In the 21st century, the word Allah has different meanings for different people around the world. As I have lived in different countries and met people of diverse backgrounds, I have found that the definition of Allah relies heavily on a person's background and faith traditions. Unfortunately, the word Allah also sparks hostility and violence. So who is Allah to the regional Muslims and non-Muslims across the globe? 

Some people are stunned that a so-called “Christian” committed these acts of terror. Please note I put Christian in quotes and added the phrase “so-called” because I do not consider him a true follower of Jesus. Now I know how Muslims feel when terrorist acts are done in the name of Islam.

I have to be honest, the terms “interfaith” and “dialogue” used to make me cringe. The reason I used cringe is because I assumed that the prerequisite to participation in most dialogue events was that you had to check your deepest convictions at the door. It seemed that people like me, who believe in the exclusive claims of Christ, would either be excluded from such events or asked to minimize what they believe.

“Do all Christians around the world really believe that Love of God and Neighbor is that important? I thought for sure Ahmad’s question was merely theological. He wanted to make nice, to talk about important sounding topics that never impact real lives. But Ahmad later came up to me and wanted to talk more.

Because of my position at Yale University, I have unique opportunities to meet regularlywith some of the very top Muslim religious leaders from around the world. For some I am the only evangelical Christian they have ever met, so they naturally ask me about issues in Evangelical-Muslim relations.

I argue the case for a common purpose between Muslims and Christians explicitly in my book, “Earth, Empire and Sacred Text: Muslims and Christians as Trustees of Creation” – an expanded creation argument on the basis of both Bible and Qur’an. But it is also the point of Miroslav Volf’s new book, “Allah: A Christian Response.”

Something magnificent just happened … in fact you could call it a miracle. God led the World Council of Churches, the Catholic Church, and Evangelicals to work together. Not only did they reflect amazing unity in working together, but they actually agreed upon the church’s responsibility to bear witness in a multi-religious world. Two miracles in one document!

I just attended the Building Hope Conference at Yale (June 13-22, 2011), a strategic international conference of Muslim, Christian and Jewish religious leaders, committed to seeking the common good.So what are some of the major lessons I learned?

Approximately ten leaders from each faith community were chosen to attend this international gathering focused on seeking the common good. Participants have been carefully chosen by senior leaders in each faith community as representing those mid-career leaders most likely to be exercising the widest influence in their communities in the coming 10-15 years. Here is a final statement and report from the conference.