These last couple of days have seen some terrible events in Libya, as well as ongoing tensions directed against the US around the Muslim world. As I reflected on this turn of events this morning, I was reminded of Jesus’ statement that the greatest commandment is fulfilled in loving God with all of who we are and loving our neighbor as ourselves. It is difficult to love our neighbor when terrible things happen, yet the call of Christ is the same.
There is a profound word for our day about this within The Cape Town Commitment of the Lausanne Movement. At the beginning of section IIC in the “Call to Action” for the world, we read the words included below. In light of these past few days, and the anger directed at our country, what does it look like to live these things out?
1. ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ includes persons of other faiths
In view of the affirmations made in The Cape Town Confession of Faith section 7 (d), we respond to our high calling as disciples of Jesus Christ to see people of other faiths as our neighbours in the biblical sense. They are human beings created in God’s image, whom God loves and for whose sins Christ died. We strive not only to see them as neighbours, but to obey Christ’s teaching by being neighbours to them. We are called to be gentle, but not naïve; to be discerning and not gullible; to be alert to whatever threats we may face, but not ruled by fear. Read the rest of this entry »
