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Carl Medearis is an internationally known speaker and
author on Muslim-Christian relations and bridge-building between the Arab and
Western world.
"Since 9/11 the whole world wants to know what
Muslims believe. Who they are? What's their agenda? And how can we bridge this terrible chasm
that has developed between the Christian West and the Muslim East. This book seeks to answer those questions
for the average American church-goer." (back cover)
The first part of each chapter deals with something
Muslims believe and the second half recommends a response that Jesus would
approve. (8)
The name Muhammad is synonymous with the modern
personality of Islam. He was a leader,
having been involved with commerce from an early age. Mecca was a major intersection of trade
routes from as far away as Africa and India.
Already, by Muhammad's birth, Christians and Jews had settled in many
places in Arabia. "The Arabs of
the period were largely pantheistic, and many were outright idolatrous,
worshipping a variety of deities and idols." Mecca was a religious center. The Qur'an shows that Jews and Christians had
a religious impact on the Arabs. (10)
In the beginning Muhammad was a religious seeker and
learned all he could about Judaism and Christianity. According to tradition he was given a
series of messages he believed were from God.
They were complied some time after his death in the Qur'an. (11-12)
"At first, both Christians and Jews were quite
receptive to the message of Muhammad, mainly because he was adamant about the
sovereignty of one true God…"
"Muhammad never had any intention of starting a new religion. …he
considered Islam to be the call to return to the one true God - the God of
Abraham - to submit to Allah." (12-13)
"Allah is
Arabic for 'God.'" "The word
Allah was used by Arab Christians
during Muhammad's time. In fact,
Christians in the Arab world, even as you read this, pray to Allah every day. They're praying to God." "In fact, every translation of the
Bible into Arabic uses the word Allah
for God." (13-14)
"The most important thing we can do as followers of
Jesus is to do just that. Follow
him." "The message that we
carry is Jesus. Not church, not
capitalism, not democracy, not doctrine, not the religion of Christianity,
not Calvin, not Luther, not democrat, not republican." (14)
"Jesus had compassion for people, and he valued the
same quality in his disciples, even above personal sacrifice." (15)
"Don't insult Muhammad, and don't be flippant with
religious phrases or with God or your Bible.
Show respect, and you may well be respected for it." (15)
"Do everything you can to keep it from becoming a me-versus-you debate. That's not what Jesus was about, we would
do well to follow his example." (15)
"Show interest in your Muslim friends' faith. Not as a means of deception, but because
they are your friend, and because you are interested in them and what they
think about God." (15)
"Be genuine, and be patient." "We are not even there to 'build the
kingdom,' but rather to obey the king!
Kings build their own kingdoms…." (16) [Is this a new perspective
for you? How do you feel about it?
dlm]
"In a side-by-side comparison with the Bible, the
Muslim statement of faith is missing one primary thing. Jesus.
The primary thing that we have to offer to our Muslim friends is
Jesus. That's who we need. That's who they need. Having said that; Muslims already believe in Jesus. He's considered the holiest prophet of
Islam, born of a virgin, and now alive in heaven, waiting to return for the
day of judgment. More on that
later." (18)
There is one God.
"The Muslim believes that the oneness of God is of primary
importance." "Many Muslims
believe that the Christian idea of the trinity 'lessens' God, and that it is
an offense against him to believe that he is divided in any way."
(19)
"[Christians] are often tempted to begin
introducing the 'Christian God.' I
believe this is an unnecessary step - even a mistake. Why?
God is who he is. There are
various misunderstanding and lies about God, but none of them change the
reality of who he is." (19)
"…Faith in Jesus comes by seeing him, being touched
by him, being led by the Spirit, and not through intellectual argument."
(20)
"Muslims treat their holy book with extreme
reverence." Be sure to respect
both the Bible and the Qur'an. Use a
clean Bible, treat it with respect, and do not put it on the floor." (21)
"Of all the prophets, there are six which are
considered to be what we could call major prophets. These are: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses,
Jesus, and Muhammad. Because Muhammad
is the final prophet, he is regarded as the 'seal of the prophets,' the last
one, who has rendered all prophecy complete and final." (22)
"Jesus (Isa in the Qur'an) is regarded as a holy
prophet, without sin, born of a virgin, and interestingly enough, called the
'word of God.' (Q 4:171) and also a 'word from God' (Q 3:55)." (22)
"Because we believe, as do Muslims, that there is
only one God, we have an opportunity to enjoy much shared ground. Notice I said enjoy. I did not say exploit. It is very critical that you keep in mind
how sacred the faith of the Muslim is to him. Do not treat it with disregard." (23)
Think before you speak.
Because God is holy and he is One, do not start trying to explain the
Trinity. There will be time for that
later. At the beginning stick with
things about the scripture, God and Jesus." (24)
"When Jesus becomes an object of centrality in
anyone, a polarizing effect takes place: the people with whom you are
involved will either be uncomfortable, or they will be interested."
(24)
Feel free to discuss the prophets. Don't be irreverent and don't be
defensive. "I've tried to make it
a personal goal to never argue with
my Muslim friends." (25)
Read some of the Qur'an.
You can download it from the web.
Democracy is difficult.
"The entire concept of representative government does not gel with
strong religious leadership, much of which comes directly from the Muslim
concept of God. God is not
elected…." "The ideology of
individualism, which we so value in the West…is virtually non-existent in the
Islamic world." (27)
"The structure of Islam is based upon five pillars
of religion." "They are
guidelines for faith, and in Islamic States, they are law…." "Islam is a solidly works-based
religion." "But we have a
key: grace. Like Muslims, we have
prophets of law, and that law can guide us to the grace and truth of Jesus
Christ." (28)
Know the five pillars.
"Don't attempt to argue with the testimony. In truth, the testimony is correct, in that
there is only one God, and his
name, in Arabic, is
Allah." Be careful about
Muhammad. (33) "It's not up to me
to disprove their beliefs, but to show them the Father through Christ which
comes by a revelation of the Spirit of God and my clear testimony." (34)
Be careful not to walk in front of a praying
Muslim. Go around, or wait. Respect the almsving. Participate when you can. Be quick to regard what is virtuous and
don't point out what is not. (34)
The Qur'an can be helpful. Much of it is confusing and
contradictory. Some verses condone
killing. Yet it may be the best inroad
to reach the heart of Muslims. Even
though