From: "arah" 

World Church: Statement on Islam to Provide 'Relationship Tool' for
Christian, Muslim Communities


March 27, 2007 Beirut, Lebanon .... [Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN]

 At the St. Albans, England, headquarters of the church's Trans-
European region, church officials are calling for mutual trust and dialogue
between Christian and Muslim faith communities. [Photo: Rajmund
Dabrowski/ANN]



As almost any psychologist will tell you, open-minded dialogue is vital to
achieving mutual respect and understanding. That advice also applies to
communities of faith, according to Seventh-day Adventist leaders in the
church's Trans-European (TED) region, where an estimated 60 to 65 percent
of citizens are Muslims.

Adventists in the region recently adopted an official Statement on Islam to
help foster a more constructive relationship between Muslims and
Christians. "As [the Adventist] movement continues to grow in the
world," the statement begins, "we are looking for [a] good
relationship with Islam, a faith with a similar sense of godly calling that
is followed by one-fifth of the world's population."

The Statement draws parallels between Islam and Christianity, such as
submission to the Creator God and a common Abrahamic heritage. It also
applauds the scientific, literary and philosophical contributions of
Muslims throughout history and recognizes Islam's prophet Muhammad as
"a spiritual and social reformer at a time of confusion and
ignorance."

"We believe that among peoples of all faiths, God has through history
preserved a people of authentic submission in the face of apostasy,
oppression and persecution. We acknowledge that within Islam there are such
people ... Within this group of sincere believers we see potential partners
for further exploring our spiritual understanding of the One true
God," the Statement reads.

The Statement ends with a call for Adventists to commit to "honesty,
fairness and respect in describing Islamic faith," and vice versa. It
acknowledges doctrinal differences--such as belief in Christ as Savior and
Son of God--but says such differences should "not be made points of
controversy or generate attitudes of superiority, but rather provide an
opportunity for respectful dialogue, knowing that it is ultimately God who
brings conviction to the heart."

Bertil Wiklander, president of the church's Trans-European region, says,
"We must show Muslims that they can trust us, while we stand by our
Adventist faith ... We should not underestimate the challenges, but I feel
that times are changing and that we can look forward to dialogue and, I
pray, successful work among Muslim people."

Regional church leaders have sent the Statement to world church
headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, where officials will decide how
such a statement would "best benefit the mission of the world
church," says Pastor Michael L. Ryan, a world church vice president.

While Ryan admits "statements are not nearly as important as the way
church members interact and behave toward people of other faith
groups," he does believe they bolster positive relations. "The
Gospel Commission instructs the church that every person is invited to know
Jesus Christ. This [statement] will provide a relationship tool to help
Adventists better understand the people [they] are inviting."

"People, regardless of background and religious affiliation,"
Ryan adds, "need to be perceived by the church as worthy of genuine
respect. Statements such as this one help get that message across."

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