Focus Text: II Corinthians 5:16-21
All this is from God, who reconciled us to [Godself] through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to [Godself], not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us…
Pastoral Reflection by Max Carter, Director of Friends’ Center, Campus Ministry Coordinator, Guilford College, Greensboro
Nadia dramatically called us into the reality of her life and away from our being disengaged onlookers. Angrily, she described the early morning hours onslaught as she, her husband, and three little children huddled on their bedroom floor, bullets ricocheting around the room for half an hour. They assumed they would die in the hail of gunfire. But surviving the experience, the family began cleaning up their devastated home and quickly recognized the telltale imprint of American military hardware: spent shells that they knew came from American-made equipment.
And there we were, American Christians incurring the wrath of a young Muslim woman only hours after her near-death encounter. What were we “ambassadors for Christ” to do?
Personal Vignette by Lois Ballen
The Triangle Interfaith Dinner Group was established about three years ago by Ghazala Sadiq, Denise Long, and Sharon Ryan with the goal of fostering good will, understanding and friendship between people of Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths living in the Triangle.
Key Fact
In his recent book, America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity, Robert Wuthnow attempts to document American Christians’ attitudes towards religious diversity. He highlights three main categories into which American Christians can be placed: spiritual shoppers, inclusivist Christians, and exclusivist Christians.
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