Every logical position ... will eventually lead into
trouble, and heresy, and chaos. Every logical position is fully
consistent, but coherence arises from the human mind, not
God's. The human mind is finite and cannot grasp eternity, and
therefore the finite mind sees the infinite as not graspable
coherently. If we could grasp it all coherently, without
contradiction, we would be God. The person who insists on being
logical to the end winds up in a mess. I am not saying that we
should not be rational. I am not anti-intellectual. I am saying
that the intellect by itself is helpless to arrive at total
truth.
... Kenneth L. Pike (1912-2001), Stir, Change, Create, p.
44
This Sikh temple has been under construction about 200 meters from the church we attended up until planting Redeemer Church in February. They've been working on it for over 2 years I would say. I think it's pretty progressive for the country to allow this temple to be built. And it's kind of interesting that it's been given space right next to the church compound in Jebel Ali where there are about 12 churches meeting each week.
Some might be upset about it but I hope it provides an opportunity to engage some new Sikh neighbors in conversation about who is God and what is true about the world, people, and our eternal destiny.
By the way, I (hope) think this might have been a misquote?... "Sikhs don’t worship idols like in Islam and once authorities were convinced that setting up a gurdwara was not anti-Islamic, things quickly started falling in place. My dream is to make Guru Nanak Durbar the best, second only to the Golden Temple in Amritsar," adds Kandhari."
I recently read a 2009 Christianity Today editorial with which, for the most part, I really agreed. It is entitled "The Greatest Social Need". Here is a quote to help you know what it's about.
The greatest social need in the world today is not HIV/AIDS outreach. It's not hunger. It's not global warming. Not ending poverty or eliminating malaria or tuberculosis. Not clean water. Not racial reconciliation. Not sexual trafficking. Not abortion. And it's not peace in the Middle East, and not even world peace... That social problem is alienation from God.
I posted this article on my facebook page and it drew an interesting response from one young woman. Here is her response.
She says, "strange, i've noticed the opposite. christians who evangelize to the poor without addressing any of their needs (except perhaps to put a band-aid on their problems by throwing money at them or going on a week or two trip). seems that there should be a balance between addressing both the physical and spiritual needs of a person. we do not fully know the gospel if we preach to the suffering, but leave them in it. we "do violence to the poor" by giving them a gospel that we do not live out."
I've written a response to her here. Read it and tell me what you think. It's a pressing issue in Evangelicalism today.
Let me address your comment and the article. The article argues that the spiritual problem of alienation from God is the biggest problem the world faces. Genesis chapter 3 (and onward) makes this clear. All other problems stem from sin and death being loosed into the world. And if you believe what Jesus and his apostles taught then you know that dying without coming into a saving relationship with Christ leaves people separated from God and eternally condemned. This is a terrible fate.
These days, the pressure from those outside our faith (and from many inside now) is to basically abandon sharing the Gospel with people and to emphasize things like eradicating hunger, disease, and things like sexual trafficking. These are all terrible things of course. All stemming from Genesis 3.
The article doesn't say that Christians should not help those in physical need. In fact, those who are truly regenerated by God through the Gospel and who understand the implications of the Gospel for their lives will begin to work for these issues of social justice but they continue to understand the proclamation of the gospel is the greatest pressing need of the people on our planet.
So why are there lots of people who are rich and go to church and do nothing in the way of physically loving their neighbor? I think that's what is bothering you. My opinion is that there are many who are not truly regenerated; they are not really Christians. The other problem is that they are not being taught well and discipled in the implications of the Gospel for their lives.
But the answer for both these categories of people is not to just demand that they begin to feed to the poor. That is what seems to be happening in evangelicalism. The drumbeat is to focus on social action. But in doing this many of these people are left unconverted and undiscipled with no real knowledge of the very Gospel that would produce sacrificial lives (Acts 2:42-47).
In fact, sidelining the true Gospel only produces self-righteous do-gooders, many of whom will meet Jesus on the day of judgement and point to their acts of service to others only to have Jesus say, "Depart from me, I never knew you." (Matthew 7:21-23)
If it's true as James says, "Faith without works is dead" then what people who have no true faith need is... faith! They need the transforming power of the Gospel. Remember, the Gospel is not just how we enter into the Kingdom of Christ, it's how we're sustained and grow too. Titus 2:11-14 reminds us that it's grace (or the Gospel essentially) that teaches us to live godly lives, i.e. feeding the poor and healing the sick.
