It's Difficult to Understand Someone If You Don't Know Anyone Like Them

I am going to get mocked for this post. Probably even more than the time I came out and said how much I enjoyed the music of the "Dixie Chicks." Probably more than the time I admitted I have been in six musicals. And perhaps even more than the time I revealed that I sang back-up for Barry Manilow with my school choir at one point.

My wife gets this magazine sent to her house every month. It's called "Today's Christian Woman." Strangely, I often find myself reading it.

Now, before you get all frat-boy on me with your teasing, let me explain.

I read it because it feels a bit like spying.

It's interesting to read the articles in the magazine, most of which are written very well by free-lance journalists, popular writers and quasi-famous authors and speakers. Looking at the topics that are chosen gives me a bit of insight into women, I think, and sometimes helps me ask my wife some questions about stuff I might not otherwise ask about.

Case in point, in the most recent issue: The lead articles discussed balance in your life. One discussed the spiritual danger of perfectionism, especially in new mothers coping to put their worlds back together. One article was about how to deal with fear and worrying. And there's a lot in there about relational health.

The article that most caught my eye was written by Nancy Ortberg, wife of John Ortberg - who is a pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church and one of my favorite pastors in all of America. The article was in this section the magazine does every month called "Difficult Conversations" or something like that.

The headline was "How Can I Talk To My Muslim Neighbor about Christ?"

Ortberg's letter started off by encouraging the young woman to continue to make friends with the people around her, especially people who are outside of her church family.

She then did a little bit of Muslim theology, explaining what traditional teachings on the Quran say about Jesus and God and how that portrayal of God and Jesus is different than what Christianity teaches. Like, for example, Allah/God is largely unknowable, according to the Quran, and figuring out Allah's will is even tougher. And, in Muslim teaching, Jesus is just a prophet, not the Son of God.

But then, Ortberg said something interesting. She said that although she had just given some broad generalizations about what traditional Muslim beliefs might be, that mileage may vary. Ortberg advised the woman to talk to her Muslim friend about herconcept of God. And then go from there.

This struck me as particularly sage advice. There are some broad strokes that sometimes folks paint people with. Catholics believe this. Muslims believe this. Jews believe this. Christians believe this. Which I guess is sort of true, and not true, all at the very same time.

I mean, isn't that sort of why I started this blog? Because I am tired of so many people purporting to speak for my faith getting it all wrong? I'm tired of getting lumped into this degenerate pile of dysfunctional Christianity? Is there that much variation of faith and interpretation in other religions? And if so, is it dangerous to paint people of one religion with one brush? Aren't there SOME things that we can say are common for all people of one faith? Or no?

I started thinking about this even more this morning when I read a story about a Newsweek article that is spurring violence in the Middle East. Newsweek reported that in efforts to find Al Queda suspects, during interrogation, US officials flushed a Quran down the toilet. This sparked thousand of protesters, who now had more ammunition that the US was an evil empire declaring war on Muslims.

The worst part? The story apparently wasn't true.

I realized this morning I don't have any close Muslim friends who I could talk about this news story with. Within in my base of co-workers, friends, relatives, students and neighbors, not a single person is even moderately connected to the Muslim faith. Not only do I not currently know or interact with any devout Muslims, I don't believe that I ever have. Which strikes me as strange, since it's such a huge world religion, and the Bay Area is so diverse.

I just found that strange and I don't know what to do about that. Start interviewing candidates? Put a post out on Craig's List?