Bishop Mouneer Anis, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Egypt, delivered his Keynote Address this morning at the 2013 Peacemaker Conference. It was refreshing, challenging, and encouraging to hear how Bishop Mouneer led his congregation in Egypt to respond to enemy attacks with gospel love. Bishop Mouneer recounted how on August 13, 2013, 42 churches and dozens of Christian institutions, schools, homes, and businesses were attacked, following the political change in Egypt. Blood was shed. And yet Bishop Mouneer had the peace and presence of the Lord. The Bishop was reminded of what Jesus taught, “Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.”
As a minority in a muslim majority, Bishop Mouneer sought to live out Romans 12:1-2 by being a living sacrifice and taking up his cross and following Jesus. By the end of the Keynote Address, conference attendees were on their feet, clapping and applauding the Bishop for his bravery and commitment to seeing God glorified in the face of great hatred, darkness and evil.
Perhaps it was the ingenuity of the programs the Bishop organized to bless the community that caught the admiration of my fellow Peacemakers in the room. For example, Bishop Mouneer had implemented community development programs, such as literacy classes, and income generating projects. His church has helped over 3,000 families with income generating education. Or perhaps it was the refugee ministry that caught our attention. Or maybe it was the healing ministries that caught our attention, where the church brought health education and medical outreach to Muslims, sometimes right outside or even inside a Mosque.
Or perhaps we were astonished by the interfaith dialogues that took place, where Christian leaders and Muslims learned to sit down together over a meal and express their concerns and viewpoints. Bishop Mouneer understood that dialogue with Muslims was not compromise or syncretism, but rather an opportunity to show God’s love. “We don’t allow people to shape and mold our mind, but we are different and because we are different, we like to engage them even more.”
But in all likelihood, knowing the attitude of my fellow peacemakers, it was not the breadth or success of the programs that made us give a standing ovation. I for one, stood because I wanted to praise God for Bishop Mouneer’s courage and love. He had the courage to love his enemies in the face of great evil. Instead of returning evil for evil, he blessed his enemies and demonstrated the gospel (Romans 5:8), so that the world would see the love of Christ. It was not the success of the programs, but the Bishop’s faithfulness that got me on my feet. I was encouraged to long to hear the words, “well done thy good and faithful servant.” We Peacemakers clapped to give God the glory for the example Bishop Mouneer demonstrated to us in Egypt. May God get all the glory for the things he has done.
<Missed the 2013 Peacemaker Conference? Get summaries of the 2013 Peacemaker Conference Speakers here!>
