(RNS) — In their years of interfaith work, the Revs. Anna Piela and Michael Woolf have heard an oft-repeated reason for why some Christians don’t want to learn about Islam or are reluctant to challenge their misconceptions about the faith: They fear they might convert.
But in their new book, “Confronting Islamophobia in the Church: Liturgical Tools for Justice,” the authors — who are American Baptist Churches USA ministers and a married couple — argue that learning about Islam, or any other religion, can help Christians better appreciate and practice their own tradition.
“I think a lot of people sort of treat God as a really jealous lover in some way, that they’re really afraid that God is going to be angry that you’re learning about another religion,” Woolf, who is senior minister of Lake Street Church of Evanston, Illinois, told Religion News Service. “But I think God rejoices in diversity and wants us to learn from each other.”
The book, published by Judson Press last month, also asserts that Christians have a moral responsibility to confront prejudices in their congregations about Muslims.
Piela, a visiting scholar of religious studies and gender at Northwestern University, also in Evanston, and Woolf bring their academic expertise and experiences as ministers to trace the origins of Islamophobia and the role it plays in American society today. They also discuss the …