Distinctly Welcoming

Northern Ireland and Islam

I've just come back from 24 hours in Northern Ireland, speaking about Islam and relating to other faiths. Having been through George Best airport, I needed no excuse to use this iconic photo for the post (iconic because of the Wedding Present album cover rather than any Man Utd allegiance!). I was last in Northern Ireland visiting as a student 20 years ago and the peace process has visibly brought transformation to the city. It really was a privilege to be there with wonderful hospitality and open and inquiring minds endeavouring to explore what it might mean to follow Christ in the burgeoning plurality of the province. It was interesting to hear more than one person reflect that, for evangelical Christians, the encounter with other faiths might be the catalyst for a genuine embrace of the brother and the sister that holds to a catholic Christian faith. I suspect we may in turn have much to learn from the ongoing process of reconciliation in Northern Ireland for the church generally in the west as it seeks to be an agent of peace and transformation, with integrity, with Muslims.

As wise as serpents as innocent as doves

In the discussion of the church's role in public society in relation to Islam, Christians often invoke the phrase "be as wise as serpents as innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). It's a phrase that encourages the tension of loving our Muslim neighbour whilst not being naive to schemes of Islamisation and political aggrandisement. Many sectors of the church are seeking to "stand in the gap" and speak out about the threat of policial Islam in Britain and find this a helpful verse. And yet....

The context of Jesus' injunction to the disciples is the initial missionary foray amongst the people of Israel, and it's a throw-away piece of advice about where the disciples should enjoy hospitality. That is, Jesus is warning the disciples that, even among their own kith and kin, they will be outsiders, so they ought to be aware that they are not entirely at home. Jesus seems to be be guarding against the disciples getting too comfortable with those who show them hospitality, because the kingdom they are sharing does not sit well with everyone; even with those that ought to know better.

In the context of Islam in Britain, Jesus' injunction sounds a little too much like, "be as canny and devious as you can with Muslims so long as you stay nice and loving (at least on the surface) because they're out to get you". Read in context, we might still find a relevant piece of advice that says something like, "don't forget that as followers of Christ, you're outsiders in Britain. People will welcome some of the things you say, give you power and prestige for speaking up about certain things, and they will hold seats in government or even be church leaders. But don't be taken in; always cling to love."

So I suggest a moratorium on the use of the phrase "as wise as serpents, as innocent as doves". Truly an example of the dangers of scripture being used for our own ends; being domesticated to serve us rather than stirring us to serve others and ultimately God.

Mission: technique, skill or obedience?

We live in an era when the church is, more than ever, talking about the need to "contextualise", to engage with culture or "inculturate". Whatever the jargon, the church in the West is waking up, maybe yawning and stretching in the process, to the realities of a mission environment. It's overdue and reflects the actual fact that our inherited church culture is often so far removed from the surrounding culture that it can seem to be an exclusive and inward-looking club. And yet the language of much missiology leaves me feeling a little uncomfortable. If we had the right technique, used the correct language, adopted that particular cultural behaviour, then the church would be far more successful, so the argument goes.

It's a struggle I come up against when I teach on other religions. If they were being honest, what many people are looking for is the knock-down argument or a particular way of organising the church or a  cultural nuance to observe that will suddenly convince/win-over/speak into the heart of those of other faiths.

Call me old-fashioned, but I can't help thinking that mission is actually not about success, numbers, getting our message across...it's about about obedience. The thing is, being obedient means that we will incarnate ourselves in culture, bless God at work in the world, be challenged and learn, aswell as sharing who we are. We contextualise because that happens as we follow God's spirit in his work in the world. And the results; well that's God's business.

In the meantime, I'll hold on to my allergy to the latest quick fix/strategy/church structure and strive to be obedient. The church may or may not grow...But then again, that too is God's business. Whether you be mainstream, inherited, emerged, emerging or emergent, there is no magic bullet out there. Somehow or other, it all comes back to that cross.

God's Continent

I've just finished reading Philip Jenkins' latest book, "God's Continent: Christianity, Islam and Europe's Religious Crisis". I can't recommend it highly enough. It responds very directly to a lot of the scaremongering about Europe becoming Islamised (the "Eurabia" fear). This fear is played out in cause celebres such as the Olympic mega-mosque. Jenkins goes beyond the rhetoric and reveals the inevitable changes going on within Islam itself and the  exciting and hopeful signs of religious vigour within public life across Europe. If you're still hankering for a monocultural Christendom Europe, this book will not be to your taste. If you welcome the challenge proferred by the vigoruous religious witness of Muslims, (and Christians from Africa and Eastern Europe!) then this book is set to be the starting point for any serious discussion of the place of faith in our post-colonial continent.

