Podcast Summary:

Live Free with Josh Howerton (Lakepointe Church)

Episode: What Christians MUST KNOW about Islam in America
Release Date: October 27, 2025
Hosts: Pastor Josh Howerton, Carlos Erazo, "The Epistle Missile" Paul
Main Theme:
Equipping Christians to engage with today's culture—specifically Islam's rise in America, its theological distinctives, current issues like the Nigerian Christian genocide, and wisdom for discipleship in a pluralistic society—while grounding the discussion deeply in biblical worldview.

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into what Christians need to understand about Islam's growing influence in America, its religious-political nature, and ongoing global ramifications—including the persecution of Christians. The hosts also move through practical Christian living, discussing biblical humility (through the story of Naaman), and whether Christians should participate in Halloween.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

[00:40–32:42] The Story of Naaman – Pride, Faith, and the Gospel

Highlights:

• Background on Naaman (2 Kings 5):
  • Naaman is a powerful Syrian military commander with leprosy.
  • Ultimately healed by Elisha after humbling himself and obeying God's simple instruction.
  • The “nameless servant girl” captured in war exemplifies supernatural love for enemies (11:13).
  • Naaman initially resists the dirty Jordan River, demonstrating pride (13:14).
  • His transformation maps onto the Gospel message: from incurable sickness (leprosy/sin), surrender and humility (baptism/washing), to confession of the One True God.

Quote – On the Substantial Role of the Captive Girl:

"I think it's this nameless servant girl. Like, dude, just otherworldly, supernatural love for her enemy."
— Josh (11:04)

• Archaeological tie-in:

  • New find validates biblical history—no archaeological discovery has "ever disproved the Bible" (8:20–10:05).

• Lessons on Pride & Humility:

  • Pride is spiritually deadly—God “opposes the proud” (22:14, 28:07).
  • Relationships work best when both people are humble (“it feels like a blessing”) (25:44).
  • Key phrases of humble people:
    1. I was wrong. Will you forgive me?
    2. Will you please help me?
    3. Praise and worship
    4. Thank you
    5. How can I bless you?
       (29:06–32:42)

Notable Moment:

“Pride blinds the person to its presence... If you're unwilling to do humble and humiliating things, you know you have pride.”
— Josh (29:06)

[32:43–54:14] Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

Deeper Dive:

• Origins:
  • Halloween = All Hallows’ Eve, the night before All Saints’ Day—Christians originally ‘redeemed’ a pagan Celtic holiday by reframing it to honor saints (35:54–38:13).
  • Redeem/Reject/Receive Taxonomy for Christian engagement with culture (35:54):
    • Some things to receive
    • Some to reject
    • Some to redeem

Quote:

“Christians throughout human history have taken some things that the world created and gone, ‘You know what, bro? We're going to redeem this thing.’”
— Josh (35:54)

• Modern application:
  • Differences between ancient pagan origins (like Mexico’s overtly spiritual Día de los Muertos) and U.S. Halloween—today often benign, but sometimes genuinely occultic (41:06–42:08).
  • 1 Corinthians 8 & Romans 14: Principles for disputable matters
    • Don’t violate your conscience
    • Don’t judge others
    • Don’t bind others’ consciences
    • Don’t look down on people for their approach (44:57–46:07)

Quote:

“If I'd be fine with my kids dressing up as a fireman and going getting candy at their friend's birthday party on May 12, I'm going to be okay with them dressing up as a fireman and going to their Christian friend's house and getting candy on October 31st...”
— Josh (46:07)

• Warnings:
  • Explicitly reject glorifying occult, darkness, witchcraft.
  • Examine desensitization—if evil things don’t bother you, be careful (51:31–52:31).

Quote:

"We don't want to glorify sin, and we don't want to be entertained by the things that Jesus died for."
— Carlos (51:31)

[54:15–107:45] Islam in America: Political, Theological, and Missionary Realities

Immediate Catalysts ([55:20+]):

• Rising Islamic political power:

  • Zoran Mamdani (NYC), Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib as case studies.
  • NYC mayoral election polling shows massive support for Islamic mayoral candidate, largely among foreign-born residents (55:20, 105:06).

• Genocide of Christians in Nigeria:

  • Over 62,000 Nigerian Christians killed since 2009 by Muslim groups (59:38; 62:07).
  • “More Christians are being killed for their faith in Nigeria than the rest of the world combined.” — Paul (59:38)
  • Pastor’s plea for international intervention while standing in a mass grave (58:31–59:29).

Theology & Origins

• Islam as a Political Ideology:
  • "Progressivism is a religion disguised as a political ideology. Islam is a political ideology disguised as a religion." — Josh (61:18)
  • The ultimate aim is conquest, NOT merely personal spirituality — supported by direct statements from imams and demographic data in U.S. cities and Europe (79:43–83:10).

