Offending and Being Offended

This last week, I took a phone call from a friend and leader at my church who wanted to explain why my church's elders had chosen not to promote a fundraising banquet that my workplace is offering in a couple weeks. The primary reason was an ad that appeared in the NY Times which has fallen under the attack of Dr. John Piper, so it is now getting considerable attention. The ad, which looks like a letter to Muslims, signed by many Christian leaders (including some from my org)--asks Muslims for forgiveness about the Crusades and encourages further dialogue to take place on the basis of Christians' and Muslims' shared tenet--that the One God expects us to love Him and love our neighbors.

The problem is that many Christians don't think Muslims have any real connection with the God whom Christians claim to follow. Because they don't trust in Jesus (yet) we have nothing in common. I happen to believe that Muslims have a lot in common with Jews who also do not accept Jesus as their Messiah. Jews would deny that Jesus is the "Christ" of God. My heart was gladdened that, when I read the NY Times response to "A Common Word," the Christian leaders correctly identified Jesus as the "Christ." I believe that, in doing so, they rightly proclaimed Jesus as the Anointed Son of God. If they had called Jesus a Prophet, equating Him with Mohammed, there'd be a big problem. They didn't go with a simple "Jesus" or "Jesus of Nazareth". His role is made evident, whether Muslim reders accept it or not. I think this was a bold choice that should not be overlooked.