A group of Christian leaders are asking Muslims to forgive them for Christian crimes committed against the Muslim world both from the past and in the present.

This latest initiative by Christian leaders from both the west and the east is in response to a call from Islamic scholars for understanding between Christendom and the Islamic world:

“As members of the worldwide Christian community, we were deeply encouraged and challenged by the recent historic open letter signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars, clerics, and intellectuals from around the world. A Common Word Between Us and You identifies some core common ground between Christianity and Islam which lies at the heart of our respective faiths as well as at the heart of the most ancient Abrahamic faith, Judaism. Jesus Christ’s call to love God and neighbour was rooted in the divine revelation to the people of Israel embodied in the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18). We receive the open letter as a Muslim hand of conviviality and cooperation extended to Christians worldwide. In this response we extend our own Christian hand in return, so that together with all other human beings we may live in peace and justice as we seek to love God and our neighbours.

Muslims and Christians have not always shaken hands in friendship; their relations have sometimes been tense, even characterized by outright hostility. Since Jesus Christ says, “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye” (Matthew 7:5), we want to begin by acknowledging that in the past (e.g. in the Crusades) and in the present (e.g. in excesses of the “war on terror”) many Christians have been guilty of sinning against our Muslim neighbours. Before we “shake your hand” in responding to your letter, we ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world….

… Harold W. Attridge, Dean and Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament, Yale Divinity School.

*Joseph Cumming, Director of the Reconciliation Program, Yale Center for Faith and Culture, Yale Divinity School.

*Emilie M. Townes, Andrew Mellon Professor of African American Religion and Theology, Yale Divinity School, and President-elect of the American Academy of Religion

*Miroslav Volf, Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture,

Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology, Yale Divinity School

Martin Accad, Academic Dean, Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (Lebanon)

Scott C. Alexander, Director, Catholic-Muslim Studies, Catholic Theological Union

Roger Allen, Chair, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania

Leith Anderson, President, National Association of Evangelicals

Ray Bakke, Convening Chair, Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding

Camillo Ballin, Bishop, Vicar Apostolic of Kuwait (Roman Catholic)

Barry Beisner, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Northern California

Federico Bertuzzi, President, PM Internacional, Latin America

James A. Beverley, Tyndale Seminary, Canada

Jonathan Bonk, Executive Director, Overseas Ministries Study Center Gerhard Böwering, Yale University

Joseph Britton, Dean, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale

John M. Buchanan, Editor/Publisher, The Christian Century

Joe Goodwin Burnett, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska

Samuel G. Candler, Dean, Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta Juan Carlos Cárdenas, Instituto Iberoamericano de Estudios Transculturales, Spain

Joseph Castleberry, President, Northwest University Colin Chapman,

Author David Yonggi Cho, Founder and Senior Pastor, Yoido Full Gospel Church, Seoul, Korea

Richard Cizik, Vice President, National Association of Evangelicals Corneliu Constantineanu, Dean, Evangelical Theological Seminary, Croatia

Robert E. Cooley, President Emeritus, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Harvey Cox, Harvard Divinity School.

John D’Alton, President, Melbourne Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Australia André Delbecq, University of Santa Clara Keith DeRose, Yale University Andrés Alonso Duncan, CEO, Latinoamerica Global, A.C.

Diana L. Eck, Harvard University

Bertil Ekstrom, Executive Director, Mission Commission, World Evangelical Alliance

Mark U. Edwards, Jr., Senior Advisor to the Dean, Harvard Divinity School

John Esposito, Director Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University David Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity, Cambridge University

Timothy George, Dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University Roberto S. Goizueta, Boston College Bruce Gordon, University of St. Andrews William A. Graham, Dean, Harvard Divinity School Lynn Green, International Chairman, YWAM Frank Griffel, Yale University

Edwin F. Gulick, Jr., Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky

David P. Gushee, President, Evangelicals for Human Rights Kim B. Gustafson, President, Common Ground Elie Haddad, Provost, Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, Lebanon L. Ann Hallisey, Hallisey Consulting and Counseling

Paul D. Hanson, Harvard Divinity School Heidi Hadsell, President, Hartford Seminary David Heim, Executive Editor, The Christian Century

Norman A. Hjelm, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, retired Carl R. Holladay, Candler School of Theology, Emory University Joseph Hough, President, Union Theological Seminary, NY Bill Hybels, Founder and Senior Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church

Nabeel T. Jabbour, Consultant, Professor, Colorado Shannon Sherwood Johnston, Bishop Coadjutor, Episcopal Diocese of Virginia