"World's future hinges on peace between faiths"

This was the headline in today's Guardian newspaper after a group of leading Muslim scholars had written to Pope Benedict, Rowan Williams and others stressing the need for understanding between the Muslim and Christian faiths. The letter focusses in on the shared beliefs, quoting both the Qur'an and the Bible and argues for the two underlying principles of the faiths as "love of the one God and love of neighbour". The letter goes on to say that Mohammed was told the same truths as revealed to previous Christian and Jewish prophets. The sentiments are welcome and it is great to have Muslim leaders seen to build bridges like this. However, these are the kind of remarks that make many Christians run for cover from dialogue with other faiths. Yes, there is so much shared history, so many similar texts, many shared prophets.....But, there are some very crucial differences. It seems to me that the hope of peaceful co-existence rests on our ability to affirm and bless the other even when we hold such different versions of the truth. I'm probably overstating the point, but conscious of some comments on a blog elsewhere revealing  discomfort about the  whole business of  interfaith  dialogue, I'd want to reframe the argument in different terms. Yes, there is an especial responsibility between Christians, Jews and Muslims to live peacably because of their shared histories. What will actually enable them to do that will be the discovery of love through difference not dialogue that ignores difference....And this is an ever-so gentle nudge to my own evangelical tradition to say, "yes", we should be getting in on the act. When we do we're getting in on God's very actions displayed at the cross: love across the divide, love across difference.

Christian Muslim Dialogue - Youth style

Back in July, while UK rivers surged and flooded, I was involved in an outward bound weekend for a group of local Christian and Muslim teenage guys. The theme was "What does it mean to be a man of God?". During the weekend, we went mountain biking in the mud (hence the photo!), did fencing (now there's a model for Christian-Muslim get togethers: do some fencing!), assault courses and canoeing. In between times, some genuine and surprising relationships were forged, commitments made to one another and lots of laughter had! Don't tell anyone, but during one of the evenings, we even played a game that involved throwing around a plastic cartoon bomb that would "explode" if not passed on quickly. The point is, we need to start with the basics of what we have in common and that, funnily enough, is not any doctrinal belief, but our humanity: the teenage guys' need for excitement, humour, poking at establishment and preconceptions. And then we get down to some of the beliefs we share; and then we begin to discover some of the significant beliefs we differ on.....The thing us, taken this way, you end up being obliged to be friends through the difference because you have engaged with the fullness of the other person.

This sort of dialogue is a rare occurrence and it's been my privilege to work with a Scripture Union colleague "Smeeee" and join in stuff he's been putting into practice for over ten years now. Check his site out here and have a look at the stories and guidelines to dialogue. It's small scale but substantial and authentic and it's what is needed mirrored right across our world....and not just for young people!

Alan Alda was being interviewed on Radio 4 last night and he was talking about the need for people to listen to each other. Listening, he said, "requires us to be changed by what we hear". If you're in a  conversation with someone else and all you're doing is waiting for them to stop speaking so you can regugitate a list of things you want to say to the other, it's not listening. That is just a pause. Back in July, we listened to each other and I think we were all changed.....When we was the last time you really listened to a Muslim/Christian?

Channel 4 Dispatches - Muslim conversion

The recent Channel 4 Dispatches documentary lifted the lid on the persecution faced by Muslims seeking to convert to Christianity here in the UK. It was uncomfortable viewing in many ways. The issue is one that many are aware needs addressing with seriousness within Muslim communities and yet remains largely taboo. The additional discomfort was in the simplistic approach to the subject that played into cartoon stereotypes of both Muslims and those Christians working alongside them. More than ever, the programme underlined for me the need for a joined up approach of both dialogue and evangelism: a consistent and transparent engagement with our Muslim neighbours that is risky, vulnerable, up for self-criticism and deeply credible. This kind of tension pushes dialogue towards something more robust and authentic than many past models of what we might call "interfaith dialogue". It also drives evangelism to be something far more agenda-free and sacrificial: evangelism as a process of learning and surprise, indeed. I just pray that, whatever the programme's clumsiness, many more Muslim communities and families will recognise the Qur'an's own injunction that "there is no compulsion in religion"...And that many more Christian communities might equate evangelism with explaining in words, without guile, the radical, subversive love that is demonstrably visible to them in action.

