Who Is My Neighbor?

Sikh Temple in Fremont, CA. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Edwards

By Rev. Elizabeth Edwards

I had just arrived at the Y on Sunday when I saw the news scroll across the screen: MASS SHOOTING AT SIKH TEMPLE. Two weeks before, I would have responded the way many of us have who are dreadfully accustomed to hearing about such shootings: a feeling of sadness and shock, a prayer uttered for the victims, and a return to my routine. But Sunday was different. I stood holding my breath. Eleven days earlier, the Lakeside pilgrims had visited the Sikh Temple in Fremont, CA. I won’t say it lessened the horror of the event when I saw Oak Creek, WI, appear on the screen, but I did feel a sense of relief that the people who had welcomed us so warmly were safe: people who had brought their children to the Temple for a program akin to our VBS, people whose faith obligates them to defend anyone who is being attacked even to the point of risking their own lives, people who expressed to us concern over being mistaken for terrorists because of their dark skin and head coverings, people gathered for fellowship and prayer.

Youth & adults from Lakeside Baptist at the Sikh Temple in
Fremont, CA. Participants visited many communities of faith
to learn about different worship, beliefs & devotional practices.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Edwards.

On Monday, I received an e-mail from Rick Sample, the CBF missionary in Fremont who had made the visit with us. He and his wife Lita had taken food to the Temple and had expressed their prayers and support on behalf of CBF and their Christian neighbors. Rick was surprised to learn that they were the only Americans who had reached out to their Sikh neighbors.

The past few days have convinced me more than ever that making an effort to know and understand our neighbors of all colors and languages and faiths is not only important for fostering respect and cooperation but also vital to the health of our communities and a response that our faith in Christ necessitates. Our pilgrimage experiences were a significant first step in opening our hearts and minds to others. Perhaps because of the encounters we had in California, some of our youth will be inspired to devote their lives to reach across lines of religion and race and economic status to work for peace. Or perhaps one of us will have an opportunity to speak up when we hear hate-filled or misinformed speech. But we shouldn’t have to board an airplane to realize our responsibility.

It is not acceptable that we have come to tolerate or even expect violence, whether in Colorado or in a Sikh Temple or in the streets of Rocky Mount. It is not okay that I don’t make the same effort to know and understand my neighbors across town when I have traveled across the country to do so. Each of us is called to do our part to wage peace in the face of such violence and hatred. The example of Christ, and that of our Sikh neighbors, demands it.

Elizabeth Edwards is the Associate Minister at Lakeside Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, NC. This article originally appeared in their church newsletter, The Link.

An Interfaith Journey in Turkey



House of Mary

by Rev. Laura Barclay

Another stop on our family vacation was Selcuk, Turkey, formerly known as the biblical city of Ephesus. Our tour guide John informed us that the country is 99% Muslim, the government is secular, and the culture is very modern due to the influence of their first president and the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Our first stop was the House of Mary, where Vatican historians believe that Mary was brought by the disciple John during the final years of her life and is now an official pilgrimage site for Roman Catholics. Outside the house, there is a plaque with verses from the Koran honoring Mary, stating that she is "chosen...above all women (Chapter 3 verse 42)."



Ryan and me at the Ephesian Theater where Paul preached.

In the heart of Ephesus, John told us the story of Paul preaching to the Ephesians in the 25,000 seat theater, as I watched Muslim archaeologists work with great care around the perimeter of the site. John stated that the Ephesians would have made their living making and selling idols of the Roman gods. Paul's message to worship one God and put away idols caused a riot. Standing on the stage of the theater, I tried to imagine 25,000 people ready to riot and throw me into prison. John's storytelling ability's greatly aided my imagination. At the historic St. John’s Basilica where John the Apostle supposedly started a church and was buried, I heard the call to prayer at the neighboring Jesus (“Isabey”) Mosque in the same valley as the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The people of Turkey were proud of their shared heritage with Christians and eager to protect our religious sites and educate visitors. Everywhere we went, we were offered refreshments and hospitality. They are proud of their democratic, secular, forward thinking government that provides good roads, public education, freedom of religion and universal healthcare. John related that the people are also eager to educate about stereotypes. He is frequently told by Westerners that he doesn’t “look Muslim or Arab enough” because he has blue eyes and lighter gray hair, or that he doesn’t dress like a Muslim because he is wearing a polo shirt and khakis. Turkish people, he stated, as well as other groups in the Middle East have separate and distinct cultures than what is represented on the news about the Middle Eastern world.

