In early February, a myriad of leaders from around the world met at one of the most controversial gatherings in Washington, DC: the annual National Prayer Breakfast events. These events bring people together to vaguely celebrate the various connections of our lives and work to the belief in the guidance of Jesus. Yes, specifically Jesus.
Great, right? I, as a Muslim, got to celebrate and reflect on the life of Jesus with thousands of other people, mostly Christian, who could also finally recognize that “Jesus is my homeboy,” too. Speakers mentioned that Jesus is a role model and that his guidance is timeless. Cool with me. But then the more time they spent on the topic of the universality of Jesus (with the occasional impassioned mention that he is God’s son and Savior), the more I didn’t really know what everyone truly means. To be honest, when some of the guest speakers occasionally name-dropped Jesus in such a random, awkward way, it indicated to me that they probably didn’t understand what they meant either. (more…)
