Brian McLaren:
Ramadan 2009: Part 1 What’s going on?
Ramadan is the Muslim holy month of fasting for spiritual renewal and purification. It commemorates the month during which Muslims believe Mohammed received the Quran through divine revelation, and it calls Muslims to self-control, sacrificial generosity and solidarity with the poor, diligent reading of the Quran, and intensified prayer.
This year, I, along with a few Christian friends (and perhaps others currently unknown to us will want to join in) will be joining Muslim friends in the fast which begins August 21. We are not doing so in order to become Muslims: we are deeply committed Christians. But as Christians, we want to come close to our Muslim neighbors and to share this important part of life with them. Just as Jesus, a devout Jew, overcame religious prejudice and learned from a Syrophonecian woman and was inspired by her faith two thousand years ago (Matthew 15:21 ff, Mark 7:24 ff), we seek to learn from our Muslim sisters and brothers today.
Muslims observe Ramadan in the same basic way world-wide: they fast from food, s-x, water, etc., from dawn to dusk. We Christians who are joining in the fast will share these four common commitments:
We, as Christians, humbly seek to join Muslims in this observance of Ramadan as a God-honoring expression of peace, fellowship, and neighborliness. Each of us will have at least one Muslim friend who will serve as our partner in the fast. These friends welcome us in the same spirit of peace, fellowship, and neighborliness.
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I have sourced this startling emerging announcement direct from Brian McLaren’s blog.
Also, of particular interest is an article on Apprising Ministries site, by Ken Silva.
Emergent Contemplative Spirituality – Emergence Christianity
Emerging along the “Road Home to Rome”
Make no mistake about it, there is a very special relationship between the Roman Catholic Church “Blessed Virgin Mary”, Fatima, and Islam. One source of information, as of September 2001, features on EWTN site entitled “Our Lady and Islam | Heaven’s Peace Plan“
Be Alert!
Now, whenever led to share, witness, testify, of my faith in Jesus Christ, in the midst of Muslim colleagues or strangers, the engagement has been that of apologetics, namely, Jesus Christ Crucified according to the Word of God with reference to Scriptures in the Bible, in contrast to; Mohammed the Prophet deified, who wrote the Quran (Koran). God’s Word instructs the true believer in Christ to be equipped and ready with the Good News of the Gospel of Christ, and speak it, as led by the Holy Spirit, unashamedly, Romans 1:16.
As to public announcements with regard to religious acts of “fasting and praying,” for the true believer in Christ, the Word of God is succinct, see Matthew 6:16-18. The Word of Jesus Christ Crucified on the Cross at Calvary is all sufficient.
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