Why Multi-Faith Matters

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As I write this, I’m preparing for a gathering of several thousand Muslims and Christians for a Building Bridges event at our church this Sunday night. We will listen to one another, sign up for community projects together, and then eat halal beef ribs barbequed Texas style! Everyone is excited, except some outside our church who say we are compromising our faith and asking for all kinds of trouble by inviting Muslims and their imams to an event with us. We’ve been here before. I assure them we are not compromising our faith or theology, just building friendships—but it doesn’t satisfy them. For us to like them, invite them over, be around them— in some of my tribe’s eyes—is compromise. I don’t believe that. I’m accused of being one of those “interfaith” guys who is mushy. I prefer the word multi-faith. Multi-faith is where we build community through serving the common good of the city, being honest with what we believe but respectful of others who don’t believe what we believe. I’m an evangelical, so words matter and so does mission. Our words and our mission are not having the impact they were meant to have in the 21st century—and no one seems to care much. When we began the multi-faith journey three years ago we lost 300 people from our church. Would I do it again? Absolutely! Some things we do that “grow” the church long term actually “pain” the church short term. Growth isn’t always impact or depth. Church growth is fun and, relatively speaking, doesn’t always have a long shelf life. But why does multi-faith matter? It connects us voluntarily to one another, requires love, and replaces hate! We need more love in this world, in our government, our cities, and even our churches. It’s funny how it’s acceptable in many churches to hate certain groups—like Muslims or gay people. Why? No one in their right mind would speak of hating or

fearing Jews—they’d be labeled anti-Semitic. Jesus didn’t pick and choose which people groups to love—he loved them all. Jesus commands us to love our enemies, because he knows that we can’t love them and continue to consider them an enemy. Love also drives out fear. Our world is uptight and on the verge of explosion. Sadly, we Christians are part of the problem. We wind up relating to people tribally, and tribes have a tendency to fight over turf. This isn’t God’s will. God cares about global peace. When we befriend people of other faiths, we begin to realize how connected we all are and how what we do at home impacts what happens in another nation. It makes us think more deeply about our own faith. I want to know what Jews, Muslims, and others believe—and they also want to know what I believe. It’s one thing to read a theology book; it’s another thing to be asked a question on

the spot about the Trinity or atonement. Our town has had close to 100 exchange students come from Hanoi, Vietnam, for their senior year in high school. Most of them came to our church and were not Christians, and it was one of the best things that ever happened to our youth group. Instead of first encountering hard questions about their faith when going off to college, it happened to our youth in high school and in the church in a different context. In addition, people don’t want your faith promoted to them like a product. But if you’re their friend they are naturally curious about what you believe, and you have the opportunity to

share it. But be ready, it’s not like sharing the Roman Road or Four Spiritual Laws. You have to be able to share your story and why you believe in God, and most of the time you won’t start with Bible verses. When you’re talking about your faith to a friend, it’s not the sales pitch that the word “witnessing” often brings to mind—no, you’re simply sharing a conversation with a friend, being real. Have I ever been asked a question I can’t answer? All the time! It requires us to learn how to communicate with one another. We all live in a global public square. When I preach, people from different faiths and nations can hear me. How can I communicate honestly and clearly? The more honest we are with others, the more honest they will be with us. Relating honestly with one another builds civility in the global public square. It helps me to live my faith right here at home. Migration has always been one of the great ways God has moved, whether with Abraham on a journey or the Israelites on their way to Canaan. Nothing has shaped the world like migration. Faith used to be geographical and tribal, but today the world lives on my doorstep. I can reach the world by living out my faith and sharing the good news of Jesus with my next-door neighbors. (One word of caution, they’re people, not projects.) It unites us in our common concern for our communities and the world. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, agnostics—all are in our public schools, public health, businesses, fitness centers, malls; we are all in the city together. Instead of starting with telling people what we believe, let’s start with doing service around the common good that we all care about. Working side by side and sweating together builds trust—we begin to listen to, care about, learn from, and love each other. Jesus says that loving God and loving neighbor (all of them) is the way to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25-27). What are we waiting for?

May I Have a Word?

Why MultiFaith Matters

Bob Roberts Jr. is the founding pastor of NorthWood Church in the Dallas/ Ft. Worth area. He is the author of Bold as Love (Thomas Nelson, 2012).

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