Top Muslim, Evangelical leaders meet on campus at Fuller Seminary.
* Tuesday, April 21.
Wow. Across three days and meeting in total for 25 hours with seven meals, about 65 Muslim and Evangelical leaders met in Pasadena, Calif., to discuss a wide range of topics.
Don Wagner, a leader in this initiative and a professor at North Park University, at the end exclaimed, "The Holy Spirit has been present with us!." True confessions, he's right. Yes, Islam teaches about the Holy Spirit, not as a person, but as God's active force. (Yeah, we disagree on that one too.)
In summary, here are my three take-aways from this event:
-- The person of Jesus and our relationship with him must be central to discussions between Muslims and evangelicals.
-- Evangelical advocacy for religious freedom worldwide is best positioned when it is clearly linked to the benefit of religious freedom for all faiths, not just for Christians.
-- Religious labeling of all kinds is hazardous to our spiritual health.
* Friday, April 17, 10 pm, update
About 60 Muslim and Evangelical leaders and seminary students met for 12 hours of meetings, meals, and discussion on the Fuller Seminary campus today. (The session resumes tomorrow morning. See below for additional details.)
My head is spinning from the quality of the presentations and the passionate exchanges. So far, this has been a richly rewarding event.
Here are some of my initial impressions after interacting with these scholars, authors, editors, professors, students, and ministry leaders:
1. Muslims and Evangelicals who are committed to the work of dialogue spend a lot of time explaining to each other why extremists do what they do in the name of their own faith.
2. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism have been, are now, and will be in a deep encounter for generations to come. While there was little discussion of Jews and Judaism, the reality of this encounter was for me inescapable. Dialogue that does not lead to tri-a-logue will not survive the test of time.
3. Muslims and Evangelicals once and for all must settle, resolve, mutually understand, and respect their divergent doctrines of God. The end value of such a heroic effort of understanding must not be underestimated.
4. One scholar admitted to what he called "dialogue fatigue." Actually, I see that as real progress. When Muslims and Evangelicals press beyond the far point of verbal exhaustion, isn't that when we can breakthrough to some other new place? Listening to God requires our silence.
5. Evangelicals and Muslims do each other a disservice when they mutually shy away from airing their grievances openly due to quick pursuit of easy faith-based harmony.
6. There is true urgency to this pursuit of relationship and understanding between Muslims and Evangelicals. The consequences of growing tension between Islam and Christianity are growing greater. As I said to one participant, "Lives and souls hang in the balance."
* Friday, 9 am
I'm on campus at Fuller Seminary in sunny & warm Pasadena, CA, for today and tomorrow as about 65 Muslim and Evangelical leaders from North America and the Middle East are discussing a wide range of mutual concerns. The World Islamic Call Society is sponsoring this session, the third one of its kind.
The title is, "A Common Word Between Us and You."
Among the evangelicals here are: Donald Wagner, Leith Anderson, Gary Burge, Len Rogers, Colin Chapman, Dudley Woodbury, and Martin Accad.
Muslim leaders include: Mahmoud Ayoub, Assad Busool, Asma Afsaruddin, Muhammad Sammak, Jamal Badawi, Sayid Sayeed, Abed Ismail.
See below for five of the questions under discussion. I welcome your input since I will be a presenter on Saturday afternoon.
What additional questions would you want explored?
Email me, here. Or, add your question in the comments section below.
Some of the topics to be explored, in question format:
1. What is role and meaning of worship in the New Testament and the Qur'an?
2. What lessons are there for us in looking at the treatment of Christian minorities under Muslim rule and Muslim minorities under Christian rule?
3. What are the consequences, goals, and obstacles of dialog between Muslims and Evangelicals?
4. How should we approach the problem of terrorism and the plight of American Muslims and also the plight of Middle Eastern Christians?
5. How does the call for equality and justice influence the treatment of Muslims and Christians in the North American media, and also in the Muslim media?
(Photo: 'Blue Mosque,' Istanbul, Turkey.)
Posted by Tim Morgan on April 17, 2009 11:11AM
Comments
how can we reconcile two competing claims that both the Bible and Qu'ran are the dirct word of God ?
Posted by: Anthony Devanney at April 17, 2009
The common word is that both claim monotheism, authoritative Book, Jesus is important and was virgin-born, adultery is wrong, etc. What both groups don't claim is that God has a Son and that He died for man's sin. The question "What role does Jesus the Savior play in both of our religions?" is a must!
