wfn.org | UMNS# 04497-Christian educators can teach tolerance, speaker

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Christian educators can teach tolerance, speaker says 

Oct. 26, 2004	 News media contact:   Kathy  Gilbert * (615) 7425470* 
Nashville {04497}

NOTE: Photographs, audio and related coverage, UMNS #496, are available at
http://umns.umc.org.

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

NEW ORLEANS (UMNS) - Our enemies on Sept. 11 were not the 19 men who flew the
planes - it was their teachers, according to James Fleming, director of the
Biblical Resources Study Center in Jerusalem.

"Hyper-fundamentalists" exist in all faiths, and the role of Christian
educators is to help church members understand that hyper fundamentalism is
"a human problem not a religious one," he said.

Fleming presented a workshop on "Interfaith: Understanding and the Role of
Christian Education" during the Oct. 14-18 Christian Educators Fellowship
conference in New Orleans. The Biblical Resources Study Center is an
ecumenical organization in Israel.

He defined "hyper-fundamentalists" as people who have a rigid belief system
that does not allow for any other interpretation of Scripture.

"One of the ways teachers can help others understand hyper-fundamentalism is
to understand it exists in our own faiths," he said.

Fleming said hyper-fundamentalists exist in Jewish, Muslim and Christian
faiths. The four things they have in common are:
7	A literal view of Scriptures.
7	No place for women in authority over men.
7	Authoritarian male leadership.
7	No interest in interfaith understanding.

"Open minds, open doors, open hearts would not work in these churches," he
added, referring to the theme of the United Methodist Church's media
campaign.

Fleming, who has worked in Jerusalem for 31 years, said he finds people are
more intolerant now than they were when he came to the center.

The men who killed the more than 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001, were taught
that they weren't killing human beings but enemies of Allah, he said. 

It is the same kind of belief that says "unless you believe in Jesus in
exactly the same way I do, you are wrong.

"You can hate on your knees as well as in any other position," he said.

Fleming noted that the Islamic religion is growing much faster than
Christianity and added that when a religion or movement becomes large enough
it tends to develop a "majority complex." 

"It is very easy for someone in the majority to feel threatened by
minorities," he said. "It is also natural for the majority to think they
should have the advantage."

Fleming points out that Jesus Christ was often in trouble for the people he
included.

Christian educators could teach tolerance by encouraging respect. "Show the
same respect to them that you would like to receive. Celebrate what you have
in common, respect your differences, and cultivate empathy - walk in their
shoes," he suggested.

Fleming's workshop was one of more than 70 offered during the five-day
conference. The Christian Educators Fellowship is an organization for all
Christian educators in the United Methodist Church. Membership is also open
to non-United Methodist Christian educators.

For more information about the fellowship, contact Corinne Van Buren at P.O.
Box 24930, Nashville, Tenn., 37202; (866) 629-3113; or e-mail cef@cefumc.org.

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United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org