The Crusades were military campaigns organized by Western European Christians in response to centuries of Muslim wars of expansion. Their objectives were to stop the spread of Islam and retake control of the Holy Land. These wars were sanctioned by the Catholic Church. The primary flag they fought under was a cross. The graphic brutality of this Christian mission would rival things done by the most pagan armies in history. These crusades lasted from 1095 to 1291 and extended from Spain and the Baltics to North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean Coast. The soldiers were reclaiming Christian territory, and their fighting was an offering of penance for sin. Their rally cry was, “God wills it.” Justifications for this mission which slaughtered Jews and Muslims alike was Exodus 15, I Samuel 15, Psalm 2:8-9, Psalm 110:5-6, and Psalm 145. Pope Urban II, in his 1095 “call to arms” speech at the Council of Clermont, mentioned Matthew 5:13— “You are the salt of the earth.” While these soldiers killed an estimated one to three million of God’s creations whom He loved with Calvary love, they were using the Bible to convince themselves it was God’s will. Modern Christians may not give a second thought to this and the role the Bible played in this bloodshed, but sincere seekers deserve a caring well thought out response. Too frequently, when people verbalize their serious questions about the Bible, insecure Christians shame them for questioning, spout unhelpful clichés, or fast forward to a more comfortable topic. Our response needs to be non-defensive, empathetic, and well thought out. Are we more interested in defending the faith or introducing the questioner to their loving Father? Everyone deserves a Christ-centered, Christlike response.
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