Who is Ismail Kulakçıoğlu?
İsmail Kulakçıoğlu was born in 1964. He completed his Bachelors degree (BA) at the Whitefield & Martin Bucer Seminary academy. Ismail is now doing his masters at the TCMI academy. He was head of the Protestant Churches Association between the years of 2012-2015. Ismail has written books titled; Kutsal Kitap’ta Sunu, Ondalık ve Bağış (Offering, Tithing and Sacrifice in the Bible), Tövbe (Repentance), Hristiyanlık’ta ve İslamiyet’te Tebliğ Nedir? (What is Evangelism in Christianity and Islam?), Kutsal Kitaba Göre Eşcinsellik (Homosexuality According to the Bible), Aile ve Evlilik Bağları (Family and Marriage Relationships). He is serving as the religious leader (pastor) of the Bursa Protestant Church. Ismail is married with two children.
The sentence; “In the future, Christians will be amongst the ones who need human rights the most” brings to light the truth which is present in countries where democracy is fully carried out, where there is flawed democracy or where there is not even a mention of democracy. No doubt, the right to live cannot be taken away from people in countries where full democracy is carried out, as it can be, in countries where there is flawed democracy or no democracy at all and there are great differences in the gain that human rights provide for countries where full democracy is applied. However, Christians voicing biblical beliefs in countries where full democracy is present, are limited to the view of “feeling under pressure” which is a statement that has no specific meaning and cannot be measured with any scientific measurements and creates the conception that it may even be evaluated as a crime in court. The concept that Christians innocent biblical views can be condemned at court, creates a deep psychological pressure on them, it even abuses them. It is a shame that a vast majority of Christians seem to obligingly accept this.
People can take God seriously or depending on their personal preferences they may not take God seriously. Someone who does not live according to biblical truths by saying “There is no God”, will reap the fruits of their choices and carry the responsibilities of the decisions they have made if there really is no God as it is described in the Bible (at least in this world!). Someone who lives according to the biblical truths by saying “there is a God” will reap the fruits of their choices and carry the responsibilities of the decisions they have made.
The difference between someone who says “there is no God!” and someone who says “there is a God!” is as follows: The former person lives in the world as a good person or a bad person, reaping the fruits of the path that they are on; they have nothing to lose because there is no God. Those who say, “There is a God!” live in the world as a good person or a bad person reaping the fruits of the path that they are on; but because there is a God they will win both in the world and in eternity. In such a case, the one who says “there is no God!” has a lot to lose in eternity!
Christians believe that there is a God and see three requests that have been made known to them through the Bible as important. The first request is Jesus Christ’s call; ‘’the time is fulfilled […] the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel’’ 1 which removes the fatality of sin 2. Jesus Christ sent his disciples to the whole world to continue this calling. 3 The disciples of Jesus Christ in the past and the present carry out the truth of the Bible and the responsibility in their conscience by delivering this calling, because Christians believe that if people do not turn from their sins and enter the Kingdom of God then they do have something to lose and put into action their desire for other people to have a good future through preaching the message of the bible. The pressure and persecution that Christians have
1 ESV version Bible, Mar.1:15
2 When we look at the term sin: it means for humans to fall short of the purpose that they were created for, to defy God, to deny His authority, to do evil, to commit an offence and to stray from the right path. The term ‘harmaita’ used to define sin in the Bible means to miss the mark, stray from the right path, do evil and commit an offence. Other words that are used in the Bible to define sin are: ‘asbesia’ which means Godlessness and malpractice; ‘anomia’ meaning lawlessness, despising and braking the law; ‘adika’ the evil committed towards a neighbour, occasional injustice and unfairness; ‘enekhos’ means offender; ‘ofeilema’ which means borrowing. All these words are words that are related to sin.
