Christian leaders across denominational lines responded to the unprecedented open letter signed last month by 138 representative Muslim leaders with their own letter, calling on the two Abrahamic faiths to love God and neighbors together.
Over 100 theologians, ministry leaders, and prominent pastors have thus far signed the response letter issued by the Yale Center for Faith and Culture.
Signers include Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners; Rick Warren, founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church; John Stott, rector emeritus of All Souls Church in London; and Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals.
The Christian signatories said they “share the sentiments” of the Muslim leaders who pointed out that Muslims and Christians make up over half of the world’ population and therefore true peace cannot occur as long as conflict persists between the two religious communities.
“Peaceful relations between Muslims and Christians stand as one of the central challenges of this century, and perhaps of the whole present epoch,” wrote the Christian leaders.
“If we can achieve religious peace between these two religious communities, peace in the world will clearly be easier to attain.”
In October, 138 Muslim clerics, scholars and intellectuals from all the major sects signed a letter calling for peace between Muslims and Christians. The letter entitled, “A Common World Between Us and You,” urged followers of the two faiths to find “common ground” and not simply just for “polite ecumenical dialogue” between certain religious leaders.
In the Christian response, Muslims have been asked to forgive Christians for their past sins – such as the Crusades and excesses of the “war on terrors” – as taught by Jesus Christ who said to “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out your neighbor’s eye” (Matthew 7:5).
Christian leaders urged for an interfaith dialogue that moves beyond “polite” ecumenical talks between selected leaders. Instead, leaders of both faiths should hold dialogues to build relations that will “reshape” the two communities to “genuinely reflect our common love for God and for one another,” the Christian letter stated.
“Given the deep fissures in the relations between Christians and Muslims today, the task before us is daunting. And the stakes are great. The future of the world depends on our ability as Christians and Muslims to live together in peace,” the letter added. “If we fail to make every effort to make peace and come together in harmony you correctly remind us that ‘our eternal souls’ are at stakes as well.”
The letter’s main emphasis is the “absolutely central” commonality between both religions: love of God and love of neighbor.
Other signers of the letter include Miroslav Volf, founder and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture; Dr. Martin Accad, academic dean of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (Lebanon); Robert E. Cooley, president emeritus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; Harvey Cox, Hollis professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School; and Bill Hybels, founder and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church.
Comments
mturner
In my posting of 18 January I said 'Of course when it comes to our neighbours we must be 'kind' and 'hospitable' [see 1st Corinthians 13:4 and Hebrews 13:2]' and as a Christian that I seek by the grace of God to do with all that I come in contact with but not to the point of in any way compromising the glory of the only true God [see Isaiah 42:8] who is not the God of false religious systems such as Islam.
HOWEVER this letter is talking about 'religious peace' and from God's perspective He tells His people that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" [Ephesians 6:12].
The reality is that there is ongoing 'religious conflict' between God's truth and Satan's lies. In the same chapter God tells His people how to deal with such 'conflict'. Beginning at verse 13 He says "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day".
You will I am very sure be very familiar with the 'armour of God' so I won't go into all the details but in conclusion let me draw attention to verse 17 that reads "And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God".
If there is to be genuine 'religious peace' it will only come through the faithful testimony and 'Spirit energised' teaching/preaching of the truth by those who are God's people. Any other claimed way to arriving at 'religious peace' conflicts with what God tells us in His Word.
Takeheed,
I don't agree with your interpretation of scripture, which does not admit any basis of peace between Christians and Muslims other than in having Muslims convert to Christianity.
I believe 'religious peace between these two religious communities' CAN be accomplished, because 'religious peace' does not mean that both communities must practice the same religion, it means that each community respects the right of the other to practice theirs.
People of different religions CAN live together without fighting and denying others the right to practice their beliefs. We do it here in America, where Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and others live together in peace. I believe it's possible for us to do it throughout the world, if well-meaning people from different countries, whatever their religion, work together to make it happen.
A major obstacle to this happening is the view that there is no merit in even talking to people who practice a religion different from ours unless and until they convert ours first.
mturner
In Romans 8:8 Paul said "So then, they that are in the flesh (ie those that are not "born again") CANNOT please God"
The writer to the Hebrews said in Hebrews 11:6 " But without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please him (God)" and "faith" is God's gracious gift to those who are "born again" and so "saved" [see Ephesians 2:8]
Of course when it comes to our neighbours we must be 'kind' and 'hospitable' [see 1st Corinthians 13:4 and Hebrews 13:2] but the goal of this communal letter to Muslims, as expressed in these words, 'religious peace between these two religious communities' can NEVER be accomplished when one of the parties rejects the very core of true 'faith' namely the Deity and Death of the only Saviour of men, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The only basis for 'peace' between God's people and those who are currently Muslims is set out in our ministry tract 'Dear Muslim neighbour' the text of which can be read on this link
http://www.takeheed.net/DearMuslimneighbour.htm
Takeheed,
If I understand you rightly, you are saying that the only people who are able to love God and neighbor are born-again Christians.
mturner
The common ancestor of ALL humanity is Adam and not Abraham and "as in Adam ALL die" [1st Corinthians 15:22] the only solution to the problem of the absence of peace between God and man and between man and man is found in being "reconciled FIRST to God" [2nd Corinthians 5:20] through" Jesus Christ and Him crucified" [1st Corinthians 2:2].
To avoid 'conflict' these letter signers are attempting to put 'the cart before the horse' by sidestepping the message of the cross. True 'peace' is only found "in Christ" who "made peace through the blood of his cross" [Colossians 1:20].
