Photo: Jonathan Bornman invites audience interaction as he explains Muslim beliefs and practices at the “Understanding Your Muslim Neighbors” workshop. Photo provided by Emily Jones.

Many first-time meetings between members of Christianity and Islam are characterized by “a tremendous amount of fear,” says Jonathan Bornman, a member of Eastern Mennonite Missions’ Christian/Muslim Relations Team. As part of his efforts to reduce fear and increase understanding, Bornman, along with his colleague Andres Prins, held a workshop titled “Understanding your Muslim Neighbors” at Lititz (Pa.) Mennonite Church on Feb. 27, 2016.

Sharon Brubaker, outreach coordinator at Lititz Mennonite Church and organizer of the event, estimated that 35 people were in attendance. The workshop included a breakfast and three sessions led by Bornman and Prins over the course of the morning.

The first session included a brief history of Islam, an overview of basic Muslim beliefs and practices, and an explanation of the Muslim understanding of divine revelation. After a break, Bornman and Prins spent the second session role-playing faith-centered conversations that Muslims tend to have with Christian acquaintances or friends. The material in the role play was developed from interactions Prins and Bornman have had with an imam at a mosque in Lancaster City, as well as hundreds of other conversations with Muslims.

During the role play, Prins, who played a Christian, and Bornman, who played a Muslim, discussed Christian understandings of prayer; Jesus’ crucifixion and divine sonship; the Trinity, Scripture, and prophets. After the role play, Bornman said that he believes many Muslims are deeply and sincerely curious about what Christians really believe.

In the third and last session, Bornman and Prins spoke about “unleashing the power of hospitality.” They shared stories of positive interactions between Christians and Muslims, including the story of a Christmas celebration on Dec. 13, 2015, for about 100 refugees, many of whom were Muslim, at Mount Joy (Pa.) Mennonite Church, where Bornman is a member.

Brubaker said she organized the event to help broaden understanding of others; increase tolerance and dialogue between people of different faiths; and to offer alternative ways of seeing others with more nuance than the views portrayed in the media.

Workshop attendees took the opportunity to ask questions about Islam-related information that they had heard from media reports and other sources. One attendee asked Bornman and Prins to comment on former Wheaton (Ill.) College professor Larycia Hawkins’ recent statement that the Muslim and Christian God are the same, and her subsequent split from the college. Another attendee asked why imams are not speaking out to distinguish their faith communities from Muslim extremists. Another attendee said that he had been taught in childhood that Muslims are encouraged to practice violence.

Throughout the workshop, Bornman stressed that Christ-followers should live out their commitment to the Lordship of Christ with Muslim friends just as they would with anyone else. “It’s surprising how many things Christians and Muslims share,” he said. At the end of the workshop, Bornman provided a sign-up sheet where workshop attendees could indicate interest in the possibility of visiting a mosque in the future. Prins closed the workshop with a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer in Arabic.