Christian leaders invite Muslims to love God and neighboursPrint
World
Written by Chris Perver  
Saturday, 24 November 2007 10:40

Christian leaders have formally responded to a letter that was sent by Muslim clerics to prominent leaders in Christendom and the Western world last month. In their letter the Muslim leaders called for greater understanding between the two religions. They warned that the very survival of the world itself may be at stake, unless common ground could be found between Islam and Christianity, which together make up around half the population of earth. "With terrible weaponry of the modern world; with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before, no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more than half of the world’s inhabitants". The letter states that both Islam and Christianity admonish their followers to love the one true God and love their neighbour with all their hearts, and that this should form the basis for all future interfaith dialogue between them. Much of the letter is made up of verses from the Qur'an which proclaim the Islamic teaching that Muslims should worship only God and ascribe no partner to him.   

Quote: "Is Christianity necessarily against Muslims? In the Gospel Jesus Christ says: He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad. (Matthew 12:30) For he who is not against us is on our side. (Mark 9:40) ... for he who is not against us is on our side. (Luke 9:50)
According to the Blessed Theophylact’s xxiii Explanation of the New Testament, these statements are not contradictions because the first statement (in the actual Greek text of the New Testament) refers to demons, whereas the second and third statements refer to people who recognised Jesus, but were not Christians. Muslims recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah, not in the same way Christians do (but Christians themselves anyway have never all agreed with each other on Jesus Christ’s nature), but in the following way: …. the Messiah Jesus son of Mary is a Messenger of God and His Word which he cast unto Mary and a Spirit from Him.... (Al-Nisa’, 4:171). We therefore invite Christians to consider Muslims not against and thus with them, in accordance with Jesus Christ’s words here.
Finally, as Muslims, and in obedience to the Holy Qur’an, we ask Christians to come together with us on the common essentials of our two religions ... that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside God ... (Aal ‘Imran, 3:64). Let this common ground be the basis of all future interfaith dialogue between us, for our common ground is that on which hangs all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:40).

No Christian in their right mind could agree to the above statement. The Muslims have indeed remained true to the Qur'an in their letter in calling Christians to submit to the will of Allah. While it is true that as Christians we worship only one God, the Scriptures declare that He has revealed Himself to us in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But the Qur'an denies the Deity of Christ, teaching that Jesus was a created being.

Quote: "The SIMILITUDE of Jesus before God is as that of Adam; He created him (Adam) from dust, then said to him: ''Be''. And he was.[3:59]  

Thus according to the Qur'an, any person who believes that Jesus Christ is God has committed an unforgivable sin, punishable by death. Of course the Scriptures do proclaim that Jesus Christ is equal with God... 

Philippians 2:5-7
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

The Lord Himself claimed equality with His Father, and it was this statement that caused the Pharisees to take up stones to kill Him (John 10:30-33). And the Old and New Testaments affirm that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh (Isaiah 9:6, Revelation 1:8). In our minds we have committed no sin, for there is only one God who exists in three Divine Persons. But in the minds of these Muslims, to say that Jesus Christ is anything more than a prophet is blasphemy. Well you would think that most Christian leaders would balk at such a request, to effectively deny the Deity of their Lord...

Not so. Over 100 prominent theologians, pastors and ministry leaders have so far added their signatures to a reciprocating letter, calling for common ground to be established between the two religions. Signatories include:- Jim Wallis - president of Sojourners, Rick Warren - founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, John Stott - rector emeritus of All Souls Church in London and Leith Anderson - president of the National Association of Evangelicals. The Christian leaders have asked the Muslims to forgive them for past sins such as the Crusades in the Middle Ages, and for excesses in the War on Terror. They called for deeper dialogue between them that will help reshape the two communities, so they will "genuinely reflect our common love for God and for one another".

Quote: "Christian leaders urged for an interfaith dialogue that moves beyond “polite” ecumenical talks between selected leaders. Instead, leaders of both faiths should hold dialogues to build relations that will “reshape” the two communities to “genuinely reflect our common love for God and for one another,” the Christian letter stated. “Given the deep fissures in the relations between Christians and Muslims today, the task before us is daunting. And the stakes are great. The future of the world depends on our ability as Christians and Muslims to live together in peace,” the letter added. “If we fail to make every effort to make peace and come together in harmony you correctly remind us that ‘our eternal souls’ are at stakes as well.”

No doubt Gnostics like Creflo Dollar and Kenneth Copeland would have no problem signing such a letter, for to them the "question mark" over the doctrine of the Deity of Jesus Christ was "always there". But the Scriptures plainly teach that any person who denies that Jesus is the Son of God is liar, and he that denies the Father and Son is antichrist (1st John 2:22). But they say, "Jesus is Lord"! Well didn't Jesus Himself say that not everyone who said, "Lord, Lord", would enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21)? And again there are many that have preached in the Lord's name and cast out devils, of whom it shall be said, "depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity", Luke 13:27. Unfortunately prophecy is no longer being taught in our churches. The Blessed Hope of Christ's coming for His Church is too controversial for some, or else they ascribe to the belief that Jesus Christ came in AD70 and that the Church must now work to bring in God's Kingdom on earth. That view is not found in Scripture. The Bible teaches that Christ is coming back to set up His Kingdom, but first there must come a great falling away from the truth. This falling away will blind much of the world to end time events, preparing the way for the coming of the Antichrist and the one world religious system. I believe Christianity, Islam and Judaism will one day unite under one religious authority, headed up by the false prophet. Jesus Christ is coming again for His Church. Is He coming for you? Trust in Him for salvation today.

Revelation 13:11-12
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

Source Sufism, Jesus in the Qur'an, Christian Post

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