Florida pastor Terry Jones has again made headlines after being arrested Wednesday evening while on his way to incinerate 2,988 copies of the Koran to protest the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York.

The Tampa Bay Times reported that the 61-year-old Jones, along with an associate pastor, were arrested on felony charges of unlawful conveyance of fuel as they traveled in a pickup, towing a barbecue-style grill filled with Korans soaked in kerosene. 

Personally, as the leader of an organization that seeks to share the love of God and the transforming power of the gospel with people of all religious persuasions, I find Mr. Jones’ actions not only disrespectful to Muslims but dishonoring to the God of the Bible. 

One of the first descriptions of Jesus in the Gospel of John was that He was “full of grace and truth.” In a similar vein, the apostle Paul urged believers to speak “the truth in love.” Holding grace, truth and love in proper balance is not always easy.  Even when we do it well, we can sometimes be accused of being unloving or intolerant. The truth sometimes hurts — especially when it reveals our error.

The offensiveness of Mr. Jones, however, has little to do with truth and much to do with behavior — behavior that appears to be totally lacking in grace or love. Such behavior does not befit the followers of the One who said that all men — and that includes men and women of the Muslim faith — would know that we were His disciples, by one outstanding characteristic: our love. 

Would Jesus burn the Koran? No. He wouldn’t have to. His grace, His truth and His love was more than enough to draw people to Himself.