Share your questions and perspectives here! Join the discussion about interdenominational relationships and conversations with non-Christian communities.
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Someone said, "Jesus loves everyone and so there are no lost people." Another person said, "I work with members of [name of religion] and they are among some of the nicest people that I know. How dare you say they are in darkness?" What do we do with such statements?
For the last six or seven years, I have had the challenging situation of dealing with/living with/dialoguing with a special interest group in the global Church. Here are my ten observations.
On November 13, ISIS released a statement, celebrating their "holy war" or jihad against France who they call a "Crusader nation." In a very ironic fashion, the statement is a back-handed challenge to the Church as well.
Operation Reveille, a ministry of Act Beyond that helps Military Christians understand the character, knowledge, and behavior of Jesus Christ in cross-cultural contexts, features 6 posts on the "Social Implications of Different Christian and Muslim Beliefs." The helpful summary chart is found here.
Is it theologically careless to use the term "Muslim brothers and sisters"? If so, is there a better term that we can apply?
It is a popular tendency to airbrush the life of Muhammad. Yet history shows that due to the example and teaching of Muhammad many children were killed in jihads, many more were made father and motherless, and even more were enslaved.
The German poet-philosopher, Gotthold Lessing (1729-1781), became the spokesman for Germany's intellectuals whose religion focused on human goodness. Do we have a bit of "Lessing" in us?
William Kilpatrick, a Roman Catholic professor and author, states that Catholics could learn more about Islam from the Egyptian president al-Sisi, than from a crowd of Bishops pontificating about their positive views on this religion.
Is the Qur'an a work of the devil? Work of the Triune God? Genius in its composition? A disordered work of fiction?
It would appear to be incumbent on the likes of Back to God Ministries, Home Missions, World Renew and World Missions to ask if their theologizing is driven more by the social sciences than by solid theological method. Here is where Eitel's simple schema is helpful.
The perennial lure of idolatry--not just measured by some kind of human-fabricated actual statue made of solid materials of wood, or stone, or kryptonite,--is that they are creations of the human imagination.
Does salvation belong to the LORD? And if so, how might that show up in your strategies in outreach to Muslims?
Let us examine Accad's attempt towards a "balanced approach" and look at what he calls his SEKAP scheme. We will look at the strengths and weaknesses of his overall approach as well as his overall recommendations.
Muslims were unashamed of telling the Christians exactly what Islam wants and what it thinks every human needs but were doing it in language that sounded Christian at first glance.
Rev. Mark Durie posted an explanation on Feb 21/2015 of the ISIS video that accompanied the slaughter of their Coptic victims.
So what is the big story, and why does that matter?
For all the steps back, the changes, and the instabilities, such small steps forward look to me like God acting in ways that should excite us.
I watched a video in which the speaker affirmed that 'Isa of Islam, as the Muslim "Jesus" is called, is somehow the same as Jesus in the Bible. A closer look will reveal that this Muslim "Jesus" is what the Apostle Paul would say, is "another Jesus".
As we encounter Muslim believers it would be wise to understand the Islamic doctrine of al-walāʾ wa-l-barāʾ. We briefly examine four scenarios in how this doctrine works out in real life. Challenges to Muslims and Christians are detailed as well.
The Bible calls us to respect our neighbor and extend hospitality to him or her. Rather than using social media to increase anti-Muslim sentiment and fear, why not use it to promote peace?
A Muslim could engage a Christian or a Christian could engage a Muslim to become "dialogue partners" in order to eliminate prejudices, to come to understand the other, and possibly embrace their religion. But are the terms of the engagement as simple as meets the untrained eye? I would suggest absolutely not.
If someone is licensed and ordained an interfaith minister, whose ecclesiastical authority would they be responsible to?
The gentleman and I chatted about politics, the majority religion here, self-appointed prophets, and the greatest question of all, namely 'Who is the living God?"
There are many people working in science who do not hold to evolution, and yet are scientists, some with a PhD in science, or M.Sc. or BSc. Does an ecumenical attitude allow respect for these scientists, or is our ecumenical approach limited to "churchy" practices, or theological beliefs?
How do we as Christians get involved in discussions where literalists and "genre-ists" have different views about Genesis 1-11? How do YEC and OEC people examine these issues together? Or must they simply build a big fence between them and turn their backs on one another?