Speaking Ill

Robert Parham had a good piece at Ethics Daily yesterday about the importance of Christians being careful with comments that could drive away those of other faiths. His piece, which is entitled "Some Baptists must build trust with Muslims when other Baptists speak ill of Islam," focuses on the attempts by Roy Medley, the general secretary of American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A., to counterattack overly-negative comments made by other Baptists about Muslims. Medley stated:

Our commitment to Jesus does not require us to disparage other faiths in testifying to him as Lord and Savior.

Medley argued that aggressive verbal attacks on Muslims "do not forward the Christian witness and run counter to our respect for conscience." He added that "it is critical for Baptists to come forward in efforts to build trust and goodwill with Muslims." Medley also stressed, however, the importance to stand up for the rights of our Christians brothers and sisters in Muslim nations.

It is great to see wisdom being offered like that from Medley. We need more Christian leaders in America who will seriously consider the consequences of their words and work to remain Christlike with their comments about those of other faiths.