I sat down for an interview with a Muslim friend recently that went something like this… Q: I’m curious to understand more about your faith. A: Feel free to ask me anything. Q: Tell me your thoughts about God. A: We should start with that he is eternal, he is spirit, and he created allContinue reading “A Muslim & Me: An Interview”
Tag Archives: Muslim-Christian
Justice for Religious Minorities
How should the majority religion treat those of minority religions in their land? My experience in both my home nation of the United States and my residence nation of Indonesia is that those of minority religions are often treated unjustly: It is difficult to get permits to build houses of worship Minority housesContinue reading “Justice for Religious Minorities”
World Refugee Day–Faith over Fear
A bomb threat at the hotel where we were supposed to teach English caused us to cancel our classes one day. Thankfully, there was no bomb, and we could carry on teaching English here in Indonesia. That’s the closest I’ve come to a bomb. I’ve never watched missiles fall from the sky and wipe outContinue reading “World Refugee Day–Faith over Fear”
Isra Mi’raj and Your Supernatural Encounter
Happy Isra Mi’raj to all my Muslim friends today! For those Muslims who live as minorities, I pray for a peaceful day of celebrations. My heart was broken with all of yours by the tragic shootings in Christchurch, NZ. I’m thankful for the gracious response of the Anglican Christians who demonstrated the true heart ofContinue reading “Isra Mi’raj and Your Supernatural Encounter”
Should Pope Francis be more Critical of Islam?
When Pope Francis stated in his Evangelii Gaudium (paragraphs 252 and 253) that “authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence,” he received a backlash from ex-Muslims. They responded with a letter to the Pope signed by 3700 former Muslims requesting that the Pope speak out more harshlyContinue reading “Should Pope Francis be more Critical of Islam?”
“Baton Packs a Punch”
I was greatly encouraged to read this recent review of my writing on Amazon. The reviewer, Carolyn Klaus, kindly permitted me to post it here on my blog as well. Enjoy! I just finished A Way Out of Hell. Wow. It is a tightly woven thriller that has haunted me, day and night, since IContinue reading ““Baton Packs a Punch””
Leaving One’s Culture for Jesus, or Bringing Jesus into One’s Culture?
Does following Jesus mean someone should leave his culture behind, or should he instead bring Jesus into his culture? I pondered this question while reading this week the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi writes about an experience in his youth, when he had friends from various Hindu sects, Jains, Muslims, but not Christians: “I developedContinue reading “Leaving One’s Culture for Jesus, or Bringing Jesus into One’s Culture?”
The Atheist Muslim
“The left is wrong on Islam. The right is wrong on Muslims.” This tweet by Ali Rizvi, author of the new book The Atheist Muslim: A Journey from Religion to Reason, was followed up by an interview with Vox that was one of the most honest, objective, insightful discussions of modern Islam I’ve read in a long time.Continue reading “The Atheist Muslim”
The Jihad of Jesus
I remember well the Q&A session in one of the many interfaith events we’ve organized over the years. An angry Christian stood up and declared, “As long as the word jihad exists, there will never be peace between our two religions!” The room was deathly silent, demanding the right response given in the rightContinue reading “The Jihad of Jesus”
The Right Response to Paris
It’s been an interesting couple weeks, with Islam dominating the news. The horrific attacks in Paris stirred up a tremendous amount of sympathy, fear, and not always constructive reactions around the world. France’s president promised a “ruthless” response, and subsequent raids across France and bombings in the Middle East were evidence of his sincerity. Meanwhile, manyContinue reading “The Right Response to Paris”
Jim Baton 