MY STORY
Is it possible to have conversations with honesty and integrity, or are they best avoided, like the elephant in the room?
In one of the great scriptural accounts of hospitality, Abraham and Sarah welcome, refresh, and feed three unknown guests under the Oaks of Mamre (Genesis 18:1-15). Their hosting efforts are noteworthy. Disregarding the heat of the day, Abraham and Sarah move toward their guests. They do not wait for the three to come to them; they initiate the encounter, eventually feeding these strangers with bread, a precious calf, and milk and curds. But the surprise of the story is found in the fact that these strangers come to give their host a gift. They do not come merely to receive. They come bearing a gift - the promise of a child.
Stirred by this account, it seemed to me, twelve years ago, a good idea to invite a small group of Christian and Muslim university students whom I knew into our home for a meal and an opportunity for ‘honest conversation’. Even if it was to be a ‘one-off’, it would still be a worthwhile opportunity for my wife and I to meet young Muslims and Christians and learn first-hand about their faith and how they saw one another. This act of hospitality was to be the start of a journey, not unlike Abraham’s in that we set out and went, even though we didn’t know where we were going!
The journey has been wide-ranging, enriching and a blessing in many different ways. The way has avoided the extremes of syncretism and polemics and has been guided by the principles described in Ethical Guidelines for Christian and Muslim Witness in Britain developed by the Muslim-Christian Forum.
Twelve years ago, I knew very little about Islam and had no Muslim friends. My knowledge came from the secular and Christian media which often portrayed a stereotypical homogeneous and sometimes demonizing view, of Islam and Muslims. The first simple step of hospitality was the beginning of a journey which has enriched my own Christian faith and also my understanding of Islam, Muslims and the Qur’an. The experience has made it possible for me to see the world from the perspective of the ‘other’ without losing the unique perspective of my own Christian faith. Honest conversations have been possible in different formats, in the University, in two Mosques, in my church and in coffee shops. They have certainly helped me, and I believe others, to see better God’s truth about myself, my Muslim neighbour and the wider world. I have no doubt that like Abraham and Sarah I have been gifted much more than I have given and that this is also the experience of others who have reached out to the ‘other’. I hope it will be the experience of many more including those who access this website.