David Colin Jones, Bishop Suffragan, Episcopal Diocese of Virginia Stanton

L. Jones, Provost, Wheaton College, IL Tony Jones, National Coordinator, Emergent Village

Riad A. Kassis, Theologian, Author, Consultant Paul Knitter, Union Theological Seminary, NY Manfred W. Kohl, Vice President of Overseas Council International, USA

James A. Kowalski, Dean, Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, NY Sharon Kugler, University Chaplain, Yale University

Peter Kuzmic, President, Evangelical Theological F
aculty Osijek, Croatia

Peter J. Lee, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Virginia Linda LeSourd Lader, President, Renaissance Institute

Tim Lewis, President, William Carey Int’l University

John B.Lindner, Yale Divinity School

Duane Litfin, President, Wheaton College

Greg Livingstone, Founder, Frontiers

Albert C. Lobe, Interim Executive Director, Mennonite Central Committee

Rick Love, International Director, Frontiers Douglas Magnuson, Bethel University

Peter Maiden, International Coordinator, OM Danut Manastireanu, World Vision International, Iasi, Romania

Harold Masback, III, Senior Minister, The Congregational Church of New Canaan, New Canaan, CT

Donald M. McCoid, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

C. Douglas McConnell, Dean, School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary

Don McCurry, President, Ministries to Muslims

Brian D. McLaren, Author, Speaker, Activist

Kathleen E. McVey, Princeton Theological Seminary

Judith Mendelsohn Rood, Biola University

Steve Moore, President and CEO, The Mission Exchange (formerly EFMA)

Douglas Morgan, Director, Adventist Peace Fellowship Richard Mouw, President, Fuller Theological Seminary

Salim J. Munayer, Academic Dean, Bethlehem Bible College, Jerusalem Rich Nathan, Senior Pastor, Vineyard Church of Columbus

David Neff, Editor in Chief and Vice-President, Christianity Today Media Group

Alexander Negrov, President, St. Petersburg Christian University, Russia

Richard R. Osmer, Princeton Theological Seminary

George E. Packard, Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies of the Episcopal Church

Greg H. Parsons, General Director, U.S. Center for World Mission Doug Pennoyer, Dean, School of Intercultural Studies, Biola University Douglas Petersen, Vanguard University of Southern California

Sally Promey, Yale Divinity School

Thomas P. Rausch, S.J., Loyola Marymount University

David A. Reed, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto Neil Rees, International Director, World Horizons

Cecil M. Robeck, Jr., Fuller Theological Seminary Leonard Rogers, Executive Director, Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding

William L. Sachs, Director, Center for Reconciliation and Mission, Richmond

Lamin Sanneh, Yale Divinity School

Andrew Saperstein, Yale Center for Faith and Culture

Robert Schuller, Founder, Crystal Cathedral and Hour of Power

Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Harvard Divinity School

Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, Harvard Divinity School

William Schweiker, University of Chicago Donald Senior, C.P., President, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago C. L. Seow, Princeton Theological Seminary

Imad Nicola Shehadeh, President, Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary

David W. and K. Grace Shenk, Eastern Mennonite Missions Marguerite Shuster, Fuller Theological Seminary

John G. Stackhouse, Jr., Regent College, Vancouver

Glen Stassen, Fuller Theological Seminary

Andrea Zaki Stephanous, Vice President, Protestant Church in Egypt

Wilbur P. Stone, Bethel University, MN John Stott, Rector Emeritus, All Souls Church, London

Frederick J. Streets, Yeshiva University William Taylor, Global Ambassador, World Evangelical Alliance John Thomas, President and General Minister, United Church of Christ Iain Torrance, President, Princeton Theological Seminary

Michael W. Treneer, International President, The Navigators, CO Geoff Tunnicliffe, International Director, World Evangelical Alliance George Verwer, Founder and former International Director, OM Harold Vogelaar, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago Berten A. Waggoner, National Director, Association of Vineyard Churches

Jim Wallis, President, Sojourners Rick Warren, Founder and Senior Pastor, Saddleback Church, and The Purpose Driven Life, Lake Forest, CA J.

Dudley Woodberry, Dean Emeritus, Fuller School of International Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary

Christopher J.H. Wright, International Director, Langham Partnership, London

Robert R. Wilson, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Yale Divinity School

Nicholas Wolterstorff, University of Virginia

Godfrey Yogarajah, General Secretary, Evangelical Fellowship in Asia Community Council of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, Dayton, OH.” (Source: Khaleej Times)

These Christians must have been duped by Satan or Arab petrodollars!

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