It was 2005, and the Iraq War was in full swing. In the small midwestern community where I lived and ministered, this also meant that jingoism – extreme patriotism – and anti-Islamic sentiment were high.
In response, I decided to have a guest speaker from a local mosque come to First Presbyterian Church in Lincoln, Illinois, and talk about his faith. In order to achieve this, I had to go to the nearby city of Bloomington, Illinois,...
