Christian educators can teach tolerance, speaker says

Oct. 26, 2004

NEW ORLEANS (UMNS) — Our enemies on Sept. 11 were not the 19 men who flew the planes — it was their teachers, according to James Fleming, director of the Biblical Resources Study Center in Jerusalem.

"Hyper-fundamentalists" exist in all faiths, and the role of Christian educators is to help church members understand that hyper fundamentalism is "a human problem not a religious one," he said.

Fleming presented a workshop on "Interfaith: Understanding and the Role of Christian Education" during the Oct. 14-18 Christian Educators Fellowship conference in New Orleans. The Biblical Resources Study Center is an ecumenical organization in Israel.

He defined "hyper-fundamentalists" as people who have a rigid belief system that does not allow for any other interpretation of Scripture.

"One of the ways teachers can help others understand hyper-fundamentalism is to understand it exists in our own faiths," he said.

Fleming said hyper-fundamentalists exist in Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths. The four things they have in common are:

• A literal view of Scriptures.
• No place for women in authority over men.
• Authoritarian male leadership.
• No interest in interfaith understanding.

"Open minds, open doors, open hearts would not work in these churches," he added, referring to the theme of the United Methodist Church’s media campaign.

Fleming, who has worked in Jerusalem for 31 years, said he finds people are more intolerant now than they were when he came to the center.

The men who killed the more than 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001, were taught that they weren’t killing human beings but enemies of Allah, he said.

It is the same kind of belief that says "unless you believe in Jesus in exactly the same way I do, you are wrong.

"You can hate on your knees as well as in any other position," he said.

Fleming noted that the Islamic religion is growing much faster than Christianity and added that when a religion or movement becomes large enough it tends to develop a "majority complex."

"It is very easy for someone in the majority to feel threatened by minorities," he said. "It is also natural for the majority to think they should have the advantage."

Fleming points out that Jesus Christ was often in trouble for the people he included.

Christian educators could teach tolerance by encouraging respect. "Show the same respect to them that you would like to receive. Celebrate what you have in common, respect your differences, and cultivate empathy — walk in their shoes," he suggested.

Fleming’s workshop was one of more than 70 offered during the five-day conference. The Christian Educators Fellowship is an organization for all Christian educators in the United Methodist Church. Membership is also open to non-United Methodist Christian educators.

For more information about the fellowship, contact Corinne Van Buren at P.O. Box 24930, Nashville, Tenn., 37202; (866) 629-3113; or e-mail cef@cefumc.org.

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