All Comments for: The Father of Faith-Based Diplomacy | Christianity Today

Free Newsletters:

RSS Feeds |

Audio |

Twitter

Home > 2008 > September

Christianity Today, September, 2008 |

The Father of Faith-Based Diplomacy

Doug Johnston is going where few foreign policy experts have gone before.

Rob Moll | posted 9/19/2008 10:22AM

In Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, on the border with Afghanistan where many believe Osama bin Laden is hiding with local support, Douglas Johnston walked into one of the most infamous of the ...

[Reader Reviews]

Average User Rating:

Rate and Comment on this article

Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 comments.

Page: 1

Show All

DC(not quite)insider

Posted: September 22, 2008 5:29 PM

How can you have an article titled "The Father of Faith-Based Diplomacy" that does not mention Doug Coe and his spiritual empire "The Fellowship" (aka "The Family"). With allusions to "followers of Jesus", "the prominent Falls Church", and "the National Prayer Breakfast", the article lets Fellowship members know that Johnston is one of their own. By focusing on Johnston, instead of The Fellowship, though the article misses the secret forest for a single public tree. The reader is left thinking ICRD stands on its own. It appears CT has not devoted a word to Jeff Sharlet's imperfect but important book "The Family" which chronicles the past and present of the complex network that lies behind the National Prayer Breakfast. My view from the power cheap seats tells me that Sharlet gets a lot of things right and CT (itself with at least some historic Fellowship ties) should give us some good journalism on this group---the true fathers of faith-based diplomacy (for better or ill).

Jim M. Roane, PhD

Posted: September 22, 2008 10:47 AM

Sounds surprisingly like E. Stanley Jones’ approach in his Round Tables discussions. I do think, however that we must separate church from government agencies; but not from the politics of reconciliation. Kudos to Douglas Johnston and the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy for his efforts. His diplomacy, however, I do not believe will ever take the place of a Golden Rule based governmental policy that takes our national interest seriously.

Reed Swanson

Posted: September 22, 2008 9:10 AM


If we continue to do things the way we've always done them and expecting different results, that defined as insanity. Thank God we have people willing to step out of the box.

Adler

Posted: September 21, 2008 3:26 AM

Efforts like the ICRD's are really the decisive effort in the so called GWOT. The article seems to affirm the importance of dialogue and education as critical elements of conflict resolution. There is a time and a place for coercive responses to real threats. Quite often we have it backward, pouring so much of our effort into muscular, coercive, and ultimately self-defeating measures. If we are to have any hope of providing stability, security, and peace to places like Afghanistan, Iraq, and other troubled locations, we need to get on this path.

Philip

Posted: September 20, 2008 5:07 PM

Johnston's International Center for Religion and Diplomacy is just what the Muslims want. They would negotiate with non-Muslims only from a weaker position or if they feel they can't win. However, if they have a slight edge, they would kill, harass, intimidate non-Muslims to be converted to Islam or to get out of the country. This is the experience of Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, Iraq, etc. The situation in Sudan has not improved for non-Muslims and got worse. Muslims use the doctrine of 'taqiyya' (pious fraud) to further the cause of Islam. Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo (a Muslim convert to Christianity), senior visiting fellow at the Defence Academy of the UK, knows accurately the Muslims' agenda. He has written a book, GLOBAL JIHAD (with 1133 notes and references), that documents and explains why the Muslims kill and commit acts of terror in the name ofMohammad (Allah). He runs an organisation helping persecuted Christians http://www.barnabasfund.org/

Grad student

Posted: September 20, 2008 3:55 PM

I recall that an almost identical story appeared in a previous issue of CT. The one thing missing from this story, and every other one I have read on the ICRD and the IGE, is practical advice to those who are interested in contributing to the cause. Certainly we can contribute financially, but how do grad students in international relations pursue a career or ministry in this field? Through an internship? Through the State Department? I would welcome an article with some practical steps.

Shengjie

Posted: September 20, 2008 7:48 AM


Many times we only rely on our knowledge of rationality and ignore the presence of God, which lead to our failure. It is the faith of God that puts us in a positon to do everything with sucess

Birdstone

Posted: September 20, 2008 7:17 AM

A timely article. On September 25th Mennonite and Quakers are hosting a meeting of other Christians and people of other faiths with the President of Iran in New York, to talk about inter-religious relationships. And lots of people are objecting that you can't have such meetings because Iran and its President are dangerous. But what is the best alternative to speaking with those with whom we disagree? Isolation, demonization and condescension? Hardly effective, and hardly the way of Christ. My main concern about the article is that it presents Johnston as though he is the only one doing this, when in fact there are many Christians (and also people of other faiths) working at this approach, building relationships and trust and reconciliation based on a serious engagement with the faith of others. In Sudan and Somalia these efforts have been going on for decades.

Thomasd J. Lilliendahl

Posted: September 20, 2008 3:46 AM


Five Stars . Very informative. I have often thought this to be true, but did not realize that anyone was actually doing it. Very encouraging. Yes, it is an important step in the right direction for today's diplomacy. Trying to isolate an enemy limits your options. Thank you.

JustSomeKingdomDude

Posted: September 19, 2008 10:38 PM


FINALLY, an article about someone involved in international matters who Gets It! Thank God that He has brought this man and his group at this time. Not talking about, but living out his faith. My heart melts in humble gratitude for this work.

RandyT

Posted: September 19, 2008 6:27 PM

"Bill Clinton's Zionist Secretry of State." I believe that can be said about all our secretaries of state in the last 50 years with few exceptions. It can be said of all our efforts in the Middle East in the eyes of most any Arab or Perssian country, I am sorry to say. Christians like Mr. Johnston are our hope for sure. Living Christ in our lives can change the world, one person at a time all over His world. Peace.

JustSomeKingdomDude

Posted: September 19, 2008 4:33 PM


FINALLY, an article about someone involved in international matters who Gets It! Thank God that He has brought this man and his group at this time. Not talking about, but living out his faith. My heart melts in humble gratitude for this work.

Jason

Posted: September 19, 2008 3:53 PM

On normal US foreign policy, consider the exchange on CBS in 1996 between [Bill Clinton’s Zionist Secretary of State] Madeleine Albright, who was then the US ambassador to the United Nations, and Lesley Stahl of CBS. Albright was maintaining that sanctions had yielded important concessions from Saddam Hussein. Stahl: "We have heard that half a million children have died [as a result of US-motivated sanctions]. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And you know, is the price worth it?" Albright: "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price we think.. the price is worth it." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK_QshS2EW8 They read that exchange in the Middle East. It was infamous all over the Arab world.

Page: 1

E-mail this page

Write CT

Print this article

Post a comment