Distinctly Welcoming

Responding to the Barnabas Fund

Over the last week or so, a minor spat has been escalating across the internet around the actions and intentions of some of us who have sought to provide slightly different perspectives on how we engage Islam as Christians committed to the gospel: seeking to relate constructively and openly to the reality of diverse Muslims. I would want to reaffirm, as I trust the history of my posts on this site would demonstrate, my concern for the plight of persecuted Christians around the world and want to add my support to the advocacy of the suffering church, particularly in many Muslim-majority contexts and for that aspect of the work of the Barnabas Fund. The post that referenced Ben White's review on the Fulcrum site, and my earlier post about the Barnabas Fund has merely provided a suggested alternative reading of some elements of Islam and the consequent appropriate Christian response to that presented in some Barnabas Fund publications.

A number of statements have had to be published following the circulation of an article by the Barnabas Fund. You can read the statement issued by Global Connections, the network of evangelical mission organisations including Interserve, Arab World Ministries, CMS and Crosslinks among others, here. The open evangelical network, Fulcrum, have been obliged to publish a statement, too, here. And my own mission organisation CMS have a statement here.

I trust this clarifies the position somewhat. Shortly, Global Connections, through the Christian Response to Islam network ("CRIB") will be publishing a set of guidelines on a gracious response to Islam that I hope to be be posting on this site. This should add some specific points for discussion that I hope and pray will sharpen our Christian ethic and witness as we aim to engage Muslims after the manner of Christ. It will be good to have a document with which all of us from across the church can discuss and engage with robustly, conscious that we are all called to account for the manner in which we follow our calling and not merely the ends we are striving for.

Anyway, it's been a messy week for evangelical Christians working with Muslims and I couldn't help but chuckle wrly at this cartoon.

Fitna - freedom of speech or community cohesion?

...that's the simple equation we're being presented with the screening in the House of Lords of the notorious Fitna film. It links acts of Islamist terrorism with verses from the Qur'an and statements from extremist preachers. But is it really so simple? I'm disturbed by the weight that some Christian leaders are giving to the need to show the film and would like to suggest that we do a bit of reverse hypotheticals here. How would we feel if a film were produced of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia (or the Soweto township killings, or Hutu genocide) to a soundtrack from the book of Judges? (each of these episodes had overtly Christian justifications). We would be rightly horrified as Christians and be claiming: 1. that our scriptures were being misinterpreted 2. that an unfair juxtaposition of the worst of our faith with certain sources of that faith were beng presented. Some may even say that Christians are already being put in that negative light, and therefore why should Islam get preferential treatment? Well, I might reply that just because the Christian faith is villified does not mean standards of public judgment should automatically fall for all. Are we not setting a dangerous precedent by allowing a far-right politician with the endorsement and encouragement of the BNP party to be hosted in the chambers of executive government? We would then have no grounds to stop someone doing the same about the church...Do unto others as you would have done to you......

The thing is, it is not merely about freedom of speech, nor even about community cohesion. It is about wanting the good of all and treating others how we would like to be treated. I heard one of the Christian hosts of the film presentation speaking about the damage done to the British values of freedom of speech today. Too often we invoke religious arguments when our Christian base is threatened only to resort to secular liberal arguments to condemn others. Since when did freedom of speech become the ultimate measure of Christian pronouncements?

When we consider the Samaritans in the Bible, we must recall that they were a cultural and religious "other" to the Jews. For the Jews, they were impure and dangerous. Josephus, the historian, records a number of "terrorist" atrocities perpetrated against Jews. So you get the context for the mutual suspicion in some of the gospel encounters. What a wonderfully challenging and humbling parable we have in that story of the Good Samaritan....that symbol of uncleanness and violence becomes the agent of God's mercy to the suffering Jew! If our only understanding of Islam is the film Fitna, the parable of the Good Samaritan (the Good Muslim?), maybe what we need to read again.

There are real issues within Islam about the texts of violence. I would be the first to advocate and speak directly and confidently to Muslims that those texts should be abrogated. But showing an emotive film that suggests Islam is inherently violent in the chambers of government was rightly seen as provocative and engendering of hatred. As Christians, maybe we need to ask ourselves: "does this make me love my next door neighbour Muslim more?" If not, then let's be free not to see it....

Share the Guide

Recently I was asked to write a brief post for a blog resource called "Share the Guide" on fresh expressions of church. You can find it here and it looks to be a great, user-friendly, accessible way in to the subject of church planting in the emerging culture. The wonderful Beth Keith wanted me to say something about 360 degree listening that she's heard me speak about before, so I had a go at writing something pithy and profound, (isn't that just the most difficult thing to do?)

Coincidently, the Church of England General Synod debates a lay motion next week on the "uniqueness of Christ" and evangelism to other faiths. It's likely to attract some media attention because it sets up a potentially stark division. Doubtless the media version of the discussion will be a contest between aggressive evangelicals and soppy liberals. The trajectory of the Church of England is one that is inevitably more nuanced. The uniqueness of Christ calls us to speak of the hope of our faith, and the final measure of the life of Jesus. But that finality also calls us to peace and dialogue. It's a nuance that may escape radio and tv coverage, and sadly sometimes escapes Christians. So, listen carefully....