Prayer for peace

As a Christian who has spent most of his life living in the Muslim world, the Rev. Paul-Gordon Chandler remains firm in his conviction: Despite the growing tension between the two faiths, Islam and Christianity can indeed coexist.

In fact, these two religions – which share a common heritage – can even enrich each other, said the former Spokane resident now working in the Middle East.

“I profoundly believe that a peaceful approach to looking at and working in the Islamic world is Christ’s way forward,” Chandler wrote in an e-mail from Cairo, Egypt, where he serves as rector of St. John the Baptist, an international congregation of Christians.

While he’s encouraged by the fact that many Christians in the West seek to genuinely understand Muslims, he’s dismayed by those who “demonize” Islam and see Muslims as the “enemy” – a perception that has deepened the divide between the two faiths.

“From living most of my life among Muslims, the truth is that the majority do not see themselves in any holy war against the West, and are peace-loving, great friends, incredibly hospitable, gentle and kind,” Chandler wrote. “There never has been a greater need for us to realize what we have in common with Muslims and build on those commonalities. … What Muslims need from Western Christians is love. We must be involved today in an effort to help them, not ‘conquer them,’ by good-will, appreciation and sympathy in the spirit of Christ.

“Now is the time to ‘wage peace’ on Muslims,” he wrote. “For they, like us, are made in God’s image.”

Chandler, author of “Pilgrims of Christ on the Muslim Road: Exploring a New Path Between Two Faiths,” will return to Spokane this week to promote interfaith dialogue and discuss what people can do to heal the rift between Muslims and Christians. In his presentations, he also will show how Jesus – who is revered by Muslims as a prophet – can close the gap between the two religions.

Throughout history, most Christians in the West have tried to convert Muslims or have taken a “confrontational” approach toward Islam, he said. Many today don’t realize that their own faith, like Islam, also traces its origins to the Middle East, he said.

In his just-published book, Chandler talks about how “Christ walks the Muslim Road.” He also discusses the example of Mazhar Mallouhi, a widely-read Syrian novelist who identifies himself as a “Sufi Muslim follower of Christ.”

According to Chandler, Mallouhi grew up Muslim but learned about Jesus through the example of Gandhi, who was Hindu but had a deep interest in Christ. So he left Islam and became a Christian, but struggled with his identity. Eventually, Mallouhi ended up becoming an insider in Islamic circles again and came to the understanding that “following Christ does not necessitate joining another religious culture,” Chandler wrote.

Because of his experience, Mallouhi devoted his life and writings to fostering peace and healing between Muslims and Christians throughout the Middle East and North Africa, said Chandler, who first met Mallouhi in 1993 while living in Tunisia and working with the Anglican church.

By removing the “Western trappings” from Jesus and writing about a Christ who was born, lived and died in the Middle East, Mallouhi has presented the Christian Scriptures as culturally Middle Eastern, according to Chandler.

“His approach to communicating about Christ has helped thousands of Muslims learn about the Christ of the Gospels,” Chandler wrote. “… His consuming passion, evidenced in his writings and life work, is seeing his fellow Muslims come to see Christ as clearly as possible by working to remove all the cultural and religious baggage and trappings associated with Christ in their minds.”