Distinctly Welcoming

When in Rome.....

 
  
It's a real treat to be doing my research at a Catholic institution, learning from the huge wealth of theological tradition and spirituality from this sister church. There is so much I admire in the weight of history that has deepened my own desire to draw from resources beyond my own evangelicalism. The latest developments with regard to invites from Rome to Anglicans unhappy with the prospect of women bishops seems very perplexing though. Maggi Dawn gives a useful summary of the situation here. I couldn't help chuckling when i was told by a Catholic woman recently, full of anxiety and exasperation, "The last thing our church needs is a bunch of reactionary misogynists."

The trouble is, I think our churches have gone about this the wrong way round. I was reading some Thomas Merton today and this is what he was saying in the midst of Vatican II reforms in the 1960's: "conservatives and progressives in the Church are so concerned with total victory over each other that they are more and more closed to each other." For Merton, there was a clear sense that when the church lost sight of its love and compassion for the stranger it would lose love and compassion for herself. He goes on to say, "If we cannot see [God] in the stranger and the alien, we will not understand him even in the Church. We must find him in our enemy, or we may lose him even in our friend...How can we reveal to others what we cannot discover in them ourselves?" I think of controversies over Islam, homosexuality, women bishops and wherever we place ourselves in these arguments, I suspect that we will find faultlines in the church at the points where we have been unable to see the grace of God beyond the place we stand in.

On a more positive note of mission and evangelism with grace and humility, Steve Taylor has written a brief reflection on my earlier post of the "Ten Commandments of Mission" published by the Christian-Muslim Forum. For me, these exemplify something of the ability to be confidently oneself in the very process of giving the other genuine space.

Ten Commandments of Mission?

Yesterday, the Christian-Muslim Form launched their "Ten Commandments of Mission". The title is a bit of a press spin as the protocol agreed between some leading Christians and Muslims is a list of "guidelines" only. But they are great conversation starters; significant steps forward in establishing honest and workable relations between faiths that allows for freedom of conscience. Here they are, anyway:

1) We bear witness to, and proclaim our faith not only through words but through our attitudes, actions and lifestyles.
2) We cannot convert people, only God can do that. In our language and methods we should recognise that people’s choice of faith is primarily a matter between themselves and God.
3) Sharing our faith should never be coercive; this is especially important when working with children, young people and vulnerable adults. Everyone should have the choice to accept or reject the message we proclaim and we will accept people’s choices without resentment.
4) Whilst we might care for people in need or who are facing personal crises, we should never manipulate these situations in order to gain a convert.
5) An invitation to convert should never be linked with financial, material or other inducements. It should be a decision of the heart and mind alone.
6) We will speak of our faith without demeaning or ridiculing the faiths of others.
7) We will speak clearly and honestly about our faith, even when that is uncomfortable or controversial.
8) We will be honest about our motivations for activities and we will inform people when events will include the sharing of faith.
9) Whilst recognising that either community will naturally rejoice with and support those who have chosen to join them, we will be sensitive to the loss that others may feel.
10) Whilst we may feel hurt when someone we know and love chooses to leave our faith, we will respect their decision and will not force them to stay or harass them afterwards

I couldn't resist posting the photo of Mel Brooks doing his Moses turn...If you've seen the film, he walks down from Sinai with 20 commandments, stumbles as he proclaims to the people of Israel, "Here are the twe...., no ten commandments" as half of the stone tablets come crashing down. I thought i'd run with that image as a little prod to us that in our relations with other faiths, there is a frequent tendency to expect high standards of "them" whilst overlooking the high ethics that we are called to in the church. Too often our desire for power and privilege causes us to stumble and trip, dropping those values that should be integral to the Christian faith.  So, yes, it should be ok for Muslims to try to evangelise,to commend their faith, to build places of worship, to seek a presence in the public square. When we acknowledge these freedoms, we then have the credibility and authority to challenge Muslims in turn on issues such as how converts to Christianity are dealt with. In that conversation, we will also see some clear markers on how Christians view freedom as distinct from other faiths. This statement is not assuming that Christians and Muslims agree how religious freedom is founded but on what we ought to expect of each other in our respective behaviour.     

