, and not to just let others do this for me.
To be honest, I have sincerely contemplated firing up my Harley and riding to Dearborn to fulfill that “responsibility.” I have prayed to know what I should be doing right now, and have been prompted to at start with the posting of this writing. These spiritual boundaries are important for ME as well. I needed to know when to “Fight Back” and in a way that God has asked me to do.
Has a war come upon our own country? Has the battle just begun?
It doesn’t really matter to me, whether I’m taken in the rapture, or if I were to die on the battlefield defending my country. I, like many of you, feel that I’m just waiting for my orders to proceed. Yet those orders are from the commander that I am recognizing as the Highest Command… They come from GOD!
I’ll see you all very soon, and feel that my story has not yet been completely told. I’ll see where God wants me to serve… Oorah!!!
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