Under fire from fellow conservatives, he addresses Islamic SocietyWASHINGTON - Defying some of his fellow conservative Christian critics, one of the most prominent religious leaders in the country told several thousand American Muslims on Saturday that "the two largest faiths on the planet" must work together to combat stereotypes and solve global problems. "Some problems are so big you have to team tackle them," evangelical megachurch pastor Rick Warren addressed the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America. Warren said Muslims and Christians should be partners in working to end what he calls "the five global giants" of war, poverty, corruption, disease and illiteracy.
--"Evangelist Warren to Muslims: Let's Partner," Associated Press, as reported on msnbc.com (7.5.09)
At long last a credible voice is lifted up from the Evangelical Christian community to respectfully address American Muslims. It is a welcome voice, reflecting something of the spiritual integrity that all Christians are called to through their relationship with Christ and the abiding-in of the Spirit of God. Pushing aside the religion of cultural and political identity, Rick Warren takes a welcome step toward reflecting more of Christ's nonjudgmental love, humility, and compassion when engaging those in the world who approach their faith life from a different historical and cultural foundation. The Apostle Paul admonished the Christian faithful of his day to "walk by the Spirit," and more,
...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such things there is no law.
Why, then, do so many so-called Christians who pray "Lord, Lord," reflect that spiritual identity only when it is convenient to them, and then only within the context of that narrow culturally and politically defined social space where they try to hold God hostage. Lord, Lord, indeed.
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