Tony Woodlief

I thought I might write about the kerfuffle surrounding Mike Huckabee’s recent rebuke of a Christian church for allowing Muslims to worship in its building. I was going to side with the former Arkansas governor and likely 2012 presidential candidate. I suppose the truth is that I do. But I spent some time today talking with a Muslim, which reminded me how easy it is to depersonalize these questions, which is certainly something I’ve done more than once.

To personalize the question, then: What to say to a friendly Muslim neighbor when he wants to pray to Allah with his friends and children in the basement of your local Christian church?

You might simply say that the church building is off limits because you believe Muslims are heretics and leave it at that. But this is a lot harder to do when you’re looking into the eyes of an earnest person who really does mean well, who really doesn’t see why the two of you should be at odds.