During my time in Stamford, Connecticut, I was deeply involved in interfaith ministry, leading a regional interfaith council and organizing interfaith worship in times of crisis or remembrance. I haven’t found much religious diversity in Southern Maryland, though there is a Muslim masjid worshipping a block from my church in La Plata. In my experience, people of other faiths often take God more seriously than do many nominal Christians. Many even recognize the power of Jesus, and live according to the values of God’s Kingdom, even if they don’t acknowledge him as the Son of God. Evidently this is not a new phenomenon:
John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us.
That’s a far cry from “whoever is not for us is against us,” which is the kind of rhetoric you hear from those who claim that “Christianity is under attack in this country." Jesus makes a radically open statement here – that those who honor him, even if they have not made the choice (or been offered the choice…) to follow him as Lord, are to be honored as allies and co-laborers.
I have a Muslim friend with a powerful ministry of healing prayer. How could that be, I thought - isn't Christ the one who heals? And maybe He is healing through the prayers of this very faithful, very humble, very devout Muslim, who reveres Issa as a prophet if not as divine. I have a Jewish friend who loves to worship Y'shua. I have Sikh friends steeped in peaceful anti-violence work, and Baha’I friends who offer hospitality beyond measure. In a time when some highly visible Christians in our country vocally support fear-mongering, hatred, racism, discrimination, violence, misogyny, xenophobia and a bias against the poor, we need to look beyond labels to words and actions.
I am not saying there is no distinction between religious traditions – I don’t subscribe to the “all religions are the same” view. As a committed follower of Christ, I believe he is Lord, Messiah, Redeemer, the Way, the Truth and the Life. I seek to introduce people in my life to this Lord who is the source of peace, power, presence and purpose for me. I am saying that there is goodness and love in many of the world’s religious traditions – and that God may just be bigger than the categories in which we try to contain him. Big enough even to work through people who don’t know Jesus as Lord, but work in his name.
Who do you know like that? How can you support their ministries?
How might you build relationships with them?
If people are to see something of value in the Way of following Christ, it will be because we park our judgmentalism and start celebrating love wherever we find it. Then we will present the Way of Love as Jesus lived it – and so perhaps introduce more people to him as Lord.
If people are to see something of value in the Way of following Christ, it will be because we park our judgmentalism and start celebrating love wherever we find it. Then we will present the Way of Love as Jesus lived it – and so perhaps introduce more people to him as Lord.
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