WE MUST EMBRACE OUR DIFFERENCES
When we accept one another for who we are, we all win Each week, this USA TODAY series will introduce you to an exceptional American who unites, rather than divides, our communities. To read more about average Americans doing exceptional things, visit onenation.usatoday.com.
What does it mean to you to be an American?
America is the great experiment. It’s the experiment where you can come and worship the God of your choice. It’s the place where you can come and have disagreements but work together, to come even to a compromise and maybe my way, your way, there’s a third way.
That’s the ideal. And I think America at its best promotes that. It’s a great experience where people can come together and work together in community.
What moment touched and motivated you to launch this effort?
There was a group of Muslims, a congregation, and they were trying to find a space to pray. They had been to different churches, trying to find a space just for Friday, and they got nos. And they came to Trinity, and I said, “Well, sure.”
Christ tells us to love all people, and these guys want to pray? Wonderful.
What gives you hope or what concerns you?
I’m hopeful we can learn to view our similarities and differences as opportunities to enrich one another’s lives. Not only that, but when we grow in respect for each other, and truly look again, respect the other, we may even grow to love the other tradition and fall deeper in love with our own tradition.
My concern is that rather than embracing our similarities and our differences to promote the best in humanity, we see the other as a threat or, worse, less than human.
What do you hope to accomplish through your efforts?
In our church family, loving our Muslim neighbors and inviting them to use our church facilities for Friday prayers and activities sends a strong message that Christians and Muslims not only can tolerate one another, but they can love and respect one another. Our country can be a place for our citizens of all races and faiths to come together and strive for the common good. My congregation, in our small way, has done just this.