Liberalism, Pluralism and Protestantisms Inter-Religious Ecumenical Efforts

     This story actually broke over two months ago, but I was reminded of it last weekend while on a weekend retreat.  A number of people, even within the Moody community, remain unaware of this story and I can only assume that the awareness of those within the church at large is even smaller.  The document in question is an apology written from Christian leaders in the United States and Britain.  Furthermore the signers include everyone from more liberal theologians at Ivy league schools to evangelical giants, Bill Hybells, Rick Warren and even John Stott.  A number of conservative evangelical scholars from Fuller and Wheaton also signed the document.  The entire text of the letter can be read here.  The list of signers is mentioned at the bottom.

A couple of comments is all I have time for here.  First, of all the letter claims that the center of our faith is, “love of God and love of neighbor.”  Now while I understand the centrality of this to Christian faith and practice I would contend that the center of our faith as Christians is the gospel, narrowly defined.  That is the center of our Christian faith is the good news that Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, became man and died on a cross to make atonement for the sins of mankind.  That He was raised three days later and because of His death and resurrection forgiveness of sins and life with God is made available to all who receive Him in faith as Savior.  Only after this new is imparted is it possible to love God and neighbor rightly.  This is largely what the apostle John is pointing to in his letter.  The apostle John is marking out right belief, right love and right action as the signs of true believers.  The signers of this letter seem to have missed John’s point and confuse the effect (love of God and neighbor) with the cause (faith in Jesus Christ and new life in Him).

Second, I question strongly any view of history that claims that the future of the world rests in the ability of two religions to live and let live.  This claim points to a decidedly post-millennial and liberal theology that supposedly reached its peak just prior to World War I when humanistic optimism soared.  Apparently, today religious leaders either believe that we are living in another great era of peace, like that experienced at the turn of the previous century, or they see an impending cultural conflict and seek to avoid it through reviving again the belief that human beings control the destiny of history.  This is not to say that human beings do not act in history and have a responsibility to weigh their actions with sober judgment but it also should free Christians from the need to usher in God’s kingdom on earth today.  The historic consensus of the Christian faith has always been that the kingdom and world peace will be established when Christ reigns on His throne and that it is His might which will establish that throne.  Although, this may seem like a naive apocalyptic hope to some I would still contend that this hope is biblical and in any case would much rather have my future rest in the hands of God than in the ability of Christians and Muslims to “get along.”

Third, the letter should open the eyes of Christians in America to the need for love and witness to be extended to Muslims on a personal and relational level.  Believers are commanded to love our neighbors, to pray for those who persecute us and to share the gospel with all people.  Thus, ethnic or national conflicts are no excuse for the church, or for individual Christians to share the gospel in word and deed with their Muslim neighbors.  In fact, I believe that it is this faithful proclamation of the Gospel in word and deed which will do more good to relations between Muslims and Christians than any institutional attempts at inter-religious ecumenical dialog, for such dialog fits better under the pluralistic efforts of liberal protestantism.