The Prospects of Democracy...and the Only Long-Term Guarantee of Success for Any Democracy

By the way, the imprisonment of democratic activists in places like Egypt, as well as the almost gleeful response to the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi among many Muslims is indicative of a simple fact: The war on terror in which we in the West find ourselves engulfed is part of a larger civil war, sometimes violent, sometimes political, sometimes economic, within Islam.

There are those within Islam, represented by people like Osama bin Laden, al-Zarqawi, and others, who believe that democracy is opposed to Islam. Regimes like those in Saudi Arabia and Egypt appear to use such notions to maintain their hold on power. However, there have been successful democratic regimes in Muslim countries in the past.

I believe that democracy is the best form of human government, of course. But as a Christian, I believe that no democracy can long be sustained if the bottom line for all voters is, "What's in it for me?" Like John Adams, I believe that in the end the long-term success of democracy is rooted in a surrender to the God made known in Jesus Christ, Who loves sinners as they are and reconstructs their lives and consciences from the inside out.