The great reversal is not only the Lord’s unseating of the mighty and raising the humble; it is also our own repentance. — John Howard Yoder

Ramadan

For the sake of Christ, who breaks down the dividing wall of hostility, I have publicly joined my Muslim sisters and brothers in observing Ramadan. For the month of Ramadan, ranging from 15 October to 12 November, every Muslim fasts from food and water from sunup to sundown as an act of obedience and self-restraint. In the face of a growing anti-Islamicism in our society (and worse, in our churches) I link arms with the Islamic world as a signal of solidarity to Muslims—we are not against you!—and as a prophetic word to Christians—Christ’s love extends far beyonds the peripheries of our faith.

I fast not to holistically affirm Muslim theology; I am learning much from you in our common struggle to comprehend the Divine, but we have clear differences and I pray for the opportunity for dialogue. I fast to affirm Muslim humanity and Muslim legitimacy and Muslim goodness against the tragic hatred that consumes so many. I ask everyone’s prayer for awareness at Messiah College and the fruits of Christ’s peace in Muslim-Christian dialogue everywhere. Amen.

Isaiah 58:6–9
6 Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and God will say, Here I am.

29 October 2004 |
tags: Ecumenism, Personal

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7 Comments »

» On 29 October 2004, ben said:

excellent. well-written. i agreed with every single clause.

» On 29 October 2004, Kenny said:

Oh Brian, you and your crazy cults!

» On 31 October 2004, Evie Telfer said:

Great book list! I think I need to come raid your shelf.

» On 3 November 2004, tony said:

I have to disagree with much of what you said brian. 1. The bible tells us to be in the world not of it. Muslims fast for works related salvation, which isn’t salvation at all, they are still in sin no matter what works they do. We as Christians should love them, but not join them in their incorrect practices. We ourselves would be in sin. 2. Muslims are not our brothers and sisters, only fellow christians are. 3. I don’t even know what that last sentence of the first paragraph meant, but it is by faith that we can love, and we don’t love by joining others in their ungodly practices. We should never look to do anything beyond our faith. Everything we do needs to be in faith in God and Jesus Christ. 4. Muslims’ search for the divine is an incorrect search. We as Christians do not understand God’s will, but we do know the divine truth-Christ died for our sins and through grace and faith alone we are saved. Muslims have no idea about the divine, other than the fact that there is a god. 5. Finally, you mention muslim legitimacy. No religion is legitimate except that which the bible tells, and that is the gospel of God. Muslims can fast and pray and give alms as much as they want, but it all boils down to works not faith that they are after, and that is never going to save anyone.

Sorry if I’m being nit-picky about what you said, but there was a lot that you said that I wanted to comment on. Muslims can become Christians and live by faith alone, but the religion of Islam, and any other religion for that matter, will never save anyone. Only the gospel of Christ.

P.S. Hope all is well up at Messiah.

» On 3 November 2004, Brian Hamilton said:

Hey Tony! It’s great to hear from you—I’ll send you an e-mail to catch up soon.

I appreciate your concerns and disagreements, and I hope we can work together to make some sense of our role, as Christ-centered people, in a society torn by such hatred from all sides. I desire only to take Christ seriously, to love my enemies and to be good news for the oppressed.

I hope I’ve made it clear that my fast is not an affirmation of Muslim theology—we most certainly have disagreements, and I do not for a moment forsake Christ as my source. What I struggle against is the demonization of any person—none is beyond redemption. Can we acknowledge together the need, even in sincere disagreement, to insist upon the common humanity and potential of all human persons? Without that basic love, I feel like the priest, walking by the man beaten on the side of the road.

Your points are well taken, and I’ll try to clarify and correct myself here.

  1. It is true that Ramadan is required of every Muslim, and it is true that Christ embodies a righteousness from God based on faith. Fasting, though, is a wonderful spiritual discipline practiced by the Church throughout history and by Christ himself. I’m obviously working with the understanding that I can fast alongside a Muslim—not in itself an “incorrect practice”—without saying that the fast guarantees the salvation of either myself or my Muslim neighbor. Do you feel this is possible?
  2. Would it help if I said “neighbor” instead of “brother and sister”? I use them interchangeably here, only to emphasise our commonality instead of our difference.
  3. By my last sentence, I meant only to explain my basic reasons for the fast, and to assert that we are called to Christ-like love not only towards other Christians, but towards all the world. I pray constantly that the love I am expressing remains rooted in faith in Christ.
  4. Again, I understand the differences that divide Muslims and Christians, and I joyfully proclaim that Christ is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, and only by his power will the world be redeemed. But when Christians encounter hatred against a people, we show them love by regarding them as wholly human even when the dominant culture does not. I think we can probably agree here, and our search focuses on the practical manifestations of that love—am I correct?
  5. Perhaps legitimacy was the wrong word to use, and if so I apologize. I intend it to mean genuine or authentic, in the same way we would regard another denomination as authentic even in the midst of sharp disagreement. We can acknowledge, I think, that many Muslims are indeed devout, indeed genuine in their faith, without endorsing Islam as ultimate truth—do you agree? For example, I have deep-seated reservations about conservative economic policy in the US, but I do not doubt the legitimacy of their actions; that is, I do not doubt that they genuinely act in the way they feel will best help the American people.

No need for apologies—this sort of discussion is helpful to both of us and necessary. I’d love to hear some other suggestions, too, about how we might show our love for the Muslim community at home and abroad. This is an incredibly important issue right now, and one for which I have deep passion. May we work together, with Christ in our midst, as we seek to love our neighbors and our enemies in a way that makes real the Kingdom of God, and lets shine that radiant light of the Holy Spirit within us. Amen.

» On 3 November 2004, tony said:

Hey, thanks for clarifying some of that. I’ll try to answer your questions that are in bold another time, right now it’s really late and I need to get to bed, ha. I just wanted to say that I hope my post didn’t sound angry or upset. After writing it I felt like their might have been a better or more loving way to put my disagreements. So sorry if it sounded like that. Also, I think it is good to witness to Muslims-we need to be witnesses to everyone-I just wanted to make sure that we had the same idea about the basis of witnessing to them. After reading your response, I think I have a better idea of what you meant; I still might not agree on everything, but that is a discussion for another time when it’s not an insane hour of the night. Take care.

» On 8 November 2004, Felix J. Lockhart said:

Great article, I would join you but I doubt it’s something I’d have the strength for. I’ve always enjoyed participating in the rituals of other religions, particularly native American ones, quite educational. Good luck to ya :-)

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Brian Hamilton recently completed his M.T.S. in historical theology at Notre Dame, and now teaches at Messiah College as an adjunct instructor in theology.

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