Death in Exile

The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.

Fethullah Gulen has died in exile in Pennsylvania. Gulen was an Islamic cleric best known for his opposition to Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and is widely associated with supporting the 2006 attempted coup of Erdogan—an association Gulen denied. Erdogan and Gulen were once political allies, but their fallout was significant enough to land Gulen at the top of Erdogan’s enemy list. Gulen lived the final 25 years of his life in exile in the U.S. and remains a polarizing figure in Turkey and around the world.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Gulen was despised so deeply by Erdogan that he become a bargaining chip in the 2017 negotiations between the U.S. and Turkey for the release of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was jailed by Turkey on trumped up charges related to his Christian faith. While the U.S. refused to extradite Gulen, and Brunson was eventually freed, the incident highlighted Erdogan’s obsession with—and likely the threat he felt from—Gulen.

Gulen’s death also leaves a significant void for those who followed his teachings. You and I know there is only one way to truly fill that void, and it is with the love of Jesus Christ.

Each of us is drawn to slightly different human iterations of “truth.” But in reality, Truth has only one ultimate source. Only one name—the name of Jesus—offers true freedom (Jn. 8:32, Jn. 14:6). Gulen’s death is a reminder of this reality and should reinvigorate our efforts to help others enter into a personal relationship with the Savior.