Teach the Gospel to transform people and the world; to both save people for all eternity and unleash a community which will serve others sacrificially.
In Romans 1:17, we are accustomed to find the words, "The
just shall live by faith." This declaration has been a clarion
call to faith and has been the text for many a sermon on the
necessity of continued faith throughout life. It is true that
this verse may have this meaning, but it is more probable that
it means, "He who through faith is righteous shall live." This
is in keeping with the whole emphasis of Paul throughout
Romans, which has as its theme "justification by faith" (Romans
5:1). Paul does not present two themes in Romans: the one,
"living by faith," and the other, "justification by faith." His
purpose was to emphasize one great primary truth of Christian
doctrine: the righteousness which comes by faith in God. It is
a kind of imputed righteousness, which has its origin in the
grace of God and its response in the faith of man. Not only is
this translation more in keeping with the Pauline context, but
it is more faithful to the Hebrew of Habakkuk 2:4, of which it
is a quotation.
... Eugene A. Nida (b. 1914), God's Word in Man's Language,
Harper, 1952, p. 73
For those of you not familiar with an Islamic view of what Ramadan should accomplish in a Muslim's life I've cut and pasted an exhortation from a local Islamic learning center near my home. The people there are kind and I've visited a few times before. It will give you a sense of what Muslims feel Ramadan is and should be.
Yes, here we go again: Back to our "normal" lives, away from the obedience of Allah and back to disobeying Him, away from working towards the Hereafter back to working for something in this temporary glitzy world.
To attain Allah's Forgiveness and His Pleasure (i.e. Paradise).
Take Islamic classes as this will keep you in a religious environment. Volunteer in some Islamic/charity centre (okay, I'm heading somewhere with this, see below) so that you can continue to benefit others.
One of the signs that our Ramadan was accepted is that we continue to do good deeds after it, and one of the signs that our Ramadan was NOT accepted was that we continue with our pre-Ramadan ways and show no signs of improvement after Ramadan.
The Islamic Learning Centre has some ways for you to continue the "Ramadan spirit":
a) Send your children to our kiddie classes: Teach your child the beauty of Islam and complete your responsibility as a parent.
Aged group: 3yrs-4yrs. twice a week ; 3.30p.m.- 5.30p.m.(days will be notified later)
Aged group 5yrs - 6yrs. twice a week; 3.00p.m. - 5.00p.m.(days will be notified later)
Please call us for further information and register your child.
b) Volunteer to teach the kids: We are looking for committed volunteers, with knowledge of Islam and Arabic Language. You must be patient (you're dealing with kids, after all). Creativity is a bonus. Those interested are requested to email ____ giving a brief note on their credibility. Do remember an excellent command of the English language is a must.
c) Join our Arabic and Tafseer classes: One of the aspects of Ramadan was that it is the month when the Quran was revealed. It was revealed so that we could apply it and how can we apply it if we don't understand it? Arabic is a must as is understanding the explanation of the Quran (tafseer). Don't say "Tomorrow, insha-Allah". Say: "Today, insha-Allah!"
Classical Arabic Module I starts on 3rd October, 2009
Fee AED 3500/-/per module
Time 2pm. - 5.00p.m. every saturday
All those interested are requested to make the payment and join us for this course.
Tafseer class will resume on Tuesday 29th September 2009 at 7.30p.m.
Remember that there are only three things that will continue after we die:
1) A righteous child that does dua for us - How will he/she be righteous if they don't have any knowledge of the religion of Allah?
2) Beneficial Knowledge - For example, you take lectures and then teach others. Teaching kids is another way to benefit others with your knowledge.
3) Ongoing charity - Perhaps you can help out at the centre in some way.
A man's physical hunger does not prove that that man will
get any bread; he may die of starvation on a raft in the
Atlantic. But surely a man's hunger does prove that he comes of
a race which repairs its body by eating, and inhabits a world
where eatable substances exist. In the same way, though I do
not believe (I wish I did) that my desire for Paradise proves
that I shall enjoy it, I think it a pretty good indication that
such a thing exists and that some men will. A man may love a
women and not win her; but it would be very odd if the
phenomenon called "falling in love" occurred in a sexless
world.
