The Church of England is, IMHO, uniquiely poised to make a great contribution to the church's mission to Islam, and I don't mean here in MENA, but there in the UK. Why? It has a nice combination of sensible liturgy and order, it is connected to the government (which makes sense to a lot of Muslims), and can be evangelical without being fundamentalist. So here is some good news, the C of E still has a sense of hte uniqueness of Christ (yeay!) and has publicly and offociailly endorsed evangelizing non-Christians and non-practicing Christians. This might seem like a no-brainer to evangelicals back in the USA, but trust me when I say that this is good news.
Bishop David James of Bradford introduced "Presence and Engagement" on ministry in multi-faith areas. He reminded Synod members of the overwhelming need to share the gospel of salvation through faith in Christ alone with all. He then challenged Synod members whether God might be calling them to do this by moving, living, and working in areas where there are those of many different faiths. Christians are called to relate to those of other faiths, to show love rather than hate, to make peace, to witness to Christ and to engage lovingly. The Bishop stated that we should build bridges of friendship, but bridges over which Christ can walk.
The debate that followed highlighted differing views about the nature of engagement. Several speakers also spoke about the problems faced by converts from other faiths and the apparent discrimination against Christians in modern day Britain. After debate, the motion to take note of the report was passed unanimously.
By its affirmation of the personhood and salvific work of Jesus, the Church of England affirmed the singular view that Jesus uniquely alone saves. While interfaith dialogue will continue, it cannot be pre-empted by a firm statement of the need of the gospel of Jesus Christ for all people.
From HERE. Note how this is quite different than the total lameness of The Episcopal Church (USA) (my denomination, incidentally) which has about the theological acumen of a half-empty bottle of flat Coke.
