During a local church function recently, a friend noticed a license plate in the church parking lot that read: “Co-exist”. The expression troubled him greatly, especially because it was a statement made within a church parameters and intended to send a message to other faiths, he thought.
“What do you feel about Christians declaring co-existence with Muslims?” he lamented. Yet the question before us is: Should Christians co-exist with anyone outside their faith?
Almost eight centuries ago, on March 19, 1229, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II entered into a compromise with Muslims to secure access of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher by Christians. Actually, he had not been enthusiastic about the 6th Crusade.
Nevertheless, the compromise was immediately rejected by both sides. For his part, Frederick II was excommunicated for choosing peace rather than war. Further the Church placed an interdict on Jerusalem.
That was almost 800 years ago. Today, most communities are as pluralistic as they can be. One can even hear the muezzin's call for prayer on any street corner. Numerous diverse places of worship dot city maps on all the directions of the compass.
Would there rather be more “co-exist” license plates or interdicts? Can even Evangelism – that prized lifeline of some Christians – be otherwise possible in this pluralistic society?
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