Son of Hamas Converted to Christianity

There is an interesting article in today's Straits Times about the conversion of the son of Hamas founder to Christianity and how he helped averted many potentially disastrous suicide bombings by Hamas.

Mar 8, 2010

Why I became an Israeli spy

Mosab Yussef told CNN he fed Shin Bet information about Hamas attack plots for 10 years because he found the group was practicing 'exceptional cruelty' against its members and 'killed people for no reason.' -- PHOTO: AP

WASHINGTON - THE son of a founder of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas detailed his years spying for Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

Mosab Yussef told CNN he fed Shin Bet information about Hamas attack plots for 10 years because he found the group was practicing 'exceptional cruelty' against its members and 'killed people for no reason.' Hamas and Israel waged a brutal three-week war in the Gaza Strip that ended in January 2009 after 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.

The Islamist group, which has ruled the tiny coastal enclave ever since it seized power from the US-backed Palestinian Authority in June 2007, has also launched rocket attacks on Israel from the territory. 'They offered me to work for them. My goal was to be a double agent and attack them from the inside,' Mr Yussef, 32, said of his initial contacts with Shin Bet.

But the views of the man who came to become a top informer codenamed 'The Green Prince,' changed after a stay in prison. 'After I was tortured by Shin Bet, I was transferred to prison (where) Hamas tortured Hamas members and I became confused who was really my enemy... I accepted to meet Shin Bet.'

Mr Yussef, whose father Sheikh Hassan Yussef disowned him on Monday after Mosab made his revelations in the book 'Son of Hamas' published this week in the United States, said his decision was partly a moral one. 'My people did not understand this. Shin Bet is committed to a constitution but Hamas targets civilians. There's a difference between targeting a terrorist and civilians,' he said.

The Israeli daily Haaretz, which first reported on the revelations, said Mosab was crucial in the arrests of Ibrahim Hamid, a Hamas military chief in the West Bank, and Abdullah Barghuti, the bomb maker behind an infamous 2001 suicide attack on a Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem. 'I saw that my enemy... they had morality, they had their responsibilities more than my own people,' said Mr Yussef, who converted to Christianity 10 years ago and now lives in California.

-- AFP

Pastor Rony Tan's Apology - A Reminder

Pastor Rony Tan's brush with ISD is another reminder to us to heed the Apostle's exhortation in 1 Peter 3:15, that when giving the reason for the hope that we have, we are to do it "with gentleness and respect." This attitude is needed not because of the Religious Harmony Bill, but it is an attitude that reflects the Kingdom lifestyle that we are to exhibit before the world. So, whether we are in the United States or in the People's Republic of China, our kingdom attitude when we share the Gospel truth should not be denigrating of others' beliefs but to simply share the Good News with graciousness and love.

One of the things that continue to turn pre-believers away from Christ is not because the Gospel is not Good News, but the people who proclaim the Gospel are condescending and condemning. Such attitudes are contrary to the attitude of Jesus Christ who came with "truth and grace." Truth proclaimed without grace is harsh and judgemental. Of course, God forbids that we should have grace without truth. We need Truth but we need to proclaim it with an attitude that reflects the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Like our Master we should say to our pre-believers friends: "Neither do I condemn you (Grace)... but go and sin no more (Truth)." Truth without grace will offend. But truth spoken with graciousness of God's love will get attention from those who initially reject the truth.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Pastor Joseph Prince on Confession of sin

Even though, I'm generally in agreement with Joseph Prince's teaching on grace, nevertheless, his teaching on confession of sins nearly flips me this morning! He writes in his book, Unmerited Favor, that we don't need to confess our sin, because he sees that as "work". He explains that 1 John chapter 1 was written not for believers but unbelievers, viz., the Gnostics. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sin, God is faithful and just and will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness." This verse is for unbelievers and so believers do not need to confess our sins any more.

I have a little problem with that interpretation because clearly the apostle John was writing to believers. If we read 1 John 2:12-14, we know that the readers were believers: "I am writing to you, little children,because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.I am writing to you, fathers,because you know him who is from the beginning.I am writing to you, young men,because you have overcome the evil one.I write to you, children,because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers,because you know him who is from the beginning.I write to you, young men,because you are strong,and the word of God abides in you,and you have overcome the evil one." According to Joseph Prince, chapter 2 is addressed to believers while chapter 1 is directed at unbelievers. This is rather far-fetched because there is no "chapter division" between chapter 1 & 2. It's quite difficult to establish a non-believing readership even in chapter 1. In chapter 1, verses 1-4, it is quite clear that the readers addressed by the letter are believers: "that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete."

In his zeal to preach Grace, he seems to have forgotten that faith is a necessary condition to experience grace: "For by GRACE are you saved through FAITH" (Eph 2:8). Faith is not passive believing but always an act. Confession of sin is an ACT of FAITH based on the FACT of Jesus' death on the Cross. It is not to be confused with WORKS, which are self-efforts to justify ourselves before God. If the confession of 1 John 1:9 is "works" then the confession in Rom 10:10 would also be "works" not faith: "For with the heart one BELIEVES and is justified, and with the mouth one CONFESSES and is saved." Paul is saying that we believe (faith) in our hearts, but our mouth CONFESSES what we believe. Confession of sin is possible only if we BELIEVE that God will forgive us and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. Confession is a RESPONSE OF HEART FAITH to God's Grace offered in Jesus Christ. Did not Jesus say, "Out of the abundance of our heart our mouth speaks?" (Mt 12.34)