Stop Press - Muslims and Christians agree that evangelism and conversion are ok

This Wednesday, the Christian-Muslim Forum, a bilateral network of Muslim and Christian leaders set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury, are making an important announcement. The network covers a range of Christian and Muslim traditions and reflects real grassroots communities and, wonderfully, they are publishing a statement on the mutual commitment of both Muslims and Christians to the practice of evangelism. Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, one of those involved and representing many mainstream Sunni Muslims in Britain, says in the press release: "Islam and Christianity are two world religions that are missionary - and therefore are ever vying with each other for converts. But we should be able to speak of our faith honestly and with conviction without demeaning or ridiculing others. There is no place for coercion or manipulation and when a person does convert from either faith that decision should be respected." Amen, Hallelujah!

On Wednesday, a proposed list of "ethical guidelines" for evangelism will be issued. These are not intended to be the "last word" on the subject but to generate a momentum around mission, conversion and ethics that helps to remove fear and bring hope and transformation to communities struggling for religious freedom. I think it is a very exciting step forward that should be welcomed by us all. This, to me, is a concrete example of Muslims and Christians working together for the common good, and doing so despite their differences and not by suppressing them. I'll post the guidelines when they become public and do please engage with these robustly: look at your own practice of evangelism, whether in the Christian-Muslim interface or not and let me know whether you agree.

A Response to Christian Voice

I have received a couple of comments from my previous posts directly from Stephen Green of Christian Voice and feel the need to respond so I'll have a go at expressing what feels like complex and mixed emotions and thoughts on the topic:

1. Stephen Green sees this blog as a bit of a "knife-in-the-back" to other Christians. I want to take this comment in all seriousness because I am committed to us working together in unity as Christians, to hear the voice of God right across our differences within the church. Where my statements have come across as presumptive of certain attitudes (and re-reading one or two things, I can understand that reading), I apologise. I don't want to presume on anyone's motivations, and it is wrong of me to do so

2. I am struggling with how to respond to the use of Philippians 1:14-18. These are verses I genuinely wrestle with over a whole host of issues in the church. Basically, if we take these verses at face value, whatever anyone else's motivation, whatever the slant in the message, so long as Jesus is proclaimed, then that is good and to be applauded. I am really not sure that this is what we are asked to take on board literally for all time and in every situation. I do believe (and this is the wrestling in the passage for me) that we should have a generosity in our approaches to other church streams and, by a Christ-like humility, be able to see how God will use a whole variety of Christian approaches and spiritualities. But the context in Philippians is of a small, persecuted church within the heart of the Roman Empire. Paul is writing this from within prison: basically, get the word out. This word is dangerous so will not be bandied about lightly because it costs. Whatever we may think about the challenges of making the gospel known in Britain today, the church has huge amounts of freedom and there are numerous vestiges of Christian presence and knowledge that we need to be conscious of before equating Paul's context with our own. The  "courage" that is referred to by someone else's comment to my posts is not in those that may choose to visit Birmingham for an hour or two on Saturday: it is in those that are living there, day in and day out. Whatever means those Christians choose to use, whether I like their theology or not, let Jesus be honoured in that part of the city. The fact that people from the outside can come in and potentially stir a hornets' nest where none exists will impact on the gospel and freedom of those that remain when the visitors have long since gone. That for me is an issue that needs talking about and addressing. I'm not convinced that those verses in Philippians are a carte blanche for endorsing any activity of the church willy-nilly. I am compelled to critique the prosperity gospel of some churches because it does not lead to freedom but binds and oppresses and is not a proclamation of Christ. So I would ask that we have some sober reflection on scripture in this instance rather than proof-texting

3. "nothing so provocative as a Good Friday parade" - this walk of witness was not provocative. That is the point: it was the product of a consistent relational engagement with the community, with church leaders that are known by mosque leaders. Saturday's demo is provocative because it is divorced from relationship

4. My final point would be an echo of "Asha's" that the ultimate point of reference here should be the local church. If we are truly committed to honouring the body of Christ, to the proclamation across the breadth of the church, we must be able to hear the Catholics, liberal Anglicans, charismatic Anglicans, convent community, Baptist churches and others, that may not conform to the Christian Voice's vision of mission but are all rooted locally, honouring God and living and witnessing in a Muslim majority area. Have we "listened" to all of them?