Richard Dawkins and the "A"- Word

This Monday's Guardian had a wonderfully funny article on Richard Dawkins' attempts to galvanise America's atheists: "Daniel in the lion's den!" My first feedback on the Distinctly Welcoming book included the comment that I had neglected to mention the faith of "secular humanism". It's a fair point. As theologian Walter Brueggemann says, "We are all created in the image of God. There is no more important theological investigation than to find out in whose image we are making ourselves". We tend to use the shorthand, "all faiths and none" and I guess, for the purposes of the book, it's helpful to focus in on the issues of historical world faiths that we are encountering. But the reality is, we all worship someone/somethings. Richard Dawkins seems to worship scientific rationalism with a religious fervour. I wonder  that, in some perverse way, Dawkins is a gift to the church in revealing the faith positions that underpin all our life decisions ("Praise God for Richard Dawkins!"). There remains the challenge of working out how the Christian faith is represented in the public sphere with humility and grace and in ways that broader society can understand.

Olympic Mega Mosque and other urban myths

When the juggernaut that is the Harry Potter phenomenon started rolling, the Christian email network was full of startling scare stories about a supposed secret agenda to introduce our kids to the occult. That little fuss has since died down and Christians the world over, I hope, are letting their kids appreciate this amazing fantasy tale of redemption, whilst using the opportunity to talk wisely about the real-life dangers of witchcraft. It seems that the Christian email network now has a new scare story in the supposed plans to build a "mega mosque" within sight and sound of the London 2012 Olympic site.
I'm sure I am not alone in having received email circulars asking me to sign petitions, lobby and in general raise a hue and cry about these plans. The essence of the argument against seems to be the alleged extremism lurking behind the group that seek to establish the mosque, the size and influence of the mosque, its iconic significance in relation to the London Olympics, and the fact that this gives a green light to Muslim evangelism. Getting at the truth beyond the scare-mongering is very difficult but a very reasoned summary of what the actual state of play is can be found at this site set up by churches in the borough of London concerned.

As a personal reflection on the issue, I'd offer the following suggestions:

• if the group behind the mosque are extremist, violent and associated with terrorism then they will be illegal and the law will take its course in any decision-making. If they are not, then comments about the group's lack of inclusion of women, for example, literal take on creation or proselytism activities, can easily be levelled at many churches. Love your neighbour as yourself means allowing freedoms for others we expect of ourselves.....the rest of the world might prefer to use the language of fairness. I'd hate to see planning for churches refused in future because of another minority's misunderstanding of some aspects of Christian doctrine
• I have some sympathy for the argument about the site's iconic status, and there is no doubt that many Muslims would look on the establishment of a very visible mosque close to the Olympic stadium as quite a coup. But I just wonder whether we're at all disturbed that inside the stadium we will have huge placards extolling Betfair.com, Nestle and Macdonalds. What should an integrated Christian voice look like then in such a situation?

I realise I've not given an unequivocal view here. Suffice to say that things are not always as they seem. Let's follow the example of the earlier Harry Potter scare and tend towards discovering the redemptive story hiding behind the rumour, not ignoring the dangerous realities that do exist.

Distinctly Welcoming - the blog of the book!

"Distinctly Welcoming: Christian presence in a multi-faith society" is now out in all good bookshops, published by Scripture Union! Click on the book link in the sidebar to see the Amazon order page. This blog is an attempt to continue the conversation on how Christians can have a distinctive presence for the good of all amidst our current, challenging diversity.  I will aim to signpost to resources, offer reflections, and bring in some other voices from both academic and practitioner backgrounds engaging across faiths. The book itself offers approaches to practical issues such as community action, dialogue, youthwork and evangelism in the multi-faith context. As with the book, this blog will seek to hold together reflections from practice with creative biblical reflections. It seems that no day passes some issues of faith rearing their head in the news. It's easy to forget, but this was not always the case. The Distinctly Welcoming blog will be a place to chat through some of those issues, be challenged, offer challenges, and hopefully sharpening our sense of what it means to be distinctive followers of Christ today. Watch this space!