VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 01/23/08) - Leaders from the American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA), the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), and the Alliance of Baptists met Jan 4-5 in Hartford, Conn. with Dr. Sayyid Syeed of the Islamic Society of North America, to begin discussions on ways Baptist and Muslims can speak, share and learn from each other as we seek to fulfill Paul's admonition in Romans 12:18 "If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."
Members of the taskforce to plan the dialogue include: Rev. Erica Wimber Avena and Rev. Hopeton Scott of Connecticut, Rev. Paul Eppinger of Arizona and Rev. Roy Medley - American Baptists; Dr. Rob Sellers - CBF, Rev. Stan Hastey - Alliance of Baptists, and Rev. Alan Stanford - North American Baptist Fellowship.
"As a result of these consultations, hopefully Muslims around the world will realize that many Baptists want to listen to, learn from, and build friendships with them," said Dr. Robert Sellers, professor at the Logsdon School of Theology in Abilene, Tex. "Moreover, Baptists may also be reminded that dialogue and cooperation across religious lines are not only prudent actions in our fractured world, but also reflect the very nature of Jesus, who came into our context with compassion, gentleness, and a desire to understand us."
The initiative for this effort came from visits last year by Roy Medley, general secretary of ABCUSA, to Lebanon and the Republic of Georgia. In each place, Medley was urged by both Baptist and Muslim leaders of those countries to seek to improve relationships between the two faiths. The ABC Committee on Christian Unity eagerly accepted the challenge and offered an invitation to other Baptists to join in.
"We enter into these dialogues as fully committed disciples of Jesus," said Medley, "understanding that so much of the peace of the world depends upon how Muslims, Christians, and Jews are able to live together with mutual respect and a common commitment to the well-being of all. "
The proposed framework for the dialogue includes a national event scheduled in early January of 2009 where representative theologians will meet for presentations, and relationship-building. Then, in addition, four regional meetings primarily focused on bringing together Baptist and Muslim leaders age 40 and younger for dialogue and relationship are also proposed.
Sharing a conference table at the offices of the American Baptist Churches of Connecticut, attendees reviewed efforts that are currently underway between Muslims and Christians at the international, national and local levels. There are already many grassroots efforts at dialogue. Pastor Hopeton Scott spoke about the dialogue in Bridgeport, CT under the theme "The Tent of Abraham" where in quarterly meetings, Jews, Muslims and Christians have discussed how life milestones, such as birth, death and marriage, are treated by each faith tradition. In the west, Paul Eppinger, leads the Arizona Interfaith Council whose annual retreat this year will focus on the topic of "Real Dialogue about Real Differences." And in the south, Rob Sellers participates in the Abilene (TX) Interfaith Council where, after meeting for seven years, deep friendships have crossed over faith barriers.
A second meeting is planned for May where an equal number of Muslim representatives will join the taskforce to choose themes and presenters for the dialogue, as well as tackle the logistics of locations and invitations.
Andrew C. Jayne American Baptist Churches USA Mission Resource Development http://www.abc-usa.org/