More than 35,000 Muslims gathered in the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) were greeted last week by Christian and Jewish leaders, including Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos of the National Council of Churches. Kireopoulos, the NCC’s Senior Program Director for Faith & Order and Interfaith Relations, greeted the inaugural session of the convention on July 3, and led a workshop on the implications of the “Common Word” dialogue between Christians and Muslims.

“The goal of the NCC is Christian unity,” Kireopoulos said. “It’s no secret that the Christian churches are divided into many, many traditions and communities.  But while our main goal is theological unity, we also try to manifest the unity that we already have in common by belief in the same Jesus Christ, mainly through our witness to bring justice in a world of injustice.  While this is, of course, a Christian enterprise, something important to note is that we consciously do this within a pluralistic society.  Our journey as Christians is enriched by our friendships with people of other faiths.” More …