Christian Mag Says Evangelicals Are Wrong to Distrust Muslims - Really?

New research shows white evangelical Christians hold more negative views of Muslims than the rest of America.

The Pew Research poll shows two-thirds do not believe Islam is a part of mainstream America.

"Nearly three-quarters of white evangelicals say there is a natural conflict between Islam and democracy," the poll reveals.

That poll also shows 30 percent of U.S. Muslims even agree that Islam and democracy are in conflict.

Meanwhile, 38 percent of evangelicals believe Muslims are anti-American, 51 percent believe there is a great deal of extremism among Muslims and 63 percent said Islam encourages violence more than other faiths.

But the Christian magazing called Relevant argues that white evangelical Americans are wrong in their views about their Muslim neighbors.

They call the results of that new Pew poll "disheartening."

The concern comes as the number of Muslims in America continues to rise steadily. But critics argue there are numerous reasons for that distrust.

DO EVANGELICALS HAVE A GOOD REASON TO BE CONCERNED?

There are consistently stories in the headlines about the extremist and violent teachings of Islam, with many Islamic radicals carrying out those teachings through terrorism.

For example, this week a California imam was exposed for preaching a sermon about Allah annihilating the Jews. More about his Koran-based teaching can be seen here.

Then there are the Muslims who have told CBN News about their dream of dominating the United States.

Back in 2012, Anjem Choudary, who was once the face of radical Islam in Great Britain, told us, "I am 100 percent certain that the sharia (Islamic law) will be implemented in America and in Britain one day. The question is, 'when?' and how it will come to fruition."

"The seeds for the call for sharia in America have been there for many decades," he told CBN News. "We have the Sharia4America project, where we present what we consider to be an alternative to democracy and freedom."

There are also too many stories to count about Christians and former Muslims being jailed or killed in Islamic countries for following Christ. That's why one Saudi ex-Muslim who spoke to CBN News told us to use a pseudonym to describe him, al Fadi, in order to protect his life.   

But he says it's time to expose the politically incorrect truth about the Quran and its followers.

"When I lived in Saudi Arabia, not only did I look at non-Muslims as second class, you would look at non-devout Muslims as second class citizens," al Fadi told CBN News a few years ago.

"If Islam has to prosper, be the superior religion, then certain steps must be taken by its followers, including spreading Islam at any cost, including the sword and killing any opposition," he said.

Meanwhile, evangelical leader Franklin Graham publicly rebuked the Pope last year for saying the world is not engaged in a religious war. Graham said it's very clear that Islam is at war with the world.

"It's a religion that calls for the extermination of 'infidels' outside their faith, specifically Jews and Christians. It's a religion that calls on its soldiers to shout 'Allahu Akbar' ('God is Great' in Arabic) as they behead, rape, and murder in the name of Islam. Radical Islamists are following the teachings of the Quran. We should call it what it is," Graham wrote on Facebook

Still, some missions experts are concerned that evangelicals' views of Muslims will keep them from reaching out to Muslims on a personal level.

"This is the best chance we've had in human history to share the love of Christ with Muslims," David Cashin, an expert in Muslim-Christian relations at Columbia International University, tells Christianity Today. "Because of these attitudes, we could miss the opportunity."

CAN GOD BE STOPPED?

But as CBN News has reported, God is supernaturally reaching into areas that evangelical Christians can't even reach, and drawing Muslims to salvation through Christ Jesus.

"What God is doing in North Africa, all the way from actually Mauritania to Libya, is unprecedented in the history of missions," said Tino Qahoush, a graduate of Regent University and filmmaker.

"I have the privilege of recording testimonies and listening to first-hand stories of men and women of all ages, where they can be sitting in a room and see the appearance and the presence of God appear to them in reality, like a vision," he told CBN News.

READ MORE about that HERE: Dreams and Visions: Revival Hits Muslim N. Africa