... C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), The Weight of Glory, and other
addresses, Macmillan Co., 1949, p. 6
When Ramadan rolls around every year I always endeavor to not be an insensitive expat here in Dubai. I want to not cause offense to my Muslim hosts and friends by not eating in front of them if at all possible. Most restaurants are closed during the day but you can still find some open in the "free zones". Nevertheless, you can be arrested for eating in public during the Holy month.
So as my wife and I got into the car yesterday I thought to remind her about eating or drinking in the car since she had a small package of salted pumpkin seeds in her hand. I didn't say anything and, more than that, began to pop them into my mouth and chew as we drove down the road.
About 10 minutes into the drive I pulled up to a stop light, reached down to grab a few seeds, then began to chew them. I casually glanced to my left and promptly saw a man dressed in dishdasha glaring at me. He raised his hand and wagged his finger at me in disapproval. I was embarrassed and immediately wished to apologize in some way. I stopped chewing and swallowed. As I looked back at him he thrust his hand up in exasperation as if to say, "what are you doing eating during Ramadan?... you're obviously another insensitive non-Muslim unwilling to consider your host culture".
I wish I could apologize to the man. I have no desire to cause offense.
But later I began to think more about it. What is the good of fasting if all the "temptations" to eat are prevented by law or social convention? Why is it considered an offense if I don't participate in the practice of another religion; one in which I don't believe?
Again, I don't wish to offend and yet it seems inevitable that offense will be taken if we believe different things and live by them.
A conversion is incomplete if it does not leave one integrated into the Church. By this we do not mean any particular part of the Church; what we do mean is that conversion must leave one linked in loving fellowship with one's fellow believers. Conversion is not something simply between a man and Jesus Christ, with no other person involved. True, it may start in that way; but it cannot end in that way. Conversion is not individualistic. It is, in fact, just the opposite. It joins man to his fellow men, and certainly does not separate him from them.
William Barclay (1907-1978), In the Hands of God [1967]
There is a fascinating article and accompanying slideshow on the New York Times website that came out a few weeks ago. The article really rings true to me as I have contact with young Muslims in Dubai. At least check out the slideshow here.
Here's a great quote on the implications of asking "why?" with respect to suffering and evil in the world.
The problem of evil assumes the existence of a world- purpose. What, we are really asking, is the purpose of suffering? It seems purposeless. Our question of the why of evil assumes the view that the world has a purpose, and what we want to know is how suffering fits into and advances this purpose. The modern view is that suffering has no purpose because nothing that happens has any purpose: the world is run by causes, not by purposes.
... W. T. Stace (b.1886), Religion and the Modern Mind [1953]
I think this is extremely insightful. By asking the very question we see the "built-in" need to live life according to a purpose and to explain life in light of a purpose. The materialists, who say we are no more than evolved matter... chemicals, cells, etcetera, might argue that religion, myth or a sense of purpose are mere neurological processes that evolved to help ensure the survival of the species.
But that seems like a huge "leap" of an explanation for a near universal phenomenon. Often, the simplest answer is the best. And that is that we are here for a purpose. Life and death and suffering have a purpose. And that can't be explained without God.
Oh brother. Here we go again. Another "Jesus had children with Mary Magdeline and it's the greatest secret ever revealed" movie. I thought we got this out of our system with the Da Vinci Code.
Fortunately, even the mainstream media see through it this time. Here's a funny (and damning) quote from the NYtimes review...
“I’m not an archaeologist or a historian,” the director Bruce Burgess humbly states. “I’m just a filmmaker who is fascinated by the huge implications of this story.” He also seems to be more than a little fascinated with himself.
And here's another funny quote from Mania.com, an entertainment review site...
Perhaps the most saccharine moment of the film came when a forensic artist drew a life image from a photo of the mummified corpse - a female figure, naturally, although the lab at Lakehead has since pointed out that their test did not reveal the gender of the corpse. The Magdalene fans in the audience could be heard sighing their approval, although one seated near me expressed disappointment that the artist made her a brunette instead of a redhead.
Lastly, Mania reports that the movie isn't exactly setting the box office afire...
Bloodline wasn't even the highest ranking new release in the New York theater it premiered in—Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead opened the same weekend at the Village East Cinema, taking in $10,624.00.
Let's hope it continues to die a quiet and quick death.
