Ministry finds fault with Yale Christian-Muslim declaration

ICC Note

The interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims should clearly address the plight of Christian minorities who live in Muslim countries.

By Ethan Cole

08/14/2008 Islam (Christian Post)-A leading ministry that works to support the persecuted church found parts of a declaration recently adopted by Christian and Muslim leaders troubling because it did not emphasise the differences between the two religions enough and gave too much credit to Islam.

Barnabas Fund’s international director, Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, a former Muslim, says the inclusion of the Koranic commandment to speak to Christian and Jews (K 3:64) in the opening passage of the “Final Declaration” of the Yale Common Word Conference held last month actually calls for the conversion of Christians and Jews to Islam.

The opening passage also includes the “ascribe no partner” phrase, which is a Muslim critique of the Christian doctrines of the Trinity and the deity of Jesus, according to the Barnabas Fund.

“This is a step towards affirming that Muhammad is a prophet and the Koran a word of God,” the ministry said. “As Christians we affirm that the promises of Abraham are fulfilled in Christ.”

The ministry further argued that the declaration was unclear in what it meant by “freedom of religion”. It did not assert that individuals have the right to choose, change and proclaim their religion without fear of punishment, nor did it effectively address the full reciprocity of Christians freely sharing Christianity and building churches on Muslim lands – a freedom followers of Islam are given in western countries, Barnabas Fund stated.

“We raise these issues because of our concern for the Biblical Christian faith and for the implications of the ‘Common Word’ process for Christian minorities in Muslim lands, Christian mission in Muslim lands, and converts from Islam to Christianity around the world,” Barnabas Fund concluded.