Posted by: Tim Aynes at April 17, 2009
All men wonder what is going to occur when they die. Both Islam and Christianity have a commonality of a final judgment before God. Both Islam and Christianity understand that God has a standard that man must meet in order to enter the paradise of God's presence. According to Islam must a Muslim do to obtain eternal life? According to Christianity what must a Christian do to obtain eternal life?
The Bible says that a man must believe in Jesus Christ and His death on their account as the only way of entering the presence of God.
Posted by: Jeremy Barker at April 17, 2009
What attitude and responses towards those who slander us and our faith would be most pleasing to God?
Posted by: C. J. Dufty at April 17, 2009
Most Christians live under secular rule as do Muslims living in the West. To the best of my knowledge, the Vatican is the only "Christian" state and I don't think Muslims live there. Your second question might be rephrased to take this into account.
While Evangelicals talk with Muslims about our irreconcilable differences concerning the person and works of Most-High Crucified and Risen Lord God Jesus Christ, let us follow the lead of our Catholic and Orthodox brethren who seek human rights and religious freedom, including the abolishing of apostasy laws, for Christian minorities living in Muslim majority states and especially in Islamic states.
Posted by: Rick Oakes at April 18, 2009
The thing is: God is God, it is tired of all humans causing all the trouble they do that must be giving God a God sized parenting headache. Like squabbling kids, the best thing a parent can do is say "stop fighting" not try and get involved in the mess of who is right and who is wrong. I think God has sent several persons, great and small to try and tell us to "stop fighting", but we, humans refuse to listen.
If the Inca's and the Hopi's and Hindus amoung others turn out to be right, and no one seems to be asking them to these conferences, we have about two years and something to get it right or what is called the next cycle may just begin with a God cleansed world, one that their beliefs says might just be one without humans. No matter what God we believe in, or even the no God of Bill Haher and others, there are some things bigger than humans and their foolishness.
I think we all better start talking and working to fix all the things we as humans have done wrong to this earth and each other, and get over ourselves and give God a rest from our nastiness and arrogance.
Posted by: Elizabeth Wiley at April 18, 2009
Agreed with most of the points, we need to be carefull when discussing 'extremists' on both [or all 3] sides of various faiths. While it is true that Christians, Jews and Muslims have all had histories with extremism, only one group's extremists ranks as the number one threat to world peace and harmony in the present day. When cnn did their special on extremism, they casualy lumped all 3 in one group. And when they did cover the Muslim extremist, that was the only group that actualy recieved a somewhat sympathetic opinion!
Posted by: corpuschristioutreachministries at April 18, 2009
I too find the first 5 questions powerful and quite comprehensive in content. I also agree with the extremist mentality that is stereotyping Christianity and Islam. Christ is the Way to God. That is our challenge as Christians when relating to Muslims. Question: Why are Muslims so violent in their responses to a fellow Muslim converting to Christianity? I've read time and time again of killing, maiming, raping, jailing, and public humiliation of a Muslim convert to Christianity. How can we reconcile that response and still have dialogue with that faith?
Posted by: Suzanne at April 18, 2009
Surely the debate should be centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. We must ask ourselves the question, “What would Jesus say to the Muslims if His earthly ministry included them?” He would speak the same message to them as He brought to His own people: “Who do you say I am?” And, “If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.” All other issues are social cosmetics, no matter how severe the consequences.
Posted by: Paul Castillo at April 19, 2009
This is great! Are the chickens planning a dialogue with the foxes next? The big problem is, the two sides don't define their terms the same way. You may think you're agreeing, but you're not.
Posted by: Kozak at April 20, 2009
Quite frankly imho my answer to the healine question is; about nothing.
We ought to love the muslims, pray for them that God may grant them to be save in Christ Jesus, and Witness to them.
Debating with them will do very little. They are inteligent and smart people, and sometimes it appears that they know their subject better than we know ours. Besides the testimony of so many christians and the Church in general, appears sometimes as damaged goods.
That really is our love and prayers for them that will prove effective.
Posted by: Salero21 at April 21, 2009
How exactly are we to witness to Muslims if the sum total of our understanding is represented by the comments above.
Posted by: Adam S at April 23, 2009
For those that think that we don't have anything to talk about with Muslims you might want to check out this link
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/04/the-abuse-of-religion.html
It recounts how we have used religion to specifically target Muslim detainees.
Also for those that say that the US is not a "Christian" nation (which I agree with) it has quote from a standing US general that said publicly ""We're a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christian ... and the enemy is a guy named Satan." That quote did not get a ton of press in the US, but it did around the world.
Posted by: Adam S at April 24, 2009
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