A good friend here in Dubai, who happens to be Muslim, sent me a link to the video below and asked me to comment. I couldn't resist. Here are my extended thoughts below.
First the video...
First, the method of teaching these children seems to be theologically deficient at best. The first thing I disagree with is the emotionalism that is employed in teaching them. The leaders seem to focus on emotional expression to a fault. I'm concerned that they're teaching them merely religious practice and a particular brand of religious expression. The Bible teaches that the true effect of regeneration in a person will be Godliness or God-like-ness. The scriptures teach this in many places but one is Galations 5:22-23...
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The scriptures don't teach that the fruit of the Spirit is necessarily training in conjuring up tears during worship services, shaking on the ground, or zealous and loud proclamations of allegiance to God.
Secondly, I'm concerned that the kids in the video are prone to being emotionally manipulated by the teachers at this church. Children generally seek the approval of their elders and if they sense that their elders desire a particular type of behavior then the kids will produce it to gain acceptance. I'm concerned that the leaders are merely teaching a particular type of religious practice and the kids are ready to comply. I'm not saying kids shouldn't be taught spiritual truths and expected to obey adults. But when they are told that you should act like "this" or "that" to demonstrate a genuine religious experience in a meeting then I think they are going too far. This all arises from deficient theology.
Some of what you are seeing is the product and practice of a famous "revivalist" Charles Finney. Google him if you like. He promoted a bad form of emotional manipulation in Christian services adopted to bring people to a point of emotional decision to pledge their lives to Christ. His theology was terrible and his practice was just as bad. And the modern day evangelical church is much influenced by him as are these people in the video.
Thirdly, you of course heard lots about military and war in the video. Some of this is because the Bible has stories of military exploits and has military images and allegories too. As you know, the Old Testament has stories of armies and battles. And the New Testament uses military images to describe aspects of Christian life at times as in Ephesians 6:10-18.
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Churches, like the one in the video, often appropriately teach about Biblical history including the battles and fighting. But some (and I fear this one in this case) teach only moral lessons from the Old Testament. In the end they do not teach about the Gospel and Jesus Christ the Messiah in light of the Old Testament. And this is exactly what Jesus himself felt was important. He says in John 5:39-40.
39You diligently study[a] the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
And in Luke 24:27.
27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
I believe that Old Testament Israel was a "type" which would be mirrored and fulfilled in the New Testament by all the followers of Jesus Christ: the Church. So the Gospel should be proclaimed in light of these passages in the Old Testament. Churches should not merely teach moral lessons about courage, dedication, and holiness from Old Testament stories of military battles. This is a big mistake I think.
Fourthly, the filmmakers emphasize the encouragement of political involvement for Christians. The modern day Evangelical church misses the point and gets their theology wrong often on this too. I believe the Bible teaches that their are two Kingdoms; a Kingdom of God and a Kingdom of the world. Christians live in both. But the Kingdom of God is the only one that we are taught will last. So, the Church is the physical expression of the Kingdom of God in the Kingdom of the world. The Church is called to be an influence in the world through the proclamation of the Gospel and living a life obedient to Christ. Today, many evangelicals are tempted to influence the world primarily through politics. This is a temptation from Satan. Christians should vote their conscience at the polls and even be involved in politics. But the Church proclaiming the Gospel and living for Christ is how the world will know God; not through political power. Christians in public office or laws that uphold Christian moral values can restrain evil. But they do not proclaim the Gospel. I would agree with this statement included in a recently released "Evangelical Manifesto" which speaks about this Kingdom confusion among evangelicals. It says,
Christians from both sides of the political spectrum, left as well as right, have made the mistake of politicizing faith; and it would be no improvement to respond to a weakening of the religious right with a rejuvenation of the religious left. Whichever side it comes from, a politicized faith is faithless, foolish, and disastrous for the church – and disastrous first and foremost for Christian reasons rather than constitutional reasons.
Called to an allegiance higher than party, ideology, and nationality, we Evangelicals see it our duty to engage with politics, but our equal duty never to be completely equated with any party, partisan ideology, economic system, or nationality. In our scales, spiritual, moral, and social power are as important as political power, what is right outweighs what is popular, just as principle outweighs party, truth matters more than team-playing, and conscience more than power and survival.
