August 19, 2026

Elizabeth and I recently attended the 16th Annual Muncie Interfaith Fellowship Dinner held at the Unity Church in Anderson. Several faiths were represented: Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Baháʼí, Buddhist, Unity, and traditional Congolese. We shared a meal and then held a discussion on how each faith viewed humankind’s relationship with creation. It was a delightful evening full of mutual respect, care, and, yes, love for the other. (See “Biblical Bites” below.)

This event came upon the heels of horrific remarks made by Indiana’s Lieutenant Governor, Micah Beckwith. Beckwith is not only a public servant, but also a pastor of the “Christian” faith. In a recent interview, Beckwith said, “…I hate Islam” and “we need to be okay with hating again.” I can’t think of anything that is more anathema to biblical teaching and to the call of Jesus Christ than what was said by Beckwith. Jesus, Paul, and Christian tradition teach and preach a very different Gospel.

Beckwith speaks from a pernicious Christian nationalist viewpoint that is becoming more mainstream: an elected leader of our state spews this hatred! These views must be strongly denounced because of the call to “hate” our neighbor, members of our community, and the basic tenets of our own faith.

In his play Saint Joan, George Bernard Shaw writes, “Must then a Christ perish in torment in every age to save those that have no imagination?” I would add “and those who lack love of neighbor.” The implied answer to the question is, unfortunately, yes.

Rev. Eric

Biblical Bites

Love of the stranger and love of those who are other is a biblical injunction/law that is repeated several times in scripture:
 
Deuteronomy 10:19: “Love the foreigner, therefore, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”
 
Leviticus 19:33-34: “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself.”
 
Exodus 22:21: “You shall not mistreat a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”