Only when someone has 'peace with God' through the miracle of the new birth are he or she then able to love the one true God and to love his or her neighbour as themselves. The parable of the Good Samaritan is not to teach Christians who their neighbour is but rather to teach them how to treat their neighbours who have "fallen among thieves".
In John 10 the Lord identifies those [like Jews and Muslims] who seek to enter God's fold other than by the one door [Christ Himself] as robbers - Christians are to reach out to their neighbours who have fallen victim to 'robbers' who deny the unique Gospel of Christ (as in false 'Christianity' and non-Christians faiths) and we are to pour in the only remedy for their desperate spiritual plight and that is the truth of the Gospel [the 'oil and wine' of the parable].
Takeheed
So you agree, then, that the quote RadicalChild included in his posting is true, that "We Muslims, Christians and Jews can all agree on at least one thing!" The one thing being descent from the person and teachings of Abraham.
Yet you feel this is not enough to justify dialogue with Muslims?
mturner
Obviously the Lord Jesus identified certain characters as belonging to the seed of Abraham but it was in the sense of 'after the flesh' and today that would embrace not only Jews but many Muslims also through the Abraham/Hagar relationship.
Paul in Galatians 3:29 is obviously making it plain that the spiritual seed of Abraham who will share in the promise made by God to Abraham are NOT identified as being the seed of Abraham 'after the flesh' but are those who have been regenerated by the Spirit of God and so belong to Christ - he wrote "if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise"
Paul also wrote "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his" [Romans 8:9] and in consequence unregenerate people cannot currently be "Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise"
In Galatians, Paul was arguing against the view that to be a Christian one must also observe the Torah laws, including being circumsized. He was not saying that Christians are Abraham's seed but Jews (or Muslims) are not. See Luke 13:16, where Jesus calls the crippled Jewish woman who came before Him to be healed "a daughter of Abraham", and Luke 19:9, where Jesus calls the Jewish tax collector Zacchaeus "a son of Abraham".
This 'common identity' in Abraham that Jews Muslims and Christians are supposed to share doesn't seem to resonate with the Apostle Paul who wrote in Galatians 3:29 "And if ye be Christ's [which Jews and Muslims clearly are not] then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise"
Larry Lovelaw, author of "These Radical Children of Abraham" put it this way, "We Muslims, Christians and Jews can all agree on at least one thing!"
His excellent book sets out exactly what issues need to be addressed and how to address them before there can be lasting peace here. Check it out at ___ www.spiritwar.info ___ I especially like the last part of the AUDIO on that site.
As Larry says, "people are not the real enemy".
Dear mturner,
You are correct. It is good for people to get along and live in peace. We would all cherish such an ideal. You say, "So I think it's good for people to try to find some ideas that they share and can agree on together, especially ideas like love of God and love of neighbor. It's a starting point." This can only be done if we agree upon the foundation for our essential beliefs about who God is and what has He said to His creation. Otherwise, let's have dialogue about the weather, sports, favorite restaurants, or various altruistic endeavors. We, then, would have much more to agree on. But if we are to seek peace through religious discussion, we must first find points of agreement. And serious-minded, bible-believing Christians will not resort to reductionism and the stripping of our convictions in order to find harmony in the world. To sacrifice one's beliefs on the altar of religious unity is nothing more than idolatry.
So how about those Patriots?
It seems to me that the issue here is not that of trying to unite Christianity and Islam. It's not about whether or not the two religions have the same God, or whether or not Christians should embrace the words of Mohammed.
It's not about religions at all. This issue is about people. Some people practice Christianity, some people practice some other religion. But we're all people, and we all live together on the same planet. We have to respect each other and help each other and live together in peace. That's hard to do when we don't even talk to each other. So I think it's good for people to try to find some ideas that they share and can agree on together, especially ideas like love of God and love of neighbor. It's a starting point.
To attempt agreement upon that which we have in common sounds great on the surface. Many treaties and peace agreements have held for a time under such conditions. However, in this case, it's what we don't have in common that is much more important. As Christians we can only be certain of who God is based upon His only divine and faithful revelation of Himself as given to us in the Holy Bible. Although some similarities exist, the Allah of the Koran is not the same God. God will never contradict Himself. The God of the Bible has revealed Himself directly to us in the person of Jesus Christ. No apostle nor any other recorder of God's word ever contradicted the words of Christ. Mohammed is not a prophet that Christians can embrace. Thus, how will we ever be able to unite with those who think he is? Yes, we must pursue peace with Arabs whenever and wherever we find them as our neighbors. But let's never cry "peace, peace, when there is no peace."
Dear mturner
I hope you'll forgive me for yet again challenging what you have written but you really do have an inaccurate 'rose-tinted' view of the ideology of Islam and in all humility I would recommend to you to obtain the following DVDs - there may be moderate Muslims but there is no such a thing as moderate Islam. The DVDs are
'Obsession: Radical Islam's War With The West' and
'Islam: What The West Needs To Know'
They can be purchased on this rather long link
http://www.amazon.com/Islam-What-West-Needs-Know/dp/B000PE0GQO/ref=sr_1_3/002-4102940-1531266?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1182465686&sr=8-3
The majority of Muslims are good, kind people. The minority, who commit attrocities in the name of their religion, are uneducated, narrow-minded fundamentalists, with a primitive view of what Islam is all about, and with an ignorant suspicion of all things Western. Christians are the same way. Most are good, kind people. Some
What's the problem with good, kind people talking with good, kind people? Let the narrow-minded misanthropes on both sides stay home and talk to themselves, if they want.