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UMNS# 04434-World Methodist leaders adopt statement on witness


From "NewsDesk" <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>
Date Fri, 24 Sep 2004 20:36:28 -0500

World Methodist leaders adopt statement on witness to Muslims 

Sep. 24, 2004	 News media contact:   Kathy  Gilbert * (615) 7425470* 
Nashville {04434}

NOTE: Photographs are available with this report at http://umns.umc.org. The
full text of the statement follows the story.

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (UMNS)-Leaders of the World Methodist Council
have adopted a document calling on all Wesleyan/Methodist Christians to
"lovingly accept Muslim brothers and sisters as persons of faith" and to
"invite them into life-changing relationships with God through Christ."

The council's executive committee adopted the document, "Wesleyan/Methodist
Witness in Christian and Islamic Cultures," on the final day of a Sept. 15-18
meeting in Port Elizabeth.

"This is truly a world document, signed by 16 regional secretaries and staff
of World Evangelism," said the Rev. H. Eddie Fox, director of World Methodist
Evangelism, after the document was approved. "This is a clear call to bear
witness to Jesus Christ, graciously." The council's World Methodist
Evangelism Division brought the paper to the committee.

The statement recognizes the similarities and distinctions between the Quran
and the Bible, said the Rev. Maxie Dunnam, a member of the World Evangelism
Division. "We as Christians must present a distinct witness to Christian
faith, knowing there are clear differences between our faiths.

"We are hoping to help people who want to be in dialogue with Muslims but
especially to help people who are in places where there are Muslim and
Christian tensions."

In the statement, the committee addressed the history of those tensions and
urged people of both faiths to "reject the use of Christianity and Islam for
the abuse and enslavement" of others. "The Quran and the Bible call us to
honor and respect all people, to submit to the will of God in all things, and
to bring about a just and peaceful society in which love and tolerance
overcome hate and fear," the committee said.

"We call on all Christians and Muslims to bring an end to the cycle of hatred
and violence threatening all persons and creation," the committee continued.

The Rev. Larry D. Pickens, top staff executive of the United Methodist
Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, said the statement
"begins an opportunity for the World Methodist Council to open some doors for
dialogue with Muslims."

"It is a forward statement," he said. "It shows there is some intention on
the part of the World Methodist Council to address an issue that is in the
minds of many Methodist Christians."

During the debate about the paper, questions were raised about whether or not
anyone from the Muslim faith had been on the team that drafted the document.
Dunnam said several people on the team had "studied and worked with Muslims
extensively," and he did not believe it was appropriate to present the paper
to anyone of the Muslim faith for critique.

"If we have made any untrue statements about the Muslim faith, then that is
what we need to be judged on," he said.

"As Christians and Muslims interact today, it is essential these two groups
come together in a spirit of peace and cooperation," Pickens said. "This
statement helps move in that direction."

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer.

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

The full text of the statement follows:

STATEMENT FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
OF THE WORLD METHODIST COUNCIL

WESLEYAN/METHODIST
WITNESS IN CHRISTIAN AND ISLAMIC CULTURES

The world's two largest religions, Christianity and Islam, are today
perceived by many people to be on a collision course, as a result of militant
religious fundamentalism and aggressive secular militarism.
 
As Wesleyan/Methodist Christians, we believe that Christ Jesus is the Lord of
creation and history and the Savior of the world. As followers of Jesus, we
believe in the rule of love, the worth of all persons, tolerance of others
and his vision of a kingdom of peace. As a consequence, we respect much of
what we witness in Islam. We share Islam's strong emphasis on prayer and
fasting, the call for the pursuit of personal holiness, and the focus on
charity and the dignity of every human being. We are aware that Islam, like
Christianity, is expressed in many different ways in different cultures. We
recognize the faithfulness of most Muslims as they seek to live lives
committed to Allah and free from the perversions of this world. We also
appreciate the many great contributions of Islamic culture that have
benefited humankind.

