"Faithfulness in the Midst of Religious Diversity "

Dr. James L. Mayfield
Tarrytown United Methodist Church

January 12, 2003

Text: Matthew 28:16-20

Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations, and The United Methodist Church has declared this is the purpose of the Church: to make disciples of Jesus Christ. How can we do this in a world in which we must exercise religious tolerance if there is to be any hope of lasting peace?

The small town world of my childhood was so thoroughly Protestant that the test of religious tolerance was whether or not Methodists, Baptists, and members of the Church of Christ could get along with one another. None of us live in that world anymore. Today, just within our city limits, there are not only a variety of Christians, and a variety of Jews; there are a variety Buddhists, a variety of Muslims, a variety of Hindus, Baha'i, Sufi, and other older religions as well as more recent religions such as the Church of Scientology, or the Church of Conscious Harmony, and several others.

In many ways, Austin is a microcosm of the religious diversity in our nation. Never before has a nation been populated by so many citizens who are devout believers in so many different religions. The challenge facing us as a community and as nation is whether or not people who devoutly hold significantly different religious beliefs can live together in peace, cooperating with one another for the common good of all. If we are able to do this over several generations, we will be the first nation in human history to have done so.

The challenge is how can we be faithful in a world of religious diversity. To ignore or deny this challenge is like being children who play in fields where there are unexploded land mines.

In the midst of great religious diversity, how shall we be involved in sharing the Gospel with others? How can we fulfill Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations without becoming entangled in hostile strife with other religious groups?

At the outset, I think it is wise for us to face our limits as human beings. Neither as individuals nor as a group can we control history. We cannot control what others say and do. For many of us, it is almost more than we can do to control our own speech and behavior.

So, admitting at the outset that we cannot control the way history will play itself out, what can we do that will help bring about the best sort of tomorrow? How can we be faithful in the midst of such devoutly held religious diversity?

There is a built in tension between witnessing to our faith with integrity, and our being tolerant of persons who devoutly hold differing religious beliefs. How can we be faithful to the Gospel in the midst of this tension?

The answer has to do with faith, hope and love. It takes all three to be a follower of Christ in all times but most certainly in our time.

We must have faith in God, Faith has to do with trusting -- trusting God. This God we trust is the One revealed in the Bible, the Creator of all that is. Since God is Creator of all that is, this means all human beings are children of God, whether they know it or not, and that means all human beings are our sisters and brothers, whether we or they know it or not.

Once God had created us humans, God did not wipe the clay from his hands and walk away saying, "Well, that's done; I think I'll go play golf." God has chosen to stay involved with us humans. The Bible is the story of God's refusal to give up on us selfish, stubborn, strong willed, wrong willed humans, and the Bible is also the story of us humans discovering time and again God's amazing grace that comes to us in both tough love we call judgment and tender love we call mercy. The Bible contains many stories that reveal God does not wait for us to see things the way He does or to get our lives straightened out before becoming involved in our living. The Bible shows us that God is involved with us humans in all places and all times, whether we are aware of it or not, whether we believe it or not.

What is more, God does not wait to become involved with us until we have the correct beliefs and our theology passes divine scrutiny. God does not withhold His grace from us merely because we misunderstand Him, this is to say, God does not withhold his judgment and mercy, his tough and tender love, from any of His children, not even from his non-Christian children. Whether we are aware of it or not, whether we believe it or not, God's tough and tender love continues to be at work among all of us and in each of us. This God, revealed in the Bible is the God in whom we place our faith. And we who have faith, (we who live trusting God) live with hope. This hope is not mere wishes and dreams. Our hope is confidence - confidence in God. Our hope is our confidence that this God who has been revealed in Jesus is the true and only God. Our hope is our confidence in God - a confidence that enables us to face the worst that can happen in life without collapsing into despair. Our hope is our confidence that God will not abandon us, even when, like Jesus on the cross, we feel God forsaken. Because of our hope (our confidence) in God, our living is marked by the fruits of God, what Paul called the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When we live with hope in God (with confidence in God), these realities become part of who we are -- even in the worst of times.

One of the reasons faith and hope (trusting God and confidence in God) are vital to our ability of have religious tolerance is because such faith and hope protects us from being afraid of those who have different beliefs. I am convinced it is fear that is the primary motivation in acts of cruel religious intolerance. People who feel threatened and are afraid strike out at what they see as the enemy. I am convinced it is fear that is the primary motivator of the cruelties inflicted by the fundamentalists of all religions. And I am convinced this fear, is clear evidence of a lack of hope, that is, a lack of confidence in God.

I know this is true of my own experience. The times I become angry in religious conversations are those times when I am least confident about what I believe. In my fear of losing the argument and letting God down, I feel threatened and become angry. As long as my hope, my confidence, is in God, rather than in my skill in defending God, I am able to remain calm and caring.

In addition to trusting God and living with confidence in God, to be faithful in the midst of religious diversity requires love - especially love --, the kind of love revealed in Jesus Christ. This kind of love is not merely sentimental, warm feelings about others. This love is the commitment to live giving of ourselves for the good of others, as did Christ. As God in Christ has loved us, so we are to love one another. Jesus told us that the greatest of God's commands are to love God with all we are, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Love of neighbor means, among other things, respect for the neighbor. Love means taking seriously what our neighbor offers, and being willing to listen and learn from our neighbor, even the neighbor who seems very different.

Love also means sharing the best we have to offer with our neighbor. Certainly this means sharing our money, but it also means sharing much more. To love means we share the beliefs that give meaning and direction, purpose and hope to our living. But this sharing is not coercing or force feeding. It is not badgering or browbeating. Love is sharing our beliefs and faith, as I have hear many say, the way one hungry beggar tells another hungry beggar where there is food.

In the New Testament, there is no record of Jesus spending any time or energy attacking different religions. He attacked hypocrisy. He attacked selfishness. He attacked greed. But even these attacks were not his primary message. His primary message was a message urging faith in God, calling us to place our hope in God, and showing us what it is to live the life of love God intends us to live.

As I understand the command to make disciples of all nations, it is not marching orders for coercion of others. Rather, it is the command to share what we have to share. Or as Jesus said earlier in the Gospel of Matthew, it is for us to let our light shine before others so that they can see our good works. Why? So we will be admired? Not at all. We are to let the light of God's grace shine through all we say and do so that people will become aware of God, and give God the glory.

God, as we strive to be faithful in the midst of religious diversity, enable us to live with such faith, hope and love that your light shines through us. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer:

Let us thank God for the gifts and blessings we have received.

We have come here with a variety of concerns and problems. Let us ask God for guidance and help.

God, we need your help. The storm clouds of war are gathering and the words of frustration, fear and anger roll across the land like thunder. We long to be able to see your rainbow on the horizon. Please enable the leaders of each of the countries involved to have the wisdom to say and do what is pleasing to you. Give to them the calmness of heart and mind so that they will not respond to one another like hotheaded fools. Show them the way to peace with justice. Give them the will and the courage say and do what you see needs to be said and done. We pray for our President and his advisors. Enable them to be their best. Give them the inner strength and patience they need so they are able to resist the temptations that come when they are tired, angry and frustrated. Enable them to be your instruments in this time of crisis. And what we pray for them, we pray for ourselves. In the midst of our own situations, enable us to be the persons you intend us to be, saying what you want said and doing what you want done. This we pray, remembering Jesus was teaching us to live when he taught us to pray: "Our Father ...."