An Old Old Story: Ground Zero Sum

On the anniversary of 9/11 let me point you to a new monthly podcast--An Old Old Story--done by Alan Elrod and Zachary Crow, both students at Harding University. Harding, for you non-CoC folks, is a sister school of ACU's. You can also follow An Old Old Story on Twitter.

The inaugural podcast reflects back on 9/11 and its lingering effects upon the relationship between Christian America and Islam. The first part of the podcast features an interview done by Jimmy Shaw talking with Kyle Holton, American missiologist and theologian, who has been living and working post-9/11 among Muslims in Mozambique. Listening to Holton's personal encounters with Islam, I think, are very helpful for Americans wanting to engage with Islam in a more thoughtful way. I was particularly struck by Holton's contrasting "trespassing" versus "understanding," where the worry about proximity with Muslims sits in tension for many with the call to welcome and understand. As Holton says,

"You cannot talk about loving your neighbor without destroying those fences and destroying this concept of trespassing."

The second part of the podcast is an essay by Jonathan McRay, author of You Have Heard It Said: Events of Reconciliation. A great line from the essay, where Jonathan is talking about Christianity and Islam with his acquaintance, a Muslim taxi driver:

"I do feel called by the way of Issa the prophet, who said to love your enemies.”