A stranger who walked into Seeger Chapel at 11:08 a.m. on Sept. 18 might have found himself in the midst of something very odd, indeed. Approximately 450 students and faculty members of a Christian college stood and recited words from the Quran with arms outstretched and palms facing toward heaven. “Bi smi Allah al-rahman al-rahim.”

These words have stirred up controversy on campus — but why? Because they are foreign? Because they are from a different religion? I hold that these words, which simply mean “In the name of God the compassionate, the gracious,” are words to embrace — no matter what you think of Muslims.

Paul Gordon-Chandler gave a provocative message in convocation about latching onto the commonalities between Christianity and Islam. He used an illustration of “building on the dark side of the moon,” rather than focusing on the over-publicized differences between the two faiths. Certainly we all have our conceptions (or misconceptions) of the differences: trivialization of women, militant or warlike nature, legalism, fearful view of God, belief in the role of religion in government.

But wait, which faith are we talking about here? Surely, no one likes their faith — their spiritual identity — so stereotyped and derided. As Christians, we should be able to identify with the plight of the average Muslim who is defined by the extremists of his or her religion. Ann Coulter, “God hates fags,” sex scandals with Catholic priests, need I say more? The mention of all those elements make the Frustration-O-Meter in my brain reach the red zone. Compare that to what Muslims must feel when they try to remember the last time they heard or saw a Muslim portrayed positively anywhere in the media or even in the entertainment world. The lack of balance is absolutely disturbing. I digress.

One of the most powerful things I read in Chandler’s book, Pilgrims of Christ on the Muslim Road, was the story of how Muslim Follower of Christ Mazhar Mallouhi came to identify with Christ. Mazhar says, “I came to the conclusion that Christ never intended to establish a new religion, but instead came to simply establish his life in and among us.”

As Christians, I believe we can choose to follow a religion or we can choose to follow Christ. Chandler described the difference by saying, “a rose does not have to propagate its perfume.” A follower of Christ simply lives their life and the Spirit of God seems to ooze from their pores. We do not need to ask Muslims to change their religion, as Chandler pointed out. We just need to show them the way of Jesus. God can do the “converting.”

While Chandler and I agreed on most things, we disagreed on the subject of what “the way of Jesus” would mean to a Muslim Follower of Christ. The Quran is very ambiguous about the end of Jesus’ time on earth, and Chandler said while many would believe in the crucifixion, they would not focus on the death of Christ as much as we would. Rather, they would focus more on how Jesus lived his life. This is also influenced by the fact that Muslims do not believe in original sin, and therefore do not believe they need a savior from an intrinsic evil state.

“It would not be like Jesus is the bridge,” Chandler explained, holding up both his hands with four fingers on each hand pressed against the thumb, “if we’re here and God is there and . . .  you know.” Chandler brought his right hand to meet his left.

Although I wrestled with this idea for days, I could not bring myself to understand how Jesus could have done all he intended to do without atoning for the sins of the world.

Nonetheless, in the spirit of “building on the dark side of the moon,” I chose to adopt Chandler’s overall attitude toward our Muslim brothers and sisters.

“Try to change and look at the other more positively and with greater balance, and that can be done by reading or questioning what one sees in the media. Try to get to know a Muslim family firsthand. Try the Middle East Studies Program. Generally speaking, I would just say have a generous spirit towards all,” Chandler said in regards to the actions he hopes Christian recipients of his message will take.

We can be compassionate. We can be gracious. And we will do so in the name of our God.