Another Christian group responds to last fall’s Muslim letter advocating for peace.
Five months after 138 Muslim clerics and scholars penned a plea for inter-religious and world peace, “A Common Word Between Us and You”—and four months after the Yale Center for Faith and Culture responded with “Loving God and Neighbor Together”—the World Evangelical Alliance has released its own response to the Muslim document. Presumably the umbrella group wanted to survey its global constituency before taking a stance.
Entitled “We Too Want to Live in Love, Peace, Freedom and Justice,” the WEA statement is somewhat pricklier than the Yale document. As Christianity Today’s earlier reporting noted, some evangelicals took issue with the Yale statement’s willingness to sidestep theological differences between Christians and Muslims. The WEA statement can be accused of no such thing. Immediately after affirming the Muslim letter’s stated desire for peace, it launches into doctrinal fisticuffs.
In your opening summary, you commence with what is obviously a “call to Christians” to become Muslims by worshipping God without ascribing to him a partner. May we, in return, invite you to put your faith in God, who forgives our opposition to him and sin through what his son Jesus Christ did for us at the cross?
While the statement goes on to affirm much of what is in the Muslim letter, it also questions the letter’s statement that Christians are waging war against Muslims and driving them from their homes. Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director of the World Evangelical Alliance, writes: “We ask ourselves, ‘Where do Christians wage war against Muslims? Who of the many Christian leaders, you have addressed your letter to, is involved in such a sin as waging war against you or driving Muslims out of their homes? Has any Christian leader publicly urged that such actions be taken against Muslims?’”
The statement ends with a call for religious freedom for Christians in Muslim countries, stating that there is “evidence of many cases where Christians cannot practice their Christian faith without restriction in Muslim countries.”
So why the difference in tone between the Yale document and the WEA response? Perhaps the WEA was responding to some of the criticism that the Yale document generated, or perhaps it simply sought to represent the view of its members, many of whom live near much more sizable Muslim communities than do Christians in the U.S. Either way, the statement is a noteworthy, if belated, addition to this Muslim-Christian dialogue.
Posted by Madison Trammel on April 10, 2008 3:32PM
Comments
Thanks for this post.
Posted by: any at April 12, 2008
Every American needs to read, "Preachers of Hate, Islam and the War on America" by Kenneth R. Timmerman.It is a real eye opener.
Posted by: Ronald F Fast at April 12, 2008
I believe the WEA response is a more accurate reply to the Muslim letter. It offered an acknowlegment of the outreach by the Muslim community without compromising the truth concerning Jesus Christ and circumstances facing Christians in parts of the world. Respect and love for others while not compromising the truth are important attributes for followers of Christ to exhibit.
Posted by: Tim Garland at April 12, 2008
It might be helpful to take note that Geoff Tunnicliffe actually signed the Yale document (as did I). He didn't do it as a private person because he put his title behind it. The fact is, this is a letter and we evangelicals are so obsessed with jotting every i and crossing every t that we cannot accept what someone says until we have run it through our theological grid and made sure that other person(s)are very clear about what we believe on every point - I think it comes from assasinating one another in pulpit and paper. My response to people who question my signature of this document (without a hundred adendums to explain everything I meant) is this. If your antagonistic neighbor (who also considers you antagonistic) approached you and said, "We need to talk because this isn't working; after all we pretty much are the same anyway and worship the same God." I suspect our response wouldn't be, "Let me make one thing clear, we are not the same and until you recognize you are wrong,there is no point in talking with you." I think all of us are trained enough by the Holy Spirit to say, "Yeah, I think it is time we talk, where do you want to go for coffee." That was the nature of the Yale response. Least you think me ignorant of Muslim deceitfulness, I have had three friends murdered and dozens maimed at the hands of Muslims.
Posted by: Harvey Thiessen at June 1, 2008
Why characterize the very sane and reasonable response by WEA as "doctrinal fisticuffs?" It is such an unnecessary and harmful characterization.
Posted by: Alex Araujo at June 1, 2008
We At The Evangelical Alliance of Pakistan fully support the content of the letter written by Dr.Geoff Tunnicliff.In our understanding it is the most accurate,concise and to the point document.Living in this part of the world we firmly believe that we need to get engaged in dialouge with Mulim brothers. Ifrahim Mathew
Secretary.
Posted by: Ifrahim Mathew at June 2, 2008
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