'Every day for five years, youth pastor Rich Reaves has arrived to work in the shadow of a cross and a crescent moon. There, at his Houston church, he and senior pastor Elliott Scott discuss ways they can live out “true Christianity” by loving their neighbors–in this case, members of a mosque next door.
Meanwhile, across town, a dozen religious leaders from the Islamic and Christian communities meet to find common ground and discuss ways to educate Houstonians on “true Islam,” in order to address growing concerns over Islamophobia.
While recent news reports focus on the ISIS threat, and verbal attacks made by Christians against Muslims, a less reported story is going on behind the scenes: members of the two faiths coming together in the name of peace.
For Reaves at Lifepath church, the step in reaching out to his Muslim neighbors was to make contract. "I couldn't figure out how to reach them," Reaves said, noting that there was no signage around the mosque's gated complex to even indicate what the name of the mosque was. "I finally called the phone number posted for deliveries."
To read more click, “Most people aren’t afraid of Islam itself. They are afraid of the unknown.”
Covey Cowan, San Francisco, California
Covey Cowan, San Francisco, California
