Rev Dr Darrell Hannah at All Saints Ascot - BPCA invited to talk on existing persecution in Pakistan
Support for our protest and peace concert on the 10th March grows. Rev Dr Hannah from All Saints Church in Ascot will now be included in our growing list of guest speakers.
Darrell writes:
“The New Testament teaching on the Body of Christ means that all Christians owe a greater allegiance to one another than to those of their own nationalities who are not Christians. Our family is the family of God, the Body of Christ. Therefore, it is the duty of Christians in the affluent and free West to hold before our governments and people the plight of Christians who suffer persecution as occurs today in Pakistan. The duty we owe them and their security is greater than the duty we owe to our own national security. At the same time, the Biblical doctrine that humans are created in the image of God means that we also have a duty of care to those of other faiths and of no faith. They too are our relations. Our duty to Muslims, especially today the Muslims of Pakistan, includes reminding them of the Quranic principle that there must be ‘no compulsion in religion’ (Qur’an 2.256). In preventing Pakistani Christians from fully practicing their faith, Pakistani Muslims become less than truly Islamic.”
Dr
Darrell Hannah is Rector of All Saints’, Ascot.
An American, he is married to Linda, a Swedish national and a
professional violinist. They have one
son, Michael. Darrell holds a PhD in
Christian Origins from Cambridge University and is the author of two books and
numerous articles published in academic journals. He researches and writes in the areas of
Second Temple Judaism, the New Testament and second century Christianity. Before becoming a parish priest he held
research and teachings posts in the universities of Sheffield, Birmingham and
Oxford. He seeks to be a bridge person,
translating academic scholarship for the average believer “in the
pew.”
This should be shouted from the roof tops:
ReplyDelete"Our duty to Muslims, especially today the Muslims of Pakistan, includes reminding them of the Quranic principle that there must be ‘no compulsion in religion’ (Qur’an 2.256). In preventing Pakistani Christians from fully practicing their faith, Pakistani Muslims become less than truly Islamic."
Politicians, finacial, armes trades and businessmen who deal with Pakistan should take not of such inhumane actions going on and see what they too can do to advocate human rights, humane stances and religious freedom.