Contact: Ron Keener, Church Executive Magazine, 800-541-2670 ext 204

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Aug. 22, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- When Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, FL, last fall said it was going to burn a Koran, it received international attention, as well as local clergy concern. At first, Dan Johnson, pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, said nothing.

But when children from families of the Dove Center began this spring sporting T-shirts that read, "Islam is of the Devil," he knew he had to take a stand. "While it is an isolated matter of hatred, it does open up the larger matter of the relationship of Christianity to other world religions."

Johnson notes for much of our lives "we could talk about other religions in the abstract, a phenomenon 'over there' on the other side of the world. But that's not so any more."

"Now our neighbors, classmates, co-workers, and close friends are Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Shinto, Taoists and Jews. We celebrate birthday parties together and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. Our lives are intertwined and enriched," he says.

Johnson's story about going public on the matter, and taking a stand even if his board would not do so, appears in the August issue of Church Executive, a business magazine for larger and megachurches. Fortunately, his board and congregation were behind him when he preached on the matter this spring and issued a public statement.

"This became a marvelous example of clergy and lay leadership working for a common cause hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm," he says. It was also an example of a pastor taking a strong leadership role on a matter of real concern to him and his faith.

He says he also "knew that so many people, especially young people, had such a negative view of the Christian church, and the actions of the Dove center were certainly contributing toward that negative view. So, in addition to the matter of justice and love for neighbor, I felt compelled to present a far different image of the church," Johnson says in the article.

The fact that the Dove Center was only a half-mile from Trinity UMC added to the intensity of the matter. In the end, a Koran was burned at the Dove Center in March, amid a lot of media attention. Before that happened, Johnson met with pastor Terry Jones at the Dove Center, and he regrets only that he was not able to dissuade Jones from doing the burning.

Out of the whole matter developed a Gainesville Interfaith Forum and an event called Gathering for Peace, Understanding and Hope, about embracing their unity as members of the human family. For the story in Church Executive, click here.