The Serious Season
The month of August is normally a quiet one: a time for clergy vacations, when a lot of Europeans head away for holiday, the time known in Britain as the “silly season” because of the number of frivolous “news” stories which often emerge. But this year has been far from that: the month of August has been a serious one, at least from the perspective of Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations, for two reasons.
One is that this is the holy month of Ramadan, which began on August 11 and concludes on September 9. This is revered this as the time that Allah revealed the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad, and Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.
The second is that this Ramadan observance has been shattered this year by the furor surrounding the proposed Islamic Center in Lower Manhattan, Park51, as well as by protests against mosques and Islamic centers in places such as Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Sheboygan, Wisconsin (among others).
This newsletter is not a place to get into the many and varied elements upon which these controversies touch: issues of freedom of religion, fear of the “other,” concerns about radical Islam, and others. But I have gotten phone calls and emails from people who are asking what the Episcopal Church’s “stance” is on the issue. I believe there are some important resources to help us as we try to engage these questions.
The Statement on Interreligious Relations, endorsed by the 2009 General Convention, is our most recent and official policy statement. This Statement defines dialogue in four points (paragraph 1):
1. dialogue begins when people meet each other
2. dialogue depends upon mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual trust
3. dialogue makes it possible to share in service to the community
4. dialogue is a medium of authentic witness by all parties and not an opportunity for proselytizing.
Further the statement speaks of three gifts which the Episcopal Church and Anglican tradition offers to interreligious engagement (paragraph 33):
• Our comprehensive way of thinking by which we balance Scripture, reason, and tradition in relationship building;
• Our belief system that centers on the incarnation of God in Christ, and on the Crucified One who leads us to self-emptying, forgiveness, and reconciliation; and
• Our practice of focusing mission in terms of service, companionship, and partnership between people as demonstrative of God's embrace of human life.
In addition, the National Council of Churches Interfaith Relations Commission, where the Episcopal Church is represented, also is working to provide resources and to engage in dialogue with the Muslim community in America. There is a national Christian-Muslim dialogue sponsored by the NCC. The Interfaith Relations Commission has also released a statement calling for respect for our Muslim neighbors during Ramadan, in particular calling on Christians “to promote respect and love of neighbor, and to speak and work against extremist ideas, working with Muslims as appropriate, in order to live out the commandment to love our neighbor, and to promote peace.”
The full text of the NCC Statement may be found here . The Interreligious Relations Statement from General Convention can be found on our website. It is my hope that these resources can inform and guide our responses to our current religious climate as faithful Christians and Episcopalians.
Sincerely,
Tom