So, in summary, I hear the critique of not being "Christ-like"; my tone was clumsy and presumptuous. But I hope the above reasons make very clear my intentions and why I choose to disagree with Christian Voice.

Christian Evangelists Arrested Part 2

Church - Mosque: Friends, Neighbours, Competitors, Enemies...?

The above church is where I'm based; the above mosque is the view across the road from the church. So, how we see Muslims is not just an abstract thought, or a political discussion, but a matter of co-existence, neighbourliness and daily lives. Following the controversy over the American evangelists arrested not far from us, it seems that the lobby group Christian Voice are wading in on the act. They are descending on that same area of Birmingham for a very public declaration  that there should be no "no-go areas" and handing out evangelistic tracts. We might like to consider What Would Jesus Do? Invited to just such an exercise, I'm tempted to remember a chapter in one of Brian McLaren's books, "Would Jesus Have Been a Christian?"

Let me fill you on on some extra information:
1. the local Anglican church had a Good Friday walk of witness this Easter, singing choruses and handing out leaflets explaining the Christian faith. The local majority Muslim community welcomed this event and the police were informed and had a minimal presence as part of the gathering
2. every year, the local Roman Catholic convent and church parade a statue of the Virgin Mary, handing out flowers and rosaries as prayers. This is an annual part of local diversity expressed and hundreds of Muslims stand out on the streets to welcome the parade

...is this a no-go area for Christians?

The "arrests" back in February seem to be the fruits of one ill-informed, errant community police officer. The subsequent bandwagon seems to be the fruit of scare-mongering and will-to-power that betrays the Christian gospel institutions such as Christian Voice would so otherwise seek to espouse. Bigging up this issue disconnects the pronouncements in the public square from the vital task of local church presence, for no one I know has been able to ascertain to which local churches these evangelists are accountable. The local church responsibility includes the task of seeking truth and seeking the good of all people.  Saturday's proposed demo, to my mind, is more likely to drive a wedge between communities than build bridges because it is not from a spirit of love and service, but of defensiveness and posturing.

Christian Evangelists Arrested in Muslim Area

The issue of evangelism amongst Muslims rumbles on. The latest instalment is the case of two US evangelists being "arrested" in an area not far from mine for distributing Christian tracts to Muslims. Now this particular story dates back to February so there is obviously an element of the Telegraph getting the bit between its teeth and seeing a controversy played out to a largely conservative readership. So let's be aware of context and be conscious of who is often being addressed by the stories we are reading or seeing on the news. This is where the church needs to be very careful; we need to be speaking to and for Christians but also to the nation as a whole, which includes Muslims, atheists etc.

Let me start by making a very clear point that the freedom to proclaim one's religion in public is something we should be stoutly defending as a bottom-line in society. But let me add some riders that make things just a tad bit more complicated:

1. would Daily Telegraph readers be so anxious to defend the freedoms of Muslims, dressed in religious garb and very visibly representing a "foreign" culture, to give out Muslim tracts, warning of the prospect of hell for Christians and the corruption of the Bible in the village of Bray, Berkshire? "Love your neighbour as yourself" requires that we apply standards to others that we would like from them. If we're troubled by the prospect of Bray, Stow-on-the-Wold, Godalming and March (for foreign readers, these are idyllic English villages and towns, white and prosperous) receiving an influx of Muslim evangelists then we should keep quiet.

