I came to PSU as an agnostic (parents were not believers and never went to church) and I graduated with a degree in Biology. Even though atheistic evolution was crammed down our throats, I came to conclude that it didn’t happen that way. There must be a God. After graduation, I did some research which led me to convert to Christianity. My research continued and after another four degrees and a PhD in Biblical Studies I was invited to join the faculty of a small university in Indiana. I’ve been here for over 30 years. A few years ago, I received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to study with Christian, Jewish and Muslim scholars at the University of Chicago. This last year I was selected for a Fulbright Senior Research grant to do archaeological work in Turkey. In fact, I have spent every summer for the past 20 years in Turkey for research. This is all to say, I know the three great monotheistic faiths very well.
Even though there are many devout Jewish and Muslim people who respect Christianity, there are also many who disparage Christianity through ignorance or lies. This is particularly true in predominately Muslim countries and in Israel. I’ve lectured in some of Turkey’s largest secular universities and the misconceptions and falsehoods regarding Christianity are deeply mired in cultural thought. And they openly voice these thoughts in public without being reprimanded. Yet, negative criticism of Islam in Turkey will land you in prison. In contrast, in America, our secular media negatively caricatures Christians as ignorant, hypocritical or manipulative people. It is common for people to openly bash the Christian faith (we’ve seen a bit of this on this board). Negative criticism of Christianity is popular sport in this country. But we have coddled Islam in America. We quickly shut down any debate if it portrays Islam negatively.
I admire Aaron Brooks. He has stood firm through the years as he has professed his faith in the forum that God has given him. He is not braggadocious and takes no credit for his outstanding achievements. He recognizes that God has given him gifts that few possess. I do not believe that Aaron’s comments were intended to slam the Islamic faith. (There are more malicious statements he could have made.) There are several prominent black athletes who identify as Black Muslims. I think Aaron was simply distinguishing himself as a devout Christian (not Muslim). Our media jumps at something like this to vilify a solid Christian who’s not afraid to speak of what motivates him. Aaron is my favorite PSU wrestler, not only for his abilities, but also for his character.