This idea of Two Kingdoms was first advanced by Augustine if I'm not mistaken, but is continues to be discussed today. I would encourage you or anyone to listen to this 30 minute discussion by some good Christian theologians about the Two Kingdoms idea and the temptation of political power for the Church. The show is called "White Horse Inn". And here is the episode to listen to. It's really worth it and will help you understand this issue immensely. You can also get more resources on this topic at the show's website here. Scroll down to the January episode for more.
Lastly, I want to comment on the video as it was uploaded to Youtube. The uploader took the promo video for the movie and added at least one clip of George Bush talking about the "War on Terrorism". You can go to the Jesus Camp movie website and see the original. I would have posted it here but it automatically plays when you navigate to my blog... and that's annoying :(
The Jesus Camp clip doesn't include the Bush clip. It seems like the uploader wanted to convey the idea that these conservative Christians were teaching about how to literally make war and participate in the "War on Terror". This is misleading. And for all the theological confusion represented in the teaching at this church I'm 99% sure they would not be teaching anything about literally making war, like how to shoot a gun, how to throw grenades, and how to sign up for the American military.
The uploader has also interspersed clips from news show interviews with the female teacher talking about Muslim jihadists and how Christians need to teach their kids to just as dedicated. (you can search the ABCNews website and find some of them there) The short clips seem to be intended to show that Christians are training their kids to be "Christian Jihadists" of a sort. This just isn't happening. I think it is legitimate to ask the question whether we as followers of Jesus are willing to die in the service of the Gospel in comparison to Muslim jihadist's dedication to Islam. But no one is teaching their children that "dying for Jesus" involves taking up arms against Muslims. They DO talk about being willing to die taking the Gospel into a hostile world. You might recall the female teacher yelling, "this means war!". This clip is set alongside the Bush clip to imply that she was teaching that the church is literally joining up in the War on Terror and sending their children to fight. We don't know from the clip what she said but I would bet that she was teaching about making war on sin in our lives. That's generally what these types of children's programs teach. Believe me, I've seen lots of them.
So in conclusion, I think there is lots of theological error and unbiblical types of teaching revealed in the clips but also a dishonest (or at least horribly misguided) attempt by the uploader to imply that the literal training of children for war is going on in American churches. That's just not true.
I suppose that every age has its own particular fantasy: ours is science. A seventeenth-century man like Blaise Pascal, who thought himself a mathematician and scientist of genius, found it quite ridiculous that anyone should suppose that rational processes could lead to any ultimate conclusions about life, but easily accepted the authority of the Scriptures. With us, it is the other way `round.
Malcolm Muggeridge (1903-1990), Jesus Rediscovered [1969]
I am still trying to get some things up on the blog from a couple months ago. One of those is the sermon I gave on Christmas Eve. The title is "The Faith of a 13 Year Old Girl" and it focuses on the announcement that the angel Gabriel gave to young Mary.
I have four daughters aged 10 to 17 so I'm somewhat of an expert on teenage girls :)
The whole talk is about 22 minutes long if you want to know in advance. Hope you enjoy it. I enjoyed giving it.
My oldest daughter (17 years old) sang the lead vocals on a newly released CD of worship songs and hymns put out by my church here in Dubai. Most of the songs were written and arranged by our worship director, Glen Jones.
Click the blue triangle next to the words "How Awesome" just below to hear it! Also, below that is the album art.
Let me know if you're interested in a copy of the CD. They are 40 AED or 12 USD.
This is very interesting and if genuine, encouraging. Here is the the short report in the Gulf News here in Dubai.
Riyadh: A senior Saudi cleric said that inter-faith dialogue was among the best ways to defend Islam.
Shaikh Abdul Rahman Al Sudeiss, chief imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah voiced support for a proposal made earlier in the week by Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz for inter-faith talks between Muslims, Christian and Jews.
The initiative "is one of the best ways to defend the Prophet" Mohammad (PBUH).
I hope they might consider including dialogue between Muslims, Christians, and Jews who are not scholars. I would hope that with as much training in the Koran as they get in Saudi that they would be equipped to have discussions with people of other faiths.
This was announced earlier this week as an initiative by Sheikh Mohammad, ruler of Dubai. It is hoped the museum will convey the "message of eternal love and peace" that was brought by the Prophet, so the official sources say.
