⭕️The Southern Baptist leaders I spoke with feel threatened by the spread of Islam. They believe the growth of Islam will significantly alter the cultural landscape of America, which is perceived by many to have deep Christian roots. As Muslims continue to immigrate to the U.S., the reality is that more mosques will be built, there will be more interac-tions with Muslims, and the traditional American culture will evolve to the religious and political ideologies of the new demographics. This un-known reality causes many Southern Baptist leaders to feel anxious and uncertain and thus, at times, whether knowingly or not, to use negative rhetoric when speaking of Muslims. Research shows that when a person or group feels insecure, the primordial instinct is to discredit and vil-lainize the other to make oneself or the group have a better, albeit often misguided, perception of self.

History informs us that churches can often be used a breeding ground for anger, fear, and insecurity. American historian Kenneth Da-vis writes, "From the earliest arrival of Europeans on America's shores, religion has often been a cudgel, used to discriminate, suppress and even kill the foreign, the 'heretic' and the 'unbeliever' including the 'heathen