Who is My Neighbor?

Constructing a Response

In this section, I will be highlighting a number of things that could be done in response to the question of how Christians should be hospitable to those of different faith traditions. The first thing that is important to look at is the congregation’s silence surrounding Jim’s comments during our service. The congregation’s avoidance of Jim’s comments make it clear that a conversation needs to be had about hospitality and how we treat people of other religions. The second thing that I will address is how I could have handled the conversation with Jim differently.

In response to the congregation’s silence and avoidance of Jim’s comments during church, there are a number of things that must be done. I believe the first step for the congregation to take is to enter into a community wide conversation about interfaith relations. I also believe that we should discuss the issue of how we are to relate to persons who hold other faith perspectives. The second step that I believe must be done is that the congregation should enter into dialogue with persons of other faith traditions. This should be done in order to help the congregation develop a mutual understanding of other religions.

Before the congregation enters into a dialogue with people of other faith traditions, I believe it is important for them to have a conversation within the church. This conversation will have a number of components and should last about three months. There is no way to require people to attend this, but I would highly recommend that everyone in the congregation attend the sessions. During these sessions, we would explore what it means to call people our neighbors.

We would explore instances in the scriptures that show us ho...

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...nd experiences. This experience has confirmed my belief that there is a need for local churches to be engaged in dialogue with people who do not believe as they do. Whether it be with other denominations or other religions, it is vital for churches to begin learning about them and interacting with them. If Christians really want to live into the Gospels and become Christ-like, we need to begin by reconciling with those who do not believe like we do.

To close, I would like to say that my heart is broken for the members of Brownsville UMC that believe Muslims are going to take over the U.S. The people of this church are so incredibly loving and genuine and I hate to see them have so much fear. This whole experience has taught me to be careful with what I say, how I approach sensitive topics, and how I portray my personal viewpoints to my future congregations.