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TechnoratiWASHINGTON – Evangelical pastor Rick Warren told a crowd of some 8,000 Muslim Americans that he wasn’t satisfied with just talking to them.
(Photo: The Christian Post)The Rev. Rick Warren speaks at the 46th annual Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)convention in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, July 4, 2009.
(Photo: The Christian Post)Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, speaks at the 46th annual Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, July 4, 2009.
(Photo: The Christian Post)Some 8,000 Muslim Americans attended the Islamic Society of North America annual convention's main evening session on Saturday, July 4, 2009 in Washington D.C.
“I will tell you that I am not interested in interfaith dialogue. I am interested in interfaith project. There is a big difference,” said Warren to attendees of the 46th annual Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention Saturday evening.
“Talk is very cheap. You can talk and talk and talk and never get anything done. Love is something you do,” Warren maintained. “It is something we do together.”
Warren, the founding pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif., was the only Christian invited to speak at Saturday’s evening main session, which organizers described as the “cornerstone” of the convention.
Warren was warmly received by the Muslim audience, many of which could be seen snapping photos of the popular evangelical pastor, taking notes of what he said, or breaking into applause whenever he said something to their liking.
Before Warren stepped on stage, Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, gave a flattering introduction for the megachurch preacher, highlighting how he reverse tithes, giving away 90 percent of his income and living off 10 percent.
The audience, who had been pressed to donate the whole night by the group’s fundraising committee, broke out into applause.
“I am very much an admirer of his, Pastor Warren’s organization and as someone who has increased his interfaith outreach in the last number of years,” said Mattson, a Canadian-born convert to Islam from Catholicism.
But despite the praises, Warren maintained his religious differences with the Muslim crowd and encouraged audience members to also not compromise their conviction.
“You know as an evangelical pastor, my deepest faith is in Jesus Christ,” Warren stated. “But you also need to know that I am committed not just to what I call the good news, but I am committed to the common good.”
He called on the members of the two largest faith communities in the world to not only figure out how to live in peace and harmony with each other, but also to find a way to work together for the greater good without compromising each group’s convictions.
In his speech, Warren suggested that Muslims and Christians work together to challenge the mischaracterizations and stereotypes in the media about each other’s faith; to restore civility in America by showing that people can “disagree without being disagreeable;” and to promote peace and freedom, particularly freedom of speech and religion, together.
“Let me just say this to those of you who have been in America for many generations now,” Warren said, noting that they were gathered on the Fourth of July, America’s Independence Day. “Part of your responsibility is to help the newcomers learn what it means to be Americans.
“America is a country not built on race, not built on a creed, but built on an idea – liberty and justice for all and freedom for all,” Warren said as he called for citizen education. Continue >>
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