Hello all:
Its been a while since I posted. I have a few things to write on, but I’ve held back. Until now.
Last night, I recieved my weekly Disciples News Service email. I found the following story at the bottom of the synopsis:
NORTHWEST REGION WELCOMES NEW CHURCH START IN SEATTLE, WA.
Friends of the One has been welcomed as a Disciples congregation in formation by the Regional Board of the Northwest Regional Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Friends of the One, which met for the first time on Sept. 30, is a Christian Sufi community bringing together the mystical traditions of two faith groups into the formation of a Christian community. The community’s Sufi practices include a silent mediation of the heart. This Sufi tradition is explicit that one can belong to any religion and be a Sufi and there are many Sufis who are actively and fully Christian.
The community also will draw from the non-hierarchical non-creedal Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) tradition, which practices the return to the earliest roots of inclusive Christianity, including weekly communion, to which all are welcome. To learn more about Friends of One, see: www.disciples.org/dns/Releases2007/07157.html
I’ve heard of Sufism, but never known anything about it. According to the Wikipedia Article on Sufism, it is a branch of Islam. Some Sufi’s are considered “universalists” who feel that Sufism is compatible with all relgions and that the Sufi “faith” is the most base form of religion that leads to knowledge about God. Islamic Sufi’s deny universalism as unorthodox.
My first thought about this article is that this is quite disturbing, especially with the words “inter-faith” being used to describe this church. This type of activity seems to affirm what more Conservative Disciples have been saying about the direction the Denomination is heading. I’d like to hear your opinions on the issue.
Also, if you know any Disciples, send them over. Disciples are usually few and far between on here…I’d like to hear what they have to say about this.
-Clarke