Open Letter to Our Muslim Friends:

I know many, if not most of you share the shock and horror at the actions of
the few in the atrocity of September 11th. and I strongly suspect that many
of you are as deeply embarrassed-as Muslims-over the actions of these
Islamic extremists, as I am-as a Christian-over the atrocities done in
history "in the name of Christ" in the Spanish Inquisition, or other
insanities.

I know many of you to be peace-loving people, who struggle daily with the
uneasy tension between the demands of your human heart for peace and trust ,
and the demands of your faith for victory and "no compromise"-at whatever
cost to you and others. Where the "comfortable" Christian or "official"
Christian is often weak and superficial in his commitment to his Lord Jesus,
many of you are strong in your zeal for your Prophet and his Book.

We Christians are embarrassed over our acts of violence, as you are often
embarrassed over Islamic violence such as this week's.

There is a very fundamental difference between these two, though, and it
reveals the heart of the deep differences of our faith and our founders.