We are keenly aware that Muslims have been abused, oppressed, humiliated, and
enslaved by the political, economic, and military forces of Western nations
and that, even though these nations have functioned primarily as secular
entities, they have been associated with the Christian community. Further, we
clearly acknowledge that the abuses of Muslims by Westerners connected with
the Medieval Crusades, the imperial colonialism of the Eighteenth and
Nineteenth Centuries, and the militarism of the Twentieth and Twenty-First
Centuries have often been driven more by greed, self-preservation, and a
distorted interpretation of the Christian faith than by the peaceful and
loving commandments of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For these abuses by
the Christian community, we seek the forgiveness of Islamic people throughout
the world.

We are also aware that Christians were abused and enslaved by force in the
establishment of the Islamic Empires. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we abhor
the terrorism of militant Islam and the militarism of Western governments
that are escalating in a tragically violent spiral causing immense suffering,
fear and grief throughout the world. We join with peace loving persons of
both faiths to reject the use of Christianity and Islam for the abuse and
enslavement of persons. The Qur'an and the Bible call us to honor and respect
all people, to submit to the will of God in all things and to bring about a
just and peaceful society in which love and tolerance overcome hate and fear.

Aggression against people or nations, for any reason other than self-defense
or the defense of others, is in conflict with the teachings of Christianity
and Islam, in both the New Testament and the Qur'an. We call on all
Christians and Muslims to bring an end to the cycle of hatred and violence
threatening all persons and creation.

Even though we recognize and affirm some similarities between Islam and
Christianity and between the Qur'an and the Bible, we believe the
distinctions between us are significant.

While we understand that Muslims believe that Allah is revealed to the world
in the Qur'an, we affirm that God is revealed in the Bible and God's ultimate
self-revelation is in the person of Jesus Christ.

While we understand that Muslims affirm the absolute oneness of Allah, we
believe that God is one and has been revealed to us in three persons as God
the Father who gave us life, as God the Son in whom God's complete nature is
disclosed, and God the Holy Spirit who abides within us and continues to give
us strength and guidance in all that we do.

While we understand that Muslims believe that all of life's realms personal,
religious, social, family, political, economic, and military must come under
the authority of Allah, Christians affirm God's sovereignty and the Lordship
of Christ Jesus over all of life.

While we understand that Muslims believe that salvation comes through
complete submission to Allah through affirmation of the declaration of faith
(shahada), participation in daily prayers (salat), giving of alms (zakat),
observation of the Ramadan fast (sawm), and participation in the pilgrimage
(hajj), Wesleyan/Methodist Christians believe that salvation comes through
justification by grace through faith in the revelation of God in the person
of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the singular, unique event in human history which
makes the salvation of all human beings possible. This salvation received by
grace is lived out in a life of discipleship seeking holiness of heart and
life. In a world ripped apart by sin, fear, hopelessness and meaninglessness,
we believe that the coming of God in Jesus of Nazareth and the teachings,
sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection of Jesus offer healing, hope
and salvation for all. This salvation provides escape from the bondage of
sin, meaning
 f!
ul new life, the reconciliation of persons, the renewal of all creation and
the hope of eternal life for all who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe that God calls us to affirm the dignity and wholeness of every
human being, and we respect the right of all persons to worship God in the
way that is most meaningful to them. Therefore, we hope and pray that
governments will not impose laws that infringe on the religious rights of
their citizens. We affirm that if it is acceptable to build Mosques in
Christian cultures, it should also be acceptable to build Christian Churches
in Islamic cultures. As Christians, we also believe that we are called to
share God's love, forgiveness, and gracious action in the person of Jesus
Christ with everyone.

Christians seek to live in a world community that is shaped by the reign of
God, and we pray for and expect the kingdom of God, righteousness, peace and
love to come on earth as it is in heaven.

Therefore, all Wesleyan/Methodist Christians are called by God, first, to
lovingly accept Muslim brothers and sisters as persons of faith; second, to
stand firm against violence and hatred in all its forms; third, to stand with
persons who are being persecuted and are suffering for their faith; and
fourth, trusting in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, to share with
all persons, including Muslims, the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
through our words, deeds and signs by the power of the Holy Spirit, and
invite them into life-changing relationships with God through Christ

Adopted by Executive Committee of the World Methodist Council
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
September 18, 2004

 

********************

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