I was also surprised to learn that while the governments of Turkey and Greece have their differences, the people are remarkably similar in culture, eating and drinking the same foods and living very similar day to day lives. Turkey has also recently decided against joining the European Union because their economy is doing well and they are afraid that joining the E.U. would devalue their currency, among other things.

The positive nature of interfaith relations in Turkey is a wonderful testament to our shared Abrahamic heritage and the healthy relationship that can come from respectful dialogue, desire to find similar ground, and genuine care for one another’s beliefs. I hope that the rest of the world can learn from this example, especially in light of recent attempts to ban mosques in the United States, where freedom of religion and conscience is a founding tenant of both our country and our Baptist faith.

Panelists Urge Repair of Broken Immigration System



Interfaith panelists Carlos Arce, Hector Villanueva and Carol Goehring at screening.

 by Steve Devane

A Catholic priest told an ecumenical gathering at the First Baptist Church of Raleigh, N.C., for a screening of the documentary "Gospel Without Borders" that his faith tradition's social teachings call for a good government to welcome the stranger and secure its borders for the common good.

"The first principle in the social teachings is that people have the right to move to other places to protect their life and the life of their family. This is a basic right," said Carlos Arce, vicar for Hispanics in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh. "Second, a country has the right to regulate its borders and to control immigration. These controls ... must be applied with justice, in human good and compassion."

Arce was one of three panelists who spoke after a screening of the EthicsDaily.com documentary that presents a biblical rationale for welcoming strangers and debunks several misperceptions about immigration.

Other panelists included Carol Goehring, executive director of Connectional Ministries in the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, and Hector Villanueva, pastor of Iglesia Bautista La Roca in Siler City, N.C., who was featured in the documentary.

The Raleigh event was the third documentary screening sponsored by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina.

Villanueva gave his firsthand account of nearly being deported because of a 15-year-old crime for which he had already served a sentence.

Villanueva came to the United States from Mexico with his parents when he was 3 years old and acquired legal permanent residency due to a 1986 immigration reform law.

In the mid-1990s, however, he became addicted to drugs and was arrested for trying to cash someone else's check. He served 16 months in prison, became a Christian and was later ordained.

He moved to North Carolina with his wife and children to start a church in Chatham County, which has a large Hispanic population.

But in August 2010 he was arrested after applying for U.S. citizenship. The routine background check for citizenship uncovered the crime, and he was threatened with deportation to Mexico.

A judge ruled in Villanueva's favor last month, but the criminal record keeps him from becoming a citizen. He said to gain citizenship he will need a pardon from the governor of California, where the crime was committed.

"I want that right," said Villanueva. "I want to be able to vote."

Villanueva told stories of how police officers in his area hold license checks on the only road going to a neighborhood where immigrants live.

Yet no checks were made at a chicken processing plant where many Hispanics worked before it closed, he said.

"The people in the community don't want immigrants, yet they hire them," he said.

He said that undocumented workers cannot easily get legal status.

Acre said many immigrants want legal status, but don't have an "open window" to obtain it.

"The only way is to work for comprehensive immigration reform," he said. "This broken system is a real business for some people."

"The people you see in the documentary are not far from you," said Arce. "They are behind you. They are among you."

Goehring said churches could host "know your rights" seminars that teach immigrants how to navigate the legal system in the United States. Law students can often teach the workshops, she said.

Robert Parham, co-producer of the documentary and executive editor of EthicsDaily.com, moderated the discussion with an audience of mostly Baptists, Catholics and Methodists.

People of faith should still work for change, even if it's incremental, Parham said. For example, people should use the phrase "undocumented worker," instead of illegal immigrant.

Churches also could show the 31-minute version of the documentary to their congregations and use a longer version over several weeks in Sunday school classes, Parham said.

Parham noted that several churches are located around the North Carolina state capitol, and he suggested a copy of the DVD be given to each state legislator.

Steve Devane is a North Carolina reporter on staff with Baptists Today. This article originally appreared on http://www.ethicsdaily.com/.

Visit GospelWithoutBorders.net to learn more about EthicsDaily.com's new documentary on faith and immigration. All CBFNC partner churches, divinity schools, and colleges will receive this free resource in the mail within the next month. We encourage you to hold a screening, partnering with other congregations and non-profits, or break it up by chapter using the discussion guide at http://www.ethicsdaily.com/ for a Sunday School series. We are excited to be on the journey with you to discover how to help our immigrant neighbors. Visit CBFNC's Immigration page for additional resources.

