Dave Andrews

‘We need to find a way of defining our faith that is not so defensive; a way of affirming our faith that is not so aggressive; a way of comprehending our faith that is true, but doesn’t pretend to have a monopoly on truth; and a way of interpreting our faith that is inclusive, not exclusive, of all that is good and healthy and holy and right in other cultures, traditions and religions. And (Christians and Muslims) can only do that, if we set aside a ‘Closed Set Perspective’ and embrace an ‘Open Set Perspective’.

The ‘Open Set Perspective’ is the opposite of the ‘Closed Set Perspective’, According to the ‘Closed Set Perspective’, a ‘set’ is defined by an ‘enclosure’ circumscribed by the ‘experts’. According to the ‘Open Set Perspective’, a ‘set’ is defined by a ‘centre’, which is ‘free’, and ‘cannot ever be confined or enclosed’, least of all by the ‘experts’.

From this perspective, Christians and Muslims, as sets who have a connection to God, show they are part of a set, not simply by choosing to subscribe to a certain set of beliefs and behaviours within certain set boundaries, but by choosing to overcome any boundary of belief or behaviour that might prevent them from moving towards the compassionate spirit of God, exemplified in Isa and the Bismillah which they have made the centre of their lives.’

Dave Andrews p74-75 The Jihad Of Jesus http://bit.ly/1CedNDX