A few nuggets of insight to reflect on from today…
- We often compare Jesus with Muhammad and the Bible with the Koran; however, it’s more appropriate to compare Jesus with the Koran and the Bible with Muhammad. Just as Christians believe Jesus is the full revealed revelation of God as seen in the Bible, Muslims believe that the Koran is the full revealed revelation of God as seen through Muhammad. We don’t need to agree with this, but we at least need to understand where Muslims come from and give proper respect to how they view the Koran.
- The church is primarily called to be peacemakers, a community of alternative living with different politics from secular society.
- Though other religions or belief systems may try to suppress or pervert the truth, God is big enough to reveal truth in all things. One can find truth, the general revelation of God, in all of humanity. The problem is that we are afraid that any affirmation of truth in the “other” is a validation of their lifestyle. We cannot confuse affirmation with validation.
- Today’s “Samaritan” would be a Gay, Undocumented, Muslim person. Do we follow Jesus’ model of loving and interacting with Samaritans?
- There is so little I know, so many misconceptions I have, and so much more I need to learn.
Although I am very very new in terms of my journey of becoming a peacemaker between Muslims and Christians, today’s conference was not only challenging in terms of how I see Muslims, but all groups of the “other.” I am overall challenged today that to be like Jesus must mean to engage with the “other.” I pray that in my life I would be a peacemaker, revealing truth, and bringing reconciliation, not only between people, but between God and his children.