3 ESV version Bible, Mat.28:18-20
faced throughout history, when preaching the message of the bible, has not been able to destroy this desire. 4
God’s second request from his people is a holy life. Although this request does not concern those who do not accept the good news of salvation from sins presented to them through Jesus Christ, It directly concerns Christians, because God holds his own people responsible by saying, in his own word; ‘’But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written: you shall be holy for I am holy’’ 5 .
When we look at the original meaning of the word, God’s request for holiness does not only determine a person’s relationship with God, it also enables people to differentiate good moral values and to value others in their relationships with other people.
The original meaning of the word ‘Holy’ is far from a dry and meaningless religion; it is related to a positive internal and behavioural manner suited to the first created form of humans. Holiness, (kadoş, kodeş in Hebrew; hagios in Greek) states a belonging to God that is set apart from evil and what is faulty-flawed. The essence of this description lays within the fact that be it a person, thing or service; it is ‘separated-dedicated to God’. 6 When we look at the term Holy church 7 in this light, church (ekklesia in Greek) has the root meaning of ‘gathering’ or ‘meeting’. The Greek translation Septuaginta was used for the nation of Israel. Later, it became a technical term for Christians and was translated from Greek to Turkish as ‘kilise’ (church). 8
A holy church has the meaning of God’s people being ‘separated-devoted’ to God. The separating- devoting of the Sabbath day; the Meeting Tent at the time of Prophet Moses; the Temple at the time of King Solomon; the church buildings of today to God are in this context. Again, various objects such as crosses etc. are counted as holy because they are separated-devoted to God (people, buildings or objects are not holy by themselves, they are holy
4 ESV version Bible, 2Ti.3:10:12
5 İncil, 1Pet.1:15-16
6 Krş. Behnan Konutgan, Levent Kınran vd. Kutsal Kitap Sözlüğü. Acar Basım ve Cilt San. Tic. A.Ş. İstanbul, 2016, s. 402
7 The church is a gathering of the holy ones so long as they have a right relationship with God and God’s word.
8 Krş. Behnan Konutgan, Levent Kınran vd. Kutsal Kitap Sözlüğü. Acar Basım ve Cilt San. Tic. A.Ş. İstanbul, 2016, s.367
because they are separated-devoted to God. Due to the fact that searching for a miracle from the objects themselves being related to witchcraft, this is incompatible with the Bible’s teachings).
God’s third request from Christians is the commandment of love. In the secular world, there is no need for people to give up on themselves in order to love their enemies: however Christians do have a reason for this for it is written that: ‘’You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect; as you’re heavenly Father is perfect.” 9 Christians, who have a life style that portrays the teachings of the Bible, have a responsibility to love God, their brothers and sisters and all people 10.
Even though scientific approaches may be taken for law, it is difficult to be in agreement on the definition of law. Simply, law is the field that has resulted from the need for order within communities, which can show serious differences in one country to another and is the field of standards which most interpretations cannot make absolute. The law makers prepare the standards for the public and judges interpret those laws.
Experience already proves that “In the future, Christians will be amongst the ones who need human rights the most”. The first request that Christians who want to live according to their beliefs based on the Bible, have from law makers and judges, is to understand the sensitive conscience that Christians have which effects their actions against sin and sinful situations; because what forces Christians to preach the bible and live suitable to God’s request of holiness is God’s love within them 11.
9 ESV Bible, Mat.5:43-48
10 The Bible shows us the ideal. Christians must be prepared to appologise for every lovless action they have taken towards their brothers and sisters and to change their ways.
11 ESV Bible, 2Cor.5:11-15
The second request that Christians have from law makers and judges is for them to remember that when they are using their authority, they are responsible of acting fairly regardless of their own prejudices. As long as there is no physical force or abuse that targets a person, it is subjective for any individual to feel under psychological pressure due to their views. Preaching the gospel is a commandment given to the disciples of Jesus Christ and is God’s request for Christians to be able to live a holy life. When Christians preach the bible and voice the truths about holiness, they are not making up an idea from their own minds but are being obedient to God.
