Christian-Muslim Dialogue Part 4

Confessions of a young Totalitarian…..

There was a time when I was morally averse to engaging in theological conversation (let alone dialogue) with individuals from outside of the Christian tradition, for any reason other than to challenge their faith claims for the purpose of converting them. This began to change during my second year as an undergraduate student at Belmont University where I majored in Religious Studies. Through this program I befriended a classmate who was a devout adherent of the Islamic Tradition. Prior to this encounter I had developed friendships with non-Christians before; however, this relationship was unique to my experience in that it was set in the context of the academic study of religion. When, in past friendships, the issue of religion could be politely ignored, so as to avoid unwanted tension, there was no way around discussing issues of faith with my new companion.

            Throughout this period I often found myself contemplating my concern for the state of his soul and this environment provided an open arena through which to test his convictions against my own. Going into this encounter I was convinced that God was calling me to lead my friend to Christ. Intent on doing so, I set out to study and develop apologetic arguments that would counter the validity of Islam, holding firm to my inherited conviction that Christianity alone was the only way to God and salvation. Along the way, however; friendly debate developed into genuine interfaith learning and the makings of meaningful interfaith dialogue. Looking back now, I find it ironic that it was my totalitarian understanding of Christian mission as the work of winning souls to Christ and the church that eventually led me to see the value of interfaith dialogue.

            I recently shared this facet of my personal history with a new friend. This gentleman is an evangelical Christian who believes that Christ is the only way to salvation. He is a Christian totalitarian. My friend is associated with an organization called the Crescent Project that is devoted to converting Muslims to Christianity: https://www.crescentproject.org/. He has come to the conclusion that Islam is an evil oppressive religion that should be eradicated in the name of Christ. When it comes down to it, he agrees that his faith in Jesus offers him little incentive to see Islam in any other way. Additionally, he expresses concerns that Christians in this country have become too stagnate when it comes to spreading the gospel to the “lost” (Though, when asked if he has proselytized any Muslims, he admits that he has never spoken to any Muslims). He posits that it is our reluctance to proselytize that is destroying Christianity. And yet the proposition of the true evils of Islam could actually be what saves Christianity because they will compel American Christians to take pride in their country and religion once again. In accord with his mission, he hypothesizes that it will be best to empty the Mosques of Muslims by converting them all to Christianity, rather than to try to close the Mosques down. I continue to meet with him and others like him and I am learning a great deal.

While it would seem that our agendas are the complete opposite, I am exploring the possibility that “God is at work” in and through his life and work as well as my own. It is still yet to be determined just how I will ultimately reconcile this theologically. Stay tuned.