A More Moderate Engagement with Islam?

Andy from ThinkChristian.net says:

There’s a challenging piece by Stratford Caldecott over at Godspy on Christian dialogue with Islam. Caldecott starts with the Pope’s recent (controversial) comments about the Christianity/Islam dialogue and tries to sound out what, exactly, Christians might have to say to a major religion that is (or should be) going through a fierce internal debate about violence, proselytism, and the relationship between faith and reason. That’s a debate that should look awfully familiar to anyone who’s studied Christian history.

The most common evangelical response to the topic of Islam seems to be to view the Islamic faith as a spiritual enemy to be confronted, a demographic in great need of evangelism, or both—and I think those can both be appropriate ways to approach Islam. But Caldecott suggests that however we respond, it’s important that Christianity and Islam be able to talk to each other. Islam sits at the edge of a precipice, at risk of collapsing into “ideology and tyranny.” Christianity itself has, by the grace of God, waded through very similar waters in its history. Might our experience be put to use in helping Islam to escape the violent and tyrannical elements within itself?

Do Christians have a responsibility or opportunity to help prevent the spread of violent, Wahhabi-style Islam? Encouraging the development of a more tolerant, reflective Islam might reduce the worldwide threat of terrorism and religious extremism, and it might establish a common vocabulary through which we might share the Gospel message with Muslims. But is it a step away from the Great Commission to “help” a non-Christian religion in this manner? Can the Christian church serve God by temporarily setting aside its evangelistic mission and focusing on the practical challenge of trying to help prevent Islam’s fall into ideological tyranny?