VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 4/8/11)—The General Executive Council, made up of national and regional leaders of American Baptist Churches USA, released a joint statement condemning the recent act of burning a Qur’an at a church in the United States.

“The desecration of the Qur’an, the sacred text of our Muslim brothers and sisters, violates for us, leaders of the American Baptist Churches USA meeting in Orlando, Florida, on April 4-7, 2011, the Great Commandment of Jesus: to love God wholly and the neighbor as ourselves.

The recent burning of the Qur’an by a church that is not representative of the larger American Christian community is an act that we deplore and causes us to reaffirm our historic Baptist commitment to religious liberty for all people and all faiths.

In our religiously diverse world we believe it is vitally important that we all reach out to each other with respect and openness to advance mutual understanding and cooperation among faith communities.

We are especially grateful for the current and continuing dialogue between Muslims and American Baptists.”

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with 5,500 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.