Southern Baptist Commission
President:
Christians Must Fight for Freedom for Other Religions
October 15, 2013 || By: Heather Clark
WASHINGTON – At a symposium
hosted last week at Georgetown University by the Southern Baptist Ethics and
Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and the ecumenical Manhattan Declaration,
Commission President Russell Moore explained his belief that Christians should
fight for freedom for all religions—not just their own.
Andrew Walker, director of policy studies for the ERLC, served
as moderator for the event, and fielded questions from various individuals
pertaining to the persecution of Christians and the need to speak out in
support of religious freedom.
“Are Christians at the forefront of religious freedom for all?”
Walker presented to the group. “Do you understand the implications it must
include our ‘other’?”
Russell Moore, the president of the Commission, then answered
the question by stating that he believes Christians are guilty of only
supporting freedom for their own religion.
“Well, that’s the key question, and it must be the case,” he
stated. “One of the mistakes that Christians have made in years past is this
kind of majoritarian understanding [that] we’ve got to fight for our own rights
here and maintain our own rights without being very diligent and making sure
we’re fighting for religious liberty for all persons.”
Moore explained that as a leader in evangelical Christianity, he
doesn’t see much support for the rights of other religions, and opined that it
raises concerns.
“[T]hat hasn’t been the case throughout all of American history,
but in recent years I think that’s been a problem, especially in my world of
evangelical Protestantism,” he stated. “It’s just a lack of attention to this.
But when we’re talking about liberty of conscience and freedom of religion,
we’re talking about this for all people, and that’s because—not because we
believe anything less about the Gospel as Christians…”
Moore then provided the example of the building of mosques in
American cities.
“Evangelical Christians need to be the first people—and Catholic
Christians and others standing in any given community—saying [that] we really
don’t want the mayor to have the power to keep a mosque out of here simply
because it’s a mosque,” he stated.
“And not only because we know that’s eventually going to be
turned against us, but also because we believe there is something important
about keeping the state within its bounds, not taking on the role of God,”
Moore said, “[and that we would] be able to have that free and open dialogue
that we must have.”
However, some who have become aware of Moore’s comments have
expressed disagreement, stating that the Lord would not be pleased with His
people supporting the freedom to worship false gods in the land.
“Seems to me if we ‘fight’ at all, it’s to stand for what God
commands us to do in the Bible and spread the message about Jesus Christ,” one
commenter wrote. “Not ‘inclusive?’ Take that up with the Lord. Much as may
rankle progressives, God isn’t about religious freedom. He didn’t even want his
people to associate with those that worshiped other gods.”
“Jesus would never fight for Muslims and pagans to rule over a
Christian nation,” another stated. “Christians need to stop living in a
fantasy/utopia where they deceive themselves [that] they would be willing to
obey Jesus in a future never never land dream, but not now ever obey King Jesus
in the here and now…”
The symposium can be
viewed in full at the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission website.
Original article at Christian News Network