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Islamic school in Leesburg, VA
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DrTorch Offline
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Posting mostly for some historical reference. FYI

BreakPoint with Charles Colson
Commentary #040726 - 07/26/2004
Overlooking the Problem: Tolerance and Theological Blindness

Last autumn, following the arrest of a Navy chaplain suspected of spying for al
Qaeda, the Pentagon began a review of the way it recruits Muslim chaplains.

At the center of the probe is the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Studies
in Leesburg, Virginia, which had trained nine of the twelve Muslim chaplains in
the Armed Forces and many prison chaplains.

The graduate school is funded by the Saudis and is part of the effort to spread
Wahhabi Islam. As anyone who bothers to look will discover, Wahhabism, which
fueled the Taliban's repression and violence in Afghanistan, is no friend of
Christianity.

So, it might surprise you to learn that some Christians are eager to embrace the
graduate school.

Recently, the Washington Theological Consortium, which comprises fourteen
"Christian schools of theology," voted unanimously to link up with the
Islamic
graduate school. As David Yount, the Consortium's vice-chairman, wrote, this
means that "students preparing for the Muslim ministry will be sharing classes
with American men and women studying to be Christian priests and pastors."

As a colleague of mine, who attended one of the Consortium schools, quipped,
"most of these schools don't get Christianity right. Why should we expect they
would get Islam right?" That may be true. Still, the naivete on display in
Yount's comments is breathtaking.

He depicts the decision as an attempt to replace a "clash of civilizations"
with
an affirmation that "Christianity, Islam, and Judaism" share a "common
origin"
and "common values." This commonality, in Yount's estimation, overrides
"the
differences that separate" the religions.

While he acknowledges that "competition" between Christianity and Islam is
"occasionally violent" in places like Africa -- to say the least -- he offers
no
reason for why things get violent. So, let me do it for him.

The past few decades have seen the spread of militant and intolerant forms of
Islam throughout the world, much of it produced by the Saudi Wahhabism that
underwrites the graduate school in Leesburg.

Now it's possible and even desirable to have an honest exchange of ideas with
Muslims. The problem is that Wahhabism arose in opposition to the sects of Islam
that are open to dialogue.

As Stephen Schwartz noted in the WEEKLY STANDARD, Wahhabism is particularly
concerned with purging Islam from what it regards as Christian influences. Thus,
prior to the Wahhabi conquest of Saudi Arabia in the 1920s, "local Christians
maintained a church in Jeddah." Since then, all public expressions of
Christianity have become illegal in Saudi Arabia.

So why would a group of Christian theological schools want to associate with a
sect that, once it becomes dominant, denies Christians the right to practice
their religion? Sad to say, the politically correct desire to be "tolerant"
and
"open-minded" trumps all other concerns.

These Christian schools talk about "shared values" and "common
origins." What
they don't see is the inconvenient truth: that is, that what the groups don't
have in common -- namely, a belief in religious freedom -- is far more important
than what they do share in common, because this involves the right of Christians
and others to practice their faith, regardless of where they live.

For printer-friendly version, visit
<a href='http://msg1svc.net/servlet/Gateway?p=pfm&u=3748&et=T&s=100708' target='_blank'>http://msg1svc.net/servlet/Gateway?p=pfm&u...8&et=T&s=100708</a> and simply click
on Today's Commentary at the top of the homepage. The printer-friendly link is
on the left-hand column.

Copyright &copy; 2004 Prison Fellowship THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.
THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. "BreakPoint with
Chuck Colson" is a daily commentary on news and trends from a Christian
perspective. Heard on more than 1000 radio outlets nationwide, BreakPoint
transcripts are also available on the Internet. BreakPoint is a production
of The Wilberforce Forum, a division of Prison Fellowship: 1856 Old Reston
Avenue, Reston, VA 20190.

FOR FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION
Stephen Schwartz, "More Saudi Vandalism," WEEKLY STANDARD, 8 June 2004.
<a href='http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/194skrvx.a..' target='_blank'>http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Publ...04/194skrvx.a..</a>.

Bill Broadway, "In a first, Muslim school joins U.S. theological group,"
LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 10 July 2004.
<a href='http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/living/religion/9103640.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/livin...ion/9103640.htm</a>

David Yount, "Muslims working with Christians is good thing," Scripps Howard
News Service, 31 May 2004.
<a href='http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=YOUNT-FAITH-05-31-04&cat=LR' target='_blank'>http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?p...05-31-04&cat=LR</a>

Edward E. Plowman, "Rubber-stamping Islamic chaplains?" WORLD, 11 October
2003.
<a href='http://www.worldmag.com/world/issue/10-11-03/national_1.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.worldmag.com/world/issue/10-11-.../national_1.asp</a>

Angelo M. Codevilla, "Heresy and History," AMERICAN SPECTATOR, 14 May 2004.
<a href='http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=6564' target='_blank'>http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=6564</a>

Craig S. Smith, "Europe Fears Converts May Aid Extremism," NEW YORK TIMES,
19
July 2004. (Free registration required.)
<a href='http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/19/international/europe/19CONV.html?hp=&pagew..' target='_blank'>http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/19/internat...tml?hp=&pagew..</a>.

Paul Marshall, "War against the Infidels," WEEKLY STANDARD, 5 July 2004.
(Reprinted on the Center for Religious Freedom website.)
<a href='http://www.freedomhouse.org/religion/country/Saudi%20Arabia/War%20Against%20..' target='_blank'>http://www.freedomhouse.org/religion/count...%20Against%20..</a>.

Timothy George, IS THE FATHER OF JESUS THE GOD OF MUHAMMAD? (Zondervan, 2002). A
CD interview with Dr. George is also available.
<a href='http://www.pfm.org/BPtemplate.cfm?Section=PF_Store&template=/Ecommerce/Produ..' target='_blank'>http://www.pfm.org/BPtemplate.cfm?Section=...ommerce/Produ..</a>.

<a href='http://www.pfm.org/BPtemplate.cfm?Section=PF_Store&template=/Ecommerce/Produ..' target='_blank'>http://www.pfm.org/BPtemplate.cfm?Section=...ommerce/Produ..</a>.

NOTE: Referral to websites not produced by Prison Fellowship, the Wilberforce
Forum, and BreakPoint is for informational purposes only and does not
necessarily constitute an endorsement of the sites' content.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Written in a clear, passionate style that is conciliatory, balanced, and
uncompromisingly biblical, Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?:
Understanding the Differences between Christianity and Islam describes and
contrasts the distinctives of Christianity and Islam. A CD interview with author
Dr. Timothy George is also available.
<a href='http://www.pfm.org/BPtemplate.cfm?Section=PF_Store&template=/Ecommerce/Produ..' target='_blank'>http://www.pfm.org/BPtemplate.cfm?Section=...ommerce/Produ..</a>.
07-26-2004 07:38 AM
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Fanatical Offline
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Post: #2
 
I find it interesting how originally Islam was the more tolerant of religions and how this seems to have switched
07-26-2004 10:09 AM
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