Does loving your Muslim neighbor mean sharing your church with them?

The Lord's Prayer in Arabic

A Christianity Today article, entitled Why We Opened Our Church to Muslims, tracks a debate among Christians about sharing their church facilities with Muslim groups needing meeting spaces. Steve Stone says:

Jason Hood raised issues about inviting Muslims to share worship space with Christians. Hood, who is a scholar in residence at Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, referred to our flock Heartsong and me. While I couldn't tell exactly where Hood stood on the issue, it seemed that he had decided that our decision to allow Muslims from the Memphis Islamic Center (MIC) to use our Celebration Center for Ramadan prayers was made off hand and without much, if any, theological reflection. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Stone then goes on to cite the church's justification for its actions and says:

As a Jesus-following tribe we could not be more evangelical and exclusivist when it comes to Jesus. We are 21st century Jesus freaks, and we fly that flag on T-shirts which many of us wore as we greeted the Muslims who came for Ramadan prayers each night. All we have ever done or will ever do is a witness to Jesus—his teaching, his life, his death and resurrection, and the presence of the Holy Spirit with, in, and through us.

Our Muslim brothers and sisters know this about us because we always speak of Jesus and our love for him, and our love for them because of him, every time we are with them. There was no trading of theologies. They are Muslims; we are Jesus followers; both of us are clear about that. Jesus said people would know we are his disciples by our love for one another, and that is just what is happening with the dear and gracious people of the MIC. They recognize us as people who have been with Jesus.

What do you think of Christians opening their church buildings for use by their Muslim neighbors?

After reading the article, what do you think of the church's justifications for its decision?

Who Is My Neighbor?

The Lord's Prayer in Arabic

How far we've come....

The American backlash against Muslims since 9-11-2001 has infected many Christians' attitudes toward the people of Islamic faith. There was a time when the Evangelical's opinion of Muslims was simply that they needed to be missionized and evangelized. We recognized the danger of some radical elements, but coercive and violent forms of persuasion were not commonly given respect in serious consideration of how to interact with Muslims.

Rather, we thought of sending missionaries and teams of evangelists, either covertly or overtly, to convey the unconditional love of Jesus. And we did so recognizing the dangers.

Lately, that love has not seemed so unconditional, at least if you gauge it by the eroding Evangelical-American attitudes that seem to becoming more hostile and widespread daily.

W-W-I-D (What Would Isa DO?) - When One in Four People Call Jesus Isa

The Lord's Prayer in Arabic

Did you know there are nearly 50 references to Jesus Christ in the Quran?

Ever wonder what the Quran actually says about him?

You'll find each reference presented with many other helpful resources on the Tools and Resources page of JesusAndTheQuran.org.

JAQ is an organization committed to helping Christians build a constructive dialogue with their Muslim neighbors and friends. It asks a simple and profound question:

"If one in four people on the planet considers himself/herself a Muslim, shouldn’t we learn how to talk with them well?"

In an age when 1400 years of tensions between Christians and Muslims has come to a constant simmer at near-boil, immanent-spill capacity, isn't it time that we all take the initiative to really understand each other and better communicate the faith we hold so dear to our hearts?

How would you share the gospel lovingly with a Muslim?

Consider the compassionate and creative example in this video of JAQ member Jon Stallsmith.

Love My [Muslim!] Neighbor?

I have been wondering lately what it means to love my neighbor in a world where Muslims are feared and demonized.

A good friend was kind enough to add me to an e-list that discusses this very thing in the interest of building peace between Christians and Muslims and Jews.

Often the discussion focuses on world-scale things, like foreign policies and dialogues between world leaders. But one participant blew me away with a brief list of practical things he does, as an everyday Christian, to be a peacemaker in today's ever evolving world.