Encounter with a Islamic Extremist Leads Christian Evangelist Aaron D. Taylor to a Life-Changing, Deeper Understanding of the Bible

Aaron D. Taylor learned the most powerful Bible lesson of his life from the unlikeliest of sources: a belligerent, Christian-hating jihadist.

Raised in a charismatic mega church in Missouri, Taylor rarely questioned the idea that republicans were the pro-God party. He was critical of anyone who opposed the Iraq war. He never seriously questioned the idea that Christians are obligated to help Jews reclaim the Biblical Promised Land. And he was absolutely convinced that the September 11, 2001 attack in New York was an attempt to “Islamicize” the world. He thought the only way Islamic radicals could be dealt with, apart from converting them to Christianity, was through force.

In 2006 Taylor received a prophecy in Brazil that God would give him a “great victory” if he’d go to London before the end of the year. He expected this to be his prime opportunity to meet and convert Khalid, a well-known and outspoken jihadist who lived there. So Taylor, then 28, packed his bags and headed to London with Stephen Marshall, a Hollywood production company representative who had recently begun to shadow his missionary travels for a documentary.

“I wanted to undo negative stereotypes of evangelists,” said the New Mexico resident who is an author, speaker, missionary/evangelist, and founder of the Great Commission Society. “In the media culture, evangelists are often thrown into the same category as Islamic extremists. I wanted to show there’s a difference between a Christian who believes in the moral absolutes of the Bible and a Muslim who believes in the absolutes of the Koran. I was also hoping that I would get through to (Khalid) and help him see the error of his ways.” The details and results of that two-day conversation in a cold, abandoned London warehouse would become the subject of his book, Alone with a Jihadist . But the unexpected twist is that Taylor was the one to leave the experience transformed.

Taylor was originally disappointed by his encounter and felt that the earlier prophecy of a “great victory” in London had not been fulfilled. He thought he had failed to be a Christian light after he was unable to keep the conversation on the path he’d hoped. Khalid dominated the discussion from the time Taylor entered the room, barely allowing him to get a word in edgewise. This belligerence caught him off guard.

“I was expecting an intellectual conversation on a theological level discussing the merits of Christian and Islamic beliefs,” Taylor said. “I wanted to stay as far away from anything political as possible. I wanted to discuss the deity of Christ and the cross. But for him it was all about Iraq, Afghanistan, and the complete decadence of western civilization. And, he felt Christianity was the culprit.”

Khalid explained that Islam is not a religion, but a “pure divine belief.”

It has a divine social system, economic system, political system, private system, and a system of what to do when somebody invades your land and your home.

Jihad (fighting) in Islam protects Muslims around the world. He believed that America’s democracy was just a manifestation of man-made law.

Then he persistently asked the question that would change Taylor’s life forever: “If you were president of the United States, how would you implement the Bible from a governmental point of view?”  Taylor knew the standard answer that Jesus didn't come to Earth to set up Earthly governments, but to die on the cross for the sins of the world. However he realized right away that Khalid's moral objection to Christianity couldn't be taken lightly. 

“Because I know the Biblical Jesus I knew Khalid was on to something,” Taylor said. “Jesus is supposed to be our moral example and yet He made no attempt to use any form of domination or power to try to control other people’s behavior--like Muhammed did. When I thought about that more deeply I realized that all nations and political systems--whether they be democracies, monarchies, or dictatorships--are Earthly systems that fall under the category of kingdoms of this world. They stand in opposition to the Kingdom of God.”

You will want to read more of what Taylor discovered in his study after his two-day experience with Khalid.

Aaron D. Taylor is an author, speaker, missionary/evangelist, and founder of the Great Commission Society. His new boo is: Alone With a Jihadist , Taylor and his wife, Rhiannon, live in New Mexico. For more information about Taylor, see his website at www.aarondtaylor.com and his blog. www.aarondtaylor.blogspot.com