I can't take credit for this --- but I love reading this conversation The second one is completely different -- or a different occurence - same pastor
It was the first time I’d done this – joined a Rabbi and an Imam in answering and dialoguing around the central areas of our faiths. But let me give you a brief taste with a few summary-type quotes.
Jewish Rabbi: “You ask how a Jew comes to know God? And I say that’s a distinctly Christian question. Many Jews don’t even really believe in God. It’s not so much about knowing God as it is about being Jewish – kibbutzing together, living well, joining in prayers, sending money to Israel. It’s something we do together”
He was a beautiful man. Honest – and without worry about ‘protecting’ his religion. He simply called it as he sees it. Now, I know he doesn’t represent all Jews in the world, but that quote was amazing to me. Absolutely fascinating – because it’s so similar to how many of us might think about our Christian faith. It’s about doing what we do together – going to church, singing songs, working at the Seed.
Muslim Imam: “My life is lived out of gratitude for being created by Allah. Every breath I take, I say “Thank you Allah.” I couldn’t roll over in bed without Allah. And so I try to live life in thankful response to Allah for his creating love and grace.”
I was stunned by how similar our thoughts on life were. For I would say those same things. The picture of a grateful life was stunning. And I made a comment about how similar his picture was to that of a Christian. And then I asked a question:
Christian Pastor (me): “What does that grace look like for you? In the Christian faith, we are called to live out of gratitude – not only for being created by God, and for having the privilege of living in this beautiful and diverse world. We also live thankfully because Jesus has paved the way to God for us by taking our sins with him to the grave and set us free to live a faithful life without worrying about absolute obedience to the law as a litmus test of worthiness. Where does that grace come from in Islam?”
The Jewish Rabbi interrupted, and responded with a stunning comment:
Jewish Rabbi: “That’s where you’re different from us. A Jew lives a good life out of anxiety – a nervousness that pushes us to live rightly. You don’t have that. But I want that. I want to be more anxious. I think it pushes me to be more effective.”
(The Imam never got a chance to answer my question directly – but I know that Allah is known as ‘most merciful.’ And the Imam spoke of repentance and forgiveness – though he also said that Islam has no doctrine of Original Sin – so that humans can actually live a perfect life, like the prophets. So I imagine his answer would have included some of those ideas.)
But here’s what the Rabbi’s response made me wonder: Is living out of Freedom, living out of a radical grace that doesn’t require anything from us to be right with God, does it make us more lazy or more effective in this world?
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