Historic (and Surprising) Statement on Islam by the Adventist Church in Europe and Middle East
This news story was released by the Adventist News Network on March 27 under the title, World Church: Statement on Islam to Provide ‘Relationship Tool’ for Christian, Muslim Communities, written by Elizabeth Lechleitner of ANN. Here’s an excerpt. Comments on this story may be posted at the Forum. On a related note, those in southern California are invited to the next meeting of Living Conversations: An Interfaith Fellowship at my place in Loma Linda on Friday, April 27, 6:30pm, for a conversation with Dr. Mustafa Kukr, director of the Islamic Center in Riverside, California. For those interested in coming, email me at jjnam@llu.edu for directions to my place.
Adventists in the [Trans European Division] 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.”