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Conference of European Churches
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CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS TOGETHER IN EUROPE
The document that follows comes from the consultation on “Witness to God in Secular Europe” of the Conference of European Churches, which took place in St. Pölten, Austria, from 5th to 10th March 1984. The paper was received by the Joint Meeting of Presidium and Advisory Committee on 5th May 1984 and recommended to the CEC member churches for appropriate action. The Joint Meeting underlines the necessity in any meeting with Muslims, of introducing the full truth of Christian belief. Questions which create tensions and conflicts require special attention.

Preamble - Invited by the Conference of European Churches (CEC we met, eightyfour Christians and four Muslims, at St. Pölten in Austria from 5th to 10th March, 1984. Before us was the topic “Witness to God in a Secular Europe”. We were together in a spirit of frankness and openmindedness of mutual respect and common concern.
We represented churches from about twenty different European countries reaching from Portugal to Romania and from Finland to Greece. Some feel themselves to be a minority church in a once Muslim environment, whilst other churches in West Europe respond in different ways to the recent presence of Muslims who are a minority in their midst.

This second consultation of the CEC on Islam and Christian-Muslim relations had set itself the task of continuing the work on the theological agenda of a first conference held in February 1978 in Salzburg. In the meantime both practical activities and theological reflections have been carried on in many ways and on many levels. On the CEC Consultative Committee on Islam in Europe which prepared our consultation churches from all over Europe are represented.

At noon every day we gathered in ecumenical services of worship reflecting the riches of our different Christian traditions. In the morning we were led into meditation by a Muslim contemplating on Biblical and a Christian upon Qur’anic texts. These studies took the theme of God’s being light and guide of all humankind. Such was the feeling of community that on the second day it was suggested that we should worship together. This, however, did not prove to be possible. Nevertheless, Christians and Muslims were willing to stand together in the presence of God.

We want to share the issues we discussed during our consultation with our neighbours be they Christians or Muslims and, in particular, with the member churches of the Conference of European Churches. We hope…..

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political competition than by theological concerns. Today Christians and Muslims without denying their own distinctiveness are discovering a greater unity of concern in the context of an increasingly secular world.

Central Questions- This situation demands deep, careful and patient theological reflection and discernment in which participants remain loyal to their own tradition, yet show respect for the tradition of the other.

For Christians a number of questions must arise: Is the Holy Spirit at work in Islam? Can a Muslim be saved as a Muslim? Is it God’s will that every Muslim become a Christian? Is the God of the Muslim the same as the God of the Christian? Do Christians and Muslims form a community of faith under the sovereignty of the will of God?

We were not able to find clear-cut answers to all these questions. They need further study in our theological faculties and seminaries. Yet some of the results of our discussions may be noted:

Some Christians, for instance, have come to recognize that it is God, the Holy Spirit, who-beyond the boundaries of the visible church- is at work amongst Muslims to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness...(Galatians 5:22-23)
Yet others stressed that glorifying Jesus Christ is one of the most important functions of the Holy Spirit.

As Christians we believe that although all humankind have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, He offers salvation to all who accept it on the basis of Christ’s redemptive work. At the same time no Christian dares usurp God’s prerogative to decide the ultimate destiny of any of His creatures.

“Allah” has always been the term used for “God”, the Father of Jesus Christ, by most Arabic speaking Christians. To assert that Christians and Muslims worship different gods is to suggest either polytheism or idolatry. There can be only one God although people may have different concepts of Him. It is the Christian’s responsibility to share with Muslims his or her belief about God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the same time it is his or her responsibility to seek to understand the Muslim’s belief about God.

Christians respect the prophetic tradition of the Old Testament. It calls people to repentance in the service of the one God. It is unjust to dismiss Mohammad out of hand as a false prophet. Christians may recognize Mohammad as part of the same prophetic tradition and in the past some have done so. We must nevertheless ensure that our Muslim friends understand the subtle differences between the two perspectives, for Christians confess that the Word became flesh and dwelled among us (John 1:14)

Questions of peace and social justice- Confronted by the depersonalisation of society, the elienation caused by an increasing mobility of people and a fast-expanding technology believers of both faiths have to find a means of expression relevant to today. There are many, especially among the young generation, who are searching for guidance and meaning in life. We are aware that there is….