2. the Daily Telegraph article quotes the Police Community Support Officer giving the American evangelists a hard time about Iraq and Afghanistan and their reply being "this had nothing to do with the gospel". Now we must not fall into the trap of the casual racism that infects the British in their attitude to Americans, (especially in the church?), but these global events do have everything to do with the gospel. This may well be where I part ways with the said evangelists in terms of my understanding of "the gospel". For many it is a pristine truth to be dispensed  on a folded,  printed bit of paper or announced like some town crier. For me though, the gospel is ultimately about the lordship of Christ and thus is a fundamental truth that has consequences in real-time: what Jesus being Lord means for any one person at any one moment may be quite different. The travesty that is the West's actions in Iraq were a consequence of many Christians NOT allowing Jesus to be Lord, and so many Muslims struggle to hear a Christian's commitment to a holy God without hearing instead a shrill, self-seeking materialism.

The missionary question for the evangelists in a Muslim area, then, is not, "how much courage do I have to present timeless truths to Muslims on their turf?" Rather, "what would Jesus' lordship look like in my life and in this place such that it made sense to Muslims, immunised against the gospel by so much of our history and politics?" Such a question demands that we become bearers of the message in our behaviour as much as our words, in our communities, as much as individuals. We are not town criers merely announcing something that costs us little aside from the cultural embarrassment of an odd costume; a relic of another age that misunderstands the whole point of communication. The gospel does and will offend; but we are called to suffer for being faithful, not aloof. Can we hope for not "more mission" amongst Muslims but "better mission" whilst affirming all that seeks to honour the name of Jesus, in all its variety and weakness?

Is Evangelism a Sin? 2

On Tuesday 10th June, the Faith to Faith Forum of Global Connections host a day seminar at the CPAS head office in Warwick on ethical evangelism in our pluralist society. Ben Edson of sanctus1 will be reflecting on evangelism amongst new age communities in "Evangelism in the Spiritual Marketplace". Andrew Smith of Scripture Union and the Youth Encounter programme will be looking at the ethical issues of evangelism amongst children and young people. Robin Thomson of South Asian Concern will examine issues that are arising amongst the Hindu community in a talk entitled "Changing your mother?" and a convert from Islam will reflect on the ethical implications of evangelism in Muslim communities. The day will include space for discussion and deeper reflection in smaller groups around the specific topics raised and a final Biblical reflection on ethics and evangelism brought by Rev Dr John Corrie of Trinity College, Bristol.
Ring Ann Bower of Global Connections on 01926 487755 or email faithtofaith@globalconnections.co.uk. The cost of the day is a bargain £15 including lunch!! Tuesday 10th June, 10am-4pm.

Is Evangelism a Sin?

I hope you like the snappy suit and groomed profile of the evangelist beaming at you here! Well, evangelism takes a whole range of guises and, not unlike that closely associated word "evangelical", is in danger of becoming a dirty word in our plural age. On Tuesday 10th June, Global Connections are organising a day seminar looking at aspects of evangelism and ethics as they arise in various contexts where the church may be challenged to think again. We have a stellar line-up and, if budgets allow, may even arrange for white silk suits to be worn by each speaker!
Ben Edson: will be reflecting on the particular context of spiritual searchers and how evangelism can have any substance in a pic'n mix consumerist, plural context.
Robin Thomson of South Asian Concern: will consider the current efforts by some senior Hindu leaders to ban evangelism as they seek to enforce pluralism as the only doctrine, as they see it, that can sustain peaceful coexistence between faiths.
A Muslim background Christian will talk of her experiences of conversion and the ethics of evangelism amongst Muslims when the costs to new converts, their families and communities, can be so high.
Andrew Smith of Youth Encounter will be reflecting on our language of evangelism and conversion as it addresses the ethics of work amongst children
Rev Dr John Corrie, lecturer at Trinity College, Bristol, will offer a summing up biblical reflection that offers a way forward for ethical evangelism in our plural age.

It's a cheap day, £15 all in, at the headquarters of CPAS in Warwick, the West Midlands. See details here: go to the Forums section, into "Faith to Faith" once you have joined Global Connections. Big issues for the church in mission....there'll be times for discussion and a panel debate. Be there!