Hecklers for Christ?

by Tom Goodman

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have.
But do this with gentleness and respect"
1 Peter 3:15

Followers of Jesus are expected to be good neighbors because of our faith and good communicators about our faith.

Neither goal was achieved by the hecklers that interrupted Texas Muslim Capitol Day two weeks ago.

I’ve asked my friend, Jim Miller if I could print a proposed “Letter to the Editor” that the Statesman did not publish. Jim is a retired United States Air Force officer, a conservative Christian, and he attempts to practice Jesus’ command to “love you neighbor as yourself.” He leads “Church Without Walls Austin,” which exists to break down the walls of fear and misconception that exist between Muslims and Christians. His organization has been dialoging with mosques in the Austin area since 2008. I’ve attended a couple of his events through the years. Contact me if you want to contact him.

I wish the Statesman had published his note. Here it is:

I was saddened to see the news report from the Muslim Capitol Day in Austin last Thursday, January 29th, showing an angry protestor grabbing the microphone away from the Muslim speaker.  The disruptor claimed to be a Christian but instead acted very un-Christ-like and actually brought dishonor to the name of Jesus and all who faithfully serve Him.   My Muslim friends in Austin are owed an apology for this disruption and I humbly ask them to accept my apology on behalf of all the Christ followers in our community.

Freedom of Speech is one of America’s most sacred values and that must be preserved in this great country for us to remain a free people.  Even those with dissenting opinions have the right to speak in the public square.  I support Governor Abbott’s statement calling for “civility in political discourse” referencing this incident.  Let us not be afraid of the public marketplace of ideas for freedom and truth will ultimately prevail.

Jim Miller (Church Without Walls-Austin)

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Some say the protests were specifically against CAIR, one of the organizers, whom some claim is sympathetic to terrorist groups. There’s certainly merit in investigating these charges, but the protester who grabbed the mic at the rally was verbally attacking our Muslim neighbors in general and not CAIR in specific.

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I hope you will attend an interfaith discussion at Huston-Tillotson on Thursday, February 19. I will represent the Christian worldview on a panel that also includes representatives of the Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist faiths. The stunt at the Capitol two weeks ago shows why these discussions are needed. Good neighbors and good communicators, folks. There’s more information here.