The Rev. Dr. Norman L. Geisler doesn't like Islam.
Geisler, the president of a seminary in Charlotte, N.C., has said repeatedly that the world's second-largest religion is dangerously violent.
And he's finding a receptive audience in churches throughout the nation, including two of the largest congregations in North Jersey. When Geisler appeared at Hawthorne Gospel Church in March, he castigated Islam's holy book, the Koran, and described Islam's founder, Mohammed, as a murderer.
"We are talking about a religion that...from the very beginning to today is nothing but a religion of violence against those who do not believe the way they do," Geisler told members of the sprawling church on Route 208, where more than 2,000 people attend Sunday services.
Geisler will return to New Jersey on July 20, giving Sunday lectures at the Jacksonville Chapel in Lincoln Park. The church, which attracts about 1,500 worshipers on Sundays, has issued a press release welcoming the "noted lecturer and speaker."
For Muslims, Geisler's words are nothing new. What they find troubling is the number of people willing to listen.
Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, a cadre of influential evangelicals has publicly condemned Islam and has taken that message - via books, Web sites, and lectures - to Christians nationwide. Muslims, who believe they worship the same God as Christians and Jews, say the evangelicals present a distorted picture of Islam by quoting the most incendiary verses of the Koran.
"It's become a veritable cottage industry since 9/11," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American Islamic Relations. "It used to be the bigots were rejected by the mainstream communities. Now we are seeing a growing acceptance, and this sends a chill through the Muslim community."
Indeed, Geisler said the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon have propelled sales of his 1993 book, "Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross," and generated numerous speaking invitations at churches and Bible colleges. He's scheduled to make nearly two dozen appearances during the rest of the year, from New Jersey to Texas to Colorado.
"I had almost stopped speaking [before Sept. 11], because it was falling on deaf ears," Geisler, co-founder of the Southern Evangelical Seminary, said in a telephone interview. "Now people are a lot more attentive. They realize Islam is a threat and it's not going to go away."
Even so, the pastor at Hawthorne Gospel said he would think twice about inviting Geisler back for another lecture on Islam.
"Some people found it informative, and some people found it a bit too abrasive," the Rev. John Minnema said. "Probably Sunday morning wasn't the right time or place for a discussion of Islam. Our approach here isn't confrontational.(Confrontational: 1. Those who win souls for Christ, 2. Those who speak the truth without apology.) We read the Bible and try to apply it to our daily lives."
Still, Minnema said, Geisler is a respected scholar who raises legitimate questions.
"It's hard to get away from what is there [in the Koran]," Minnema said. "Some of these things that are there are quite violent. And if you read some of the history of Islam, there is quite a lot of violence. You can't skirt the issue."
Geisler puts the Koran at the center of his PowerPoint presentation. He quotes a number of passages, including: "Slay the idolaters wheresoever you find them." He said he harbors no ill will toward Muslims, most of whom he said are probably peaceful. Nevertheless, he said Islam's message is clear.
"Islam says kill all the unbelievers, kill them and put them to a sword, and scatter their armies," he said during his appearance at Hawthorne Gospel. "Islam says whatever good there is exists thanks to the sword and the shadow of the sword."
Christians, Geisler said, should convert as many Muslims as possible.
"We love Muslims and we befriend Muslims, and we want to get together and pray with Muslims," he said.
But Muslims say his words spread hate.
"It creates a lot of ill will and keeps us on the defensive," said Waheed Khalid, a founding member of the Darul Islah mosque in Teaneck. "Could you imagine someone saying these things about Judaism?" But Khalid also said, "I have faith that most Americans are intelligent. They can see through this and make up their own minds."
Others say Geisler's interpretation of Islam is wrong.
The Koran, scholars say, was composed during two decades in the early seventh century, and portions of the text reflect the struggle between the fledgling Muslim community and the pagan Arab tribes that opposed the new movement.
Holding up the violent passages as an example of Islam, one professor said, is like saying the slaughter of the Canaanites by the ancient Hebrews in the Bible represents Judaism.
"If everyone looked at text the way some of these people are doing, then Jews and Christians who accept the Bible would never be able to move off square one," said John L. Esposito, a professor at George Washington University and the author of "What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam." "My feeling is these people are just playing to the crowd and exploiting the situation."
Geisler's views are generally rejected by mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic groups, some of which have conducted interfaith events with Muslims before and after the Sept. 11 attacks.
In North Jersey, the Interfaith Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Bergen County includes Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, and members of other faiths.
Another group, the North Jersey Christian-Muslim Project, brings together people from both faiths for semiannual forums.
The Rev. Thomas Hendricks, pastor of Bogart Memorial Reformed Church in Bogota, said he has been impressed with the Muslims he has met while participating in the Christian Muslim project. "These are wonderful, god-fearing people," Hendricks said. "Islam does have its extreme elements...but I believe those elements are in violation of their own Koran."
Meanwhile, at the Jacksonville Chapel, a senior pastor said he was looking forward to Geisler's appearance next Sunday. Geisler will present two lectures, "Are all Religions True?" and "Is Islam a Religion of Peace?"
"If people want to know about Islam, they should come and hear it," said the Rev. Philip Hotsenpiller. "It's their call."