Per Christum Catholic Blog

There is some interesting discussion about Ann Redding, the Episcopal priest in the diocese of Olympia, who claims to be a Christian and a Muslim at the same time, over at Titus One Nine. Apparently the Episcopal diocese of Olympia initially publicized this, but now is backtracking after the negative publicity.

I have made a few comments over at T19, and quite frankly, I feel this woman is being offensive to both Episcopalians and Muslims. I can’t help but think that only in postmodern America would someone be so brazen as to claim to be both a Christian clergyperson and a Muslim at the same time. I can tell you with certainty, that it is impossible to be both a true Anglican and a true Muslim at the same time, and one side, or both, is going to suffer. Apparently, Redding does not believe in the Trinity, or the deity of Christ. I do think a priest could, in certain circumstances, claim to be an orthodox Christian and somehow embrace aspects of other faiths, but one cannot be a member of a faith that believes in the Trinity, and at the same time be a part of a religion that abhors the Trinity.

These are some excerpts from the original story that demonstrate Redding is really creating a faith of her own making, an American trend (and right) perhaps, but her “buffet” approach to religion is incompatible with both classical Anglicanism and Islam:

Redding’s views, even before she embraced Islam, were more interpretive than literal.

She believes the Trinity is an idea about God and cannot be taken literally.

She does not believe Jesus and God are the same, but rather that God is more than Jesus.

She believes Jesus is the son of God insofar as all humans are the children of God, and that Jesus is divine, just as all humans are divine — because God dwells in all humans.

What makes Jesus unique, she believes, is that out of all humans, he most embodied being filled with God and identifying completely with God’s will.

She does believe that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected, and acknowledges those beliefs conflict with the teachings of the Quran. “That’s something I’ll find a challenge the rest of my life,” she said.

Mind you, I am all for interfaith activities. However, I can’t help but think Redding is cheapening interfaith dialogue and interaction by claiming two labels, both very meaningful to those in each faith, at once. Personally, I have too much respect for people of other faiths to claim to be a true believer in their religion, unless I actually were to genuinely and truly convert. If I were to do so, I would feel as if I were cheapening the other person’s faith. For example, I would hope a Muslim would have enough respect for Catholicism to not claim the label, unless he or she could, in good faith, affirm the Teachings of the Church. I would not cause offense to my Muslim friends by claiming to be a Muslim while remaining a minister in a trinitarian church.

I think this is an issue of order and discipline. If Redding is having a crisis of faith, then that is her prerogative, and that is quite normal and understandable. However, I think the genuine thing to do is to take a sabbatical, or if she doesn’t volunteer so to do, her bishop, if he decides to act like a bishop, should insist she take one. And if she decides she will continue to claim to be somehow both Christian and Muslim, then she should not be an Episcopal priest. I am not being mean, or “exclusive,” just insisting on respect for both faiths involved.