THE BISHOP of Oxford has hit back at critics who have questioned his Christian orthodoxy after he gave his backing to a mosque which hopes to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer in the university city.The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev John Pritchard, said he would not oppose the principle of such a move for the Oxford Central Mosque, but stressed his view was just one voice in the wide-ranging debate on the issue.
He added that local people needed to negotiate over the practicalities such as the volume and frequency of a call to prayer if it were to get the go-ahead.
He also rejected criticisms by other Christians who said his stance compromised his Christian orthodoxy.
He said: “This has nothing to do with my orthodoxy on the uniqueness of Christ or my desire to share my faith will all people.
“I believe demonstrating grace is at the heart of the gospel through friendship, and that’s what I want to bear witness to, and this doesn’t affect my commitment to the uniqueness of Christ.
“It’s not a case of selling out, it’s how you demonstrate faith and love, not by excluding people but by winning people to the love of Christ.
“I believe in a strategy of open generosity which is at the heart of Christianity, and I would want to be hospitable to those of other faiths and tell them what I believe, and this is a good way of engaging with people.”
The Bishop also said he wanted to see reciprocity for Christians who are often persecuted in Muslim countries if they practise their faith.
He added: “If we offer this generosity Muslim countries must do the same, but this hasn’t always been the case.”
Meanwhile Bishop John distanced himself from recent claims by the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, that ‘no-go’ areas have developed in the UK due the rising numbers of Muslims.
Bishop Pritchard said that he felt Bishop Nazir-Ali was ‘overstating the case’. An application for the call to prayer by Oxford Central Mosque has not yet been submitted.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce