The photo here, courtesy of The Layman, is not a spoof. It's real. Two PCUSA churches in Louisiana merged, according to the Layman, and sold one church property to a local Islamic Association, turning down two offers from Christian churches to purchase the property. Perhaps they didn't offer as much money. The church they sold was First Presbyterian Church (Bossier City, LA), and the steeple "was once topped by a cross."

According to the Layman, Rev. Beth Sentell, one of co-pastors of the merged congregation, "said two considerations influenced their decision to sell the church plant to the Islamic Society. First was the amount of money offered, second was the opportunity to engage in interfiath dialogue and friendship." She and her husband, Dr. Web Sentell, "plan to invite the Islamic congregation and its imam to a church supper where the imam will field questions. Dr. Sentell said, 'We worship the same God.'" Co-pastor J. Daniel Hignight was asked "if he would ever seek to lead a member of the Islamic Society to Jesus Christ." He replied, "I don't feel a particular need to convert them to Christianity."

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Co-pastor J. Daniel Hignight was asked “if he would ever seek to lead a member of the Islamic Society to Jesus Christ.” He replied, “I don’t feel a particular need to convert them to Christianity.”

Just another example of how we continue to compromise our witness to the world by failing to acknowledge ONE WAY, ONE TRUTH, ONE LIFE.

[1] Posted by JackieB on 12-07-2006 at 02:46 PM • top

Dr. Sentell said, ‘We worship the same God.’” Co-pastor J. Daniel Hignight was asked “if he would ever seek to lead a member of the Islamic Society to Jesus Christ.” He replied, “I don’t feel a particular need to convert them to Christianity.”

The book “Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad”, by Timothy George, answers the question yes and no. Yes, because there is only one God, and no, it is not the God described by Muhammad. For co-pastor J. Daniel Hignight to say that there is no need to bring the Gospel to Muslims should get him removed from any teaching or pastoral position in any church. Jesus took the Good News to Samaritans, Jews, Greeks, Romans, etc. all of whom already had gods to which they were just as faithful as Muslims are to Allah. Evangelism is the best form of “interfaith dialogue”.

[2] Posted by Edwin on 12-07-2006 at 02:54 PM • top

It sounds like the cross had come down long before the church was sold.

[3] Posted by Cousin Vinnie on 12-07-2006 at 03:38 PM • top

Cousin Vinnie…a very astute observation. I give you a gold star.

[4] Posted by Saint Dumb Ox on 12-07-2006 at 04:27 PM • top

ANYONE who professes that the god of the Muslims is the same as the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus, and Paul does NOT know the god of the Muslims and—worse—does not know the Christian God. It is SO “PC” to say that they are equal. . . and SO WRONG!
It also is demeaning to Muslims who know about their (so-called) god; they would be HORRIFIED to hear non-Muslims say that “they’re all the same God, aren’t they!”

It is NOT gracious to allow this fantasy—this error—to go on. Muslims are LOST to a false god and to say they don’t need to be introduced or invited to Christianity is to condemn them for all eternity!
It is in the spirit of Mt 5:43 that I pray earnestly for both the Muslims and those Christians who interact with them that Christ may be central to their relationship, that Christians would share the good news with Muslims, and that God—the TRUE God—will be glorified!

[5] Posted by drjoan on 12-07-2006 at 05:43 PM • top

Did I miss something along the way? God is three persons in one. How can you deny the Holy Spirit or Jesus and say we worship the same God?

[6] Posted by JackieB on 12-07-2006 at 05:51 PM • top

The confusion is that we “sort of” share the same Scriptures (OT for Jews, OT & NT for Islam). But that does not mean we have the same interpretation, or worship the same God.

[7] Posted by Harry Edmon on 12-07-2006 at 06:02 PM • top

Again, if someone REALLY believes Islam shares our scripture, that person is somewhat naive. Islam may give lip service to the OT and the NT but they deny the God of the OT and the triune God of the New—plus they put Jesus down as a “prophet.” How can that agree with the NT?

[8] Posted by drjoan on 12-07-2006 at 06:54 PM • top

Where are those underlined words—NT, OT, etc—coming from?

[9] Posted by drjoan on 12-07-2006 at 06:56 PM • top

Just try to get an Imam to say that Jehovah/Yahweh, God of the Jews, is identical to Allah.

[10] Posted by James Manley on 12-07-2006 at 08:02 PM • top

Perhaps someone at the church supper will ask the imam, “Does Allah have a son?” From the little I have read about Islam, Allah most definitely does not. That should disabuse everyone there of the idea that God revealed in the Bible and Allah of the Q’uran are the same.

[11] Posted by kyounge1956 on 12-07-2006 at 11:46 PM • top

Drjoan - hold your cursor over the dotted NT, here, and you will see that Greg helpfully tels us that the New Testament is the same as Tom Wright, the current Bishop of Durham.

[12] Posted by John Simmons on 12-08-2006 at 01:16 AM • top

A former ELCA church in my neighborhood needed to be sold after the congregation called a partnered lesbian pastor and the congregation shrank drastically. The former ELCA church building is now a Vietnamese Buddhist temple.

[13] Posted by Hal Duston on 12-08-2006 at 12:13 PM • top

It sounds to me that the church had been desecrated long before it was sold. It may well be better now that it houses honest outright pagans than secret ones flying false colours. At least no one walking in will be deceived, now.

cannyscot

[14] Posted by cannyscot on 12-09-2006 at 09:56 PM • top

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