Mainstream Baptists featured in ABC Documentary

Several Mainstream Baptists and other moderate Baptists are featured in a documentary about Baptists and Muslims working to find common ground for the common good. It begins airing on ABC-TV stations tomorrow. The documentary, "Different Books, Common Word," was produced by the Baptist Center for Ethics.

The documentary will air at 12:00 (Noon) Sunday, January 3rd on KOCO-TV Channel 5 in Oklahoma City. It will air at 10:30 AM Sunday, January 3rd on KTUL-TV Channel 8 in Tulsa. Robert Parham, Executive Director of the Baptist Center for Ethics and producer of the documentary will be a guest on the "Religious Talk" radio program at 10:00 AM on KREF (1400 AM) in Norman, Moore and Oklahoma City.

Baptists from Oklahoma featured include T Thomas, Coordinator for the Cooperating Baptist Fellowship and founder of His Nets, Mitch Randall, pastor of NorthHaven Church in Norman, Oklahoma, Charles Kimball, Presidential Professor and Director of the Religious Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma and yours truly.

Muslims from Oklahoma featued in the documentary include Orhan Osman, Executive Director of the Institute for Interfaith Dialog and Amad Enchassi, Imam at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City.

The Daily Oklahoman published a story today about the documentary under the title "Oklahoma Muslims, Baptists featured in ABC program about faiths working together to promote peace."

(Update) Another story has been published in the Tennessean where the reporter writes:

Spoiler alert: The hour-long documentary reveals Muslims as human beings. These American Muslims value friendships with non-Muslims. They come to the aid of non-Muslims in crisis. They admire America's pluralism. They have a sense of humor. And Baptists reciprocate.

If such revelations sound jarring, it's a measure of how lazy and underachieving inter-religious relations are today.

(Update) Islam Online has also posted a story about the documentary.