BY THE RT. REV. DAVID C. ANDERSON SR.,
AAC PRESIDENT & CEO

As we transition from the brief season of Ascensiontide into Pentecost and the Sundays following, the North American continent goes into summertime, with schools closed and neighborhood swimming pools open. Many families plan extended holidays, and some churches see a drop in attendance while other churches located near the mountains, the beaches or major attractions see their attendance rise. Although some of the staff at the American Anglican Council (AAC) will take vacations this summer, they will be sequenced so that our doors will remain open, our phone lines working, and our staff ready to bring you the truth of what is happening in the Anglican Communion. Churches or clergy who need advice or counsel will find someone ready to help them. We say this since we know that once the new Episcopal Church Title IV Canon Law revisions go into full force and effect on July 1, things may heat up for clergy, bishops and churches in the Episcopal Church (TEC).

Bishop Nazir-Ali addressed many on the Hold Fast tour including clergy (above), seminarians (top, Trinity Seminary photo), and the general public.

The AAC and Sharing Of Ministries Abroad (SOMA) recently partnered to bring the retired Bishop of Rochester, England, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali, on a speaking tour of the United States. He spoke in the Pittsburgh area, then in Atlanta, then Newport Beach, Calif., then in the Ft. Worth, Texas area, in each case presenting a program called “Hold Fast: An Urgent Call to the Western Church.” Dr. Nazir-Ali was born in Pakistan to a Shia Muslim family. His father accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and converted to the Christian faith, as did Dr. Nazir-ali, who has shared the Gospel around the world despite countless threats against his life and safety.

Dr. Nazir-Ali experienced first hand the difficulty of growing up in a predominantly Muslim majority nation, with the additional difficulty that the Muslims’ Sharia Law calls for death to any Muslim who converts to other faiths. His remarkable story of growing up in Pakistan includes his own conversion as a young man, then his journey in Anglican Holy Orders, including a time as bishop in Pakistan until he was chased out of the country under threat of death.

He spoke of the nature of Islam, and the status of Christians and Jews as second-class citizens at best and objects for ridicule and accusations of blasphemy at worst in the Islamic countries. He especially cautioned us to guard against the acceptance of Islamic Sharia Law in the United States— a situation that has already begun, with some United States judges saying they will take Sharia Law into account when rendering decisions.

As I listened to him, it took me back to my college days at the University of Maryland in 1964-65 and a dear professor who taught Middle Eastern history. Dr. Alice Rivlin was a Jewish lady of middle years who had become fluent in Arabic. In order to learn first hand about what she was teaching, she dressed as an Arab woman and journeyed in the Middle East, including Arabia. Perhaps it would be better not to say too much more about those journeys, but I learned about Islam and read a translation of the Quran for the first time under her oversight. I learned of the differences between Shia and Sunni, as well as minor branches of Islam which all affect the world we know today. I could see at that time the danger of a resurgent radical Islam and the danger it could pose for the West.

Bishop Nazir-Ali brought everything up to date, with the who, when and where of what is happening in England. I would encourage you to read his material, especially an article he wrote for the Heritage Foundation entitled “The Challenges of Islamist Ideology to America’s Founding Principles.”

Let us be armed with the truth of the Gospel, knowledge of the danger posed, and the power of the Holy Spirit.†