Upon hearing of it I suspected this was, in part, Dubai's response to the ongoing Danish cartoons issue simmering throughout the Muslim world. And if it is, I think it's the better response than flag burning, threats of violence and economic boycotts.
Then today this article came in the GulfNews. Sure enough, there is a vague but not so subtle reference to the cartoons uproar.
"This is a well-timed and gratuitous gesture from Shaikh Mohammad who has surprised us ... it has come to heal us [Islam and Muslims] from the sufferings we have sustained due to blasphemous campaigns against Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in the West.
It's also interesting that the Sheikh Dr. Kubaisi notes that Sheikh Mohammad has "surprised " them. Kind of makes you think they didn't expect help from Sheikh Mohammad on these kinds of religious issues.
Interesting.
UPDATE: Someone in the comments asked about the picture of Mohammad on a journey in this post. Read more about it here.
I went to Kuwait last weekend to see one of my children in a school sports tournament. One of the wonderful things that has developed in the region in the last 5 years or so are low cost regional airlines. Jazeera Airways, a Kuwaiti airline, is one such company. I got a roundtrip air ticket from Dubai for about 360 AED (100 USD).
The flights were great and one very interesting aspect of this particular airline is that before every takeoff there is an Islamic prayer for travel that is broadcast on the airplane television screens. You hear someone performing the prayer (it's a recording) and see the Arabic text scrolling onscreen. It takes about 1 minute or so total. The video below is of the last 30 seconds of the prayer with my phone camera focused on the screen. You can't see the scrolling words but you can hear the prayer pretty well.
I've not experienced this prayer on any of the other flights out of Dubai. I've wondered if it's on Jazeera since it's out of Kuwait and Kuwait tends to be more religiously conservative than the UAE.
I tried to google "Islamic Travel Prayer" and came up with a number of hits. This one seemed to make the most sense but I still don't know if it is the actual prayer that is being spoken on the video. If someone who knows Arabic could listen to the video and tell me if the prayer is the one I've got printed here I would appreciate it.
Allah is the Most Great. Allah is the Most Great. Allah is the Most Great. Glory is to Him Who has provided this for us though we could never have had it by our efforts. Surely, unto our Lord we are returning. O Allah, we ask You on this our journey for goodness and piety, and for works that are pleasing to You . O Allah , lighten this journey for us and make its distance easy for us . O Allah, You are our Companion on the road and the One in Whose care we leave our family . O Allah , I seek refuge in You from this journey's hardships, and from the wicked sights in store and from finding our family and property in misfortune upon returning.
Also, what do you think about the idea of a 'travel prayer'? Does it make sense? What about the others onboard who are not Muslims... Does this make sense for them?
Interesting policy implemented at the Mall of the Emirates last month. If you're feeling amorous with your shopping partner (or someone you meet there :) you should take note of the second prohibition listed... "No Kissing or Overt Displays of Affection". You might also get stuck at "Please Wear Respectful Clothing" too.
This raises a number of questions. Does this apply to all kissing? Like the "peck on the cheek" kind? Or just the 'extended lip-lock' kind? Who makes this decision? Is hand-holding an overt display of affection? Is an arm around the shoulder? Exactly where can a hand be put?
And what is respectful? Of course I assume they mean respectful to the host culture. But that is a tough thing to do when you (Dubai) are setting your goals on drawing hundreds of thousands of tourists to your country. Tourists by definition almost always see themselves as not a part of the culture they are visiting. It's as if they think of themselves as viewing everything from behind a glass window.
When I first moved here I used to not wear shorts except to the beach and to the park. But I've loosened up about that over the last 5 years. I wonder if I ever offend anyone when I go to the store.
As a Christian I'm eager to keep the commandments of the Bible as an act of gratitude to God for what he's done for me through Christ - the forgiveness of sins and the adoption into the his eternal family as a son of the King. The Bible would teach "let there not be a hint of immorality among you." (Ephesians 5:3) But the real challenge is that immorality has some culturally defined boundaries. Or at least the "hints" are culturally defined often.
So, even when I take my family of all women (4 daughters, 1 wife) to the mall they don't go in shorts or sleeveless shirts just out of respect for the host culture in which we live. But even then I wonder if people see my daughters, know we're from the west, and then just assume they are immoral. What can I do about that? Nothing I think. Other than to live it down among the people who really know us.
When we go though, we'll just have to make sure... no kissing!