A Christian Terrorist?

by Rev. Laura Barclay

In the wake of the horrible terrorist attack in Norway, many are left trying to make sense of all the violence, death, and loss. At last count, 68 people were killed at the summer camp site and eight died in the bombing of the Oslo government building. There has been some argument over whether or not to call Anders Behring Breivik, the suspect, a Christian terrorist. Piecing together information, it appears that Breivik thinks of himself as a sort of modern “Knights Templar” who is to crusade against Muslims and Marxists. He states there are others in this group who will carry out similar attacks across Europe, a claim that officials are now investigating.

For the first time, I feel like I have some personal understanding of what my Muslim friends must feel like when they fear public judgment of adherents to Islam based on the stories of extremists who claim their faith. What if the only knowledge some have of Christians are Breivik’s actions? Will Christianity be perceived in Norway similarly to how some Americans view Islam in the wake of 9/11?

Dr. Charles Kimball, a Baptist minister and scholar on comparative religion and Islamic studies, wrote a book shortly after the September 11 attacks called When Religion Becomes Evil. He discusses various signs that religion has been corrupted for evil purposes, including the belief that the end justifies any means and the inciting of holy war. I heard a report on NPR where officials said Breivik stated he was sorry that he had to kill so many, but that it was necessary in order to fight the acceptance of diversity in Norway. Similarly, Kimball discusses how the Church during the Inquisition used torture and burnings to root out “heretics” and force conversions. This violent approach caused 40,000 Jews and many Muslims to flee Spain, with others converting under fear and torture (149).

Breivik also believes this is the first in a line of attacks meant to start a holy war to claim Europe for Christians and drive out Muslims. This concept of holy war was embraced by the church to fight Muslims during the crusades, where slaughter of the enemy was considered a “penitential act” (162). However, the Templar scholar in the CNN article was careful to say that even the Knights Templar wouldn’t slaughter innocent civilians as Breivik did.

The point is that no religion is immune to violence or terrorism. While many Christians are shocked, there are documented cases of Christian terrorists, like Timothy McVeigh who carried out the 1995 attack in Oklahoma city (raised a Catholic and angered by government actions against the Branch Davidians in the 1994 Waco, TX, incident), the Ku Klux Klan, and a group called the Army of God, responsible for abortion bombings in the U.S.(45).

Instead of making the argument that Breivik and others are not Christians, it would probably be more productive to acknowledge his beliefs as a distortion and corruption of Christianity and work that much harder to explain Christ’s teachings of love. Kimball states, “Proximate justice and peaceful coexistence are realistic goals for those who avoid the pitfalls of absolute truth claims and who are committed to working toward a better future using means that are consistent with desired ends. People in various faith traditions must be clear among themselves and with one another: holy war is not an option” (212). Christians and Muslims in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and beyond must hold to this statement if we are to consider ourselves sincere followers of God and embrace one another in the spirit of our loving God.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)

“If God had so willed, He would have created you one community, but [He has not done so] that He may test you in what He has given you; so compete with one another in good works. To God you shall all return and He will tell you the truth about that which you have been disputing” (Qur’an 5:48).

The Spirit of Cairo

by Thomas Whitley

Our interim pastor, Dr. Gerald Keown, preached this past morning from Isaiah 58. Verses 6-7 speak of the type of fast that God desires:

Is this not the fast which I choose:

To loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house…

It occurs to me that this is exactly the spirit we have seen in Cairo as of late where Christians have protected Muslims at prayer and vice versa. People are fighting against wickedness and oppression and are caring for one another in remarkable ways. I have even seen a picture today of rocks that had been used to defend Tahrir Square turned into a cross and crescent.


As my late mentor and friend Dr. Goodman used to say, when you see God at work among another group, recognize it for what it is and celebrate and honor it. Many people in Egypt are showing us what it is like to live a life in line with the spirit of God, yes secular Egyptians, Christians, and even Muslims. I, for one, recognize it and celebrate it.


Thomas Whitley is an adjunct professor of religion who lives in Columbia, SC, with his wife, Trinity, who is a Student Minister. This article originally appeared on his blog, http://thomaswhitley.com/.