Quote:

“When it comes to like especially Protestant evangelical Christians in America really like for the last 50, 60 years don't have a political theology. We have no theology of politics. ... Muslims have a plan and they're aggressively working the plan.”
— Josh (83:50)

• Biblical roots of Muslim-Christian-Jewish conflict:
  • The split between Isaac (Jews) and Ishmael (Arabs)—prophesied enmity (Genesis, 62:07).
  • Origins of Islam tied to “an angel of light” revelation—Paul warns (Galatians 1:8) of “different gospels” by angels, referencing Muhammad’s founding experience (64:43).

Quote:

“Secularism is not the final threat. ... The final boss that will face Christians before the return of Christ is not atheism. It’s not secularism... It will be another religion... offering ‘service to God’ by killing.”
— Josh (67:44, referencing John 16:2)

• Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?
  • Clear, stepwise refutation from biblical and theological evidence:
    • The Christian God is Trinity (Father, Son, Spirit). Islam aggressively denies this core identity.
    • Islam’s depiction of Jesus (not divine, not crucified) fundamentally differs.
    • Even the Qur’an creates an ‘Islamic Dilemma’—affirming Jewish/Christian scriptures yet denying their content (76:47–78:25).

Memorable Illustration:

“If I describe my wife as a 6’ Norwegian blonde from Europe, and keep calling her by my wife’s name, my actual wife would call that an affair. ... God is a personal being who wants to be known, loved, and worshipped for who he truly is.”
— Paul (71:39)

Islam’s Political Advance: Data & Real-World Examples

• Frequent use of mosque-centered, community-driven immigration strategies and explicit calls to “take over” civic institutions ([79:43]; mosque-building in DFW shown visually at [85:55]).
• The overwhelming correlation of the world’s religious terrorist organizations with Islam (100%, 20 of 20 listed at 92:16).
• History: Muslim conquests vs. the Crusades—Crusades were largely defensive, not aggressive (90:25–91:26).

[94:43–101:31] God’s Power to Save Muslims

• Testimonies:
  • Dramatic increase in dreams & visions in the Muslim world leading people to Jesus, often as the “man in white” ([94:43]; two stories told by Paul at 95:57–98:23).
  • Major revival in Iran and beyond—God is working (Lee Strobel stat at 95:00).

Quote:

“That Jesus that I met today, he's more powerful than the Muslims in the camp.”
— Persian convert (98:23)

[100:36–end] Final Guidance – How Should Christians Respond?

• Evangelism:

  • Love every Muslim personally; destroy false ideology but seek individual salvation above all.
  • “What Christians do more than anything else is ... evangelism. We love everyone everywhere, and we want to see every person in every nation bend their knee to the lordship of Jesus.” — Josh (101:31)

• Develop a Coherent Political Theology:

  • Christians must move past political naivete; some vision for Christian influence in society is necessary (102:00–103:35).

• Policy Wisdom:

  • The necessity of wise, value-driven immigration policy in light of incompatible beliefs (e.g., on freedom of speech and religion—103:44).
  • Example: NYC election demographics show the impact of unassimilated immigration on public life and values (105:06).

Standout Quotes & Timestamps

• “Pride is the thing got Satan kicked out of heaven. ... Pride being like, quote, smoke in the nostrils of God.” — Josh (22:14)
• "We're not saying that all Muslims have this attitude for sure... But at some point you have to ask, is there something about this system of belief that this is actually a feature of that belief?" — Paul (90:25)
• “We are, are also very much commanded to oppose Islam as a false religion and ideology.” — Josh (68:59)
• "Anything but Christianity and anyone but Christ. That's the thing that puts so different ideologies, same demons." — Josh (100:36)

Structure & Flow

1. Intro/Banters/Updates: Camaraderie, energy, and context-setting
2. Deep Bible Teaching: Archaeology & Naaman
3. Culture Q&A: Halloween—historical, theological, pastoral
4. Main Topic: Islam as ideology and faith, its influence, biblical roots, contemporary realities, and practical Christian response
5. Personal Testimony: Real stories of Muslims coming to faith
6. Practical Guidance & Civic Engagement: Discipleship, mission, policy, and politics

For Life Groups & Further Discussion

Full episode notes and discussion guides are available for group use, with further prompts on these topics accessible via Lakepointe Church’s website or text link mentioned in show.

In Short:
This episode equips Christians to deeply understand and wisely respond to Islam—not from a posture of fear or hate, but of gospel clarity, political discernment, and compassionate boldness. It models biblical engagement with both the theological and practical realities of living in a pluralistic age, from Naaman’s story of humility to the urgency of spiritual and societal faithfulness.