From Bob Roberts blog (www.glocal.net)

Not since the civil rights era has there been as much tension between two groups as we see today between Muslims and Christians – particularly evangelicals.  Just watch the news.  On the one hand there are those that would want them to hear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, show them love, serve them in the name of Jesus, and then there are others – who also in the name of Jesus burn Korans, want to stop any Muslim from immigrating to the U.S., have nothing to do with them, insult and demean them, and would view the US military as the entity to deal with them.  How can this be?  We are at a point in the world and in our country where there has been hate before, but never with such global implications and never with such “gospel” implications and that stemming primarily from Christians.  We have a phenomenal opportunity with the Gospel – and sadly – we are becoming the biggest obstacle to fulfilling the Great Commission.

I’ve written about this, spoken about it – teach especially young pastors about it – we live in a different world.  It’s a connected world where everyone is present and there is one conversation.  It is impossible for a church not to be global – whether it wants to or not – every church is global because the world is global.  There is no more national and international, global or local – it’s all global.  What happens in Kansas or Florida or Dallas with a little church of 50 people or 5,000 impacts billions worldwide.

No one believes in the Great Commission more than I – it is what I have given m life to.  Do we realize how our rhetoric, attitude, and actions are in direct conflict with the Great Commission?  It is not 1985 anymore – that was the beginning of a major global shift in every way.

Twenty-five years ago, when we started NorthWood Church where I pastor, God gave me a verse that we would be a global church – but I really didn’t know what that meant and less about how to live that out.  God knew.  He knew all the changes coming to the world, he knew we would all be connected, he knew all the things back then I’ve been learning the past two decades.  In his own way, he was preparing me and NorthWood and the churches we start in the US for this adventure and it’s been a grand adventure.

The Global Faith Forum first started as a couple of my friends who were non-Christians were going to come to visit me and my church because they had “never met an evangelical” like me.  I told them there were many, they just didn’t hear from them as much.  They wanted to visit the church where all these people were that were doing all these amazing things in Vietnam and even other places.  A couple of non-Christian friends had come and they were telling the others, and several were wanting to come.  I also asked them if they could come in our missions month in November for our church and they agreed.

I’m always asked by pastors to take them on trips with me to meet global pastors and other world leaders that are non-Christians – so I thought here would be a good chance to let them meet them.  So I asked my friends if they would be willing to meet with several young pastors that would be starting new churches and young pastors that led influential mega-churches in the US.  They agreed.  Then many of my friends began to talk among themselves and my secular non-Chrisian friends were asking if they could come also.  So I went back to my initial friends and said what if we have a Global Faith Forum in Dallas and lets invite several people – we’d all have to volunteer to speak because I don’t have the money!  They knew a lot of the humanitarian work I’ve done, so they agreed to do it – maybe as some payback.  The rest is history.  The speakers are Vietnamese, European, American, Arab, Jewish, Muslim, Men and Women almost everything!  Over half of the speakers are not Christian – but they are my friends.  The Christian speakers and panelist are young church planters, young influential leading pastors, Christian statesmen like Os Guinness and Ray Bakke.  Global business leaders like Al Weiss, Diplomats like Prince Turqi – Al – Faisal of Saudi Arabia and Ambassador Le Cong Phuong of Vietnam, pastors Vance Pittman, Mark Demoss, Kevin Cox and others will be speaking.

What are we trying to do?  Expose evangelicals to the world and instead of listening to emotional rhetoric, let them listen for themselves to global leaders how they think, what the world is like, and how evangelicals can have a voice.  How do hold on to our faith, not compromise – yet treat others with respect and build long term relationships.

So what does the make of the people attending the conference look like – well, that’s gotten a lot broader as well.  There will be many church planters and pastors, but also rabbi’s, imam’s, and lots of lay people from churches and some from syangogues, mosques, and no religion.  Lots of college students, a lot of business people.  It may be one of the most eclectic groups ever gathered – but they have one thing in common – they all know the world has changed and they all want to make a difference and they all want to speak in a way that people can hear our message and be served by us in a helpful way.

The first session is Muti-Fear – how do we break down walls when we all fear one another so much.  The next day Mobilizing Faith – how to serve others in a global world.  how to we Message Faith,  how do we Manage Faith in delicate arenas, and finally a Moving Faith – signing up to do something.

Some of the workshops that will be offered between the plenary panels and keynotes:

• Millineals and what Global Faith Looks like
• Christianity 101
• Islam 101
• Judaism 101
• Using Technology to Mobilize
• Multi-Faith Women in Action
• Second Generation American Muslims
• The Koran
• Half-time – Moving in life from Success to Significance
• How Speculative Theology and Personal Prejudice Hurt the     Great Commission
• Starting Churches in a Global Era
• New Jewish Young and Emerging Voices
• Women and Islam
• Glocalization – How To Mobilize your Church to Engage Globally
• Making Global Disciples – What we are Learning & Implementing from the Global Church
• Multi-Ethnic Christians – the Church isn’t all White in America!
• Evangelical Palestinians and Non-Violence in the West Bank . . . . it goes on and on . . . .

The workshops will be led by a person of faith that the workshop is about so if it says Islam – a Muslim will lead it, Jewish – a Jew will lead it.  Instead of someone interpreting someone else – the person leading the workshop, panel, or keynote will be speaking of their own faith. 

There was a day, when the church was at the front of the global conversation – this is not the time to shrink back, fear, or throw stones but to move forward in the love of Jesus.  I encourage you to come – We don’t have a big budget for advertising, but people and media are hearing and are coming – I believe God is putting something together that will be profound – DON’T MISS IT!  It’s the kind of thing, we will have a few hundred – or maybe a few thousand – it just depends on how serious we really are about making a positive difference in the world – but whoever comes – I guarantee you – it will be life changing!

Find out more information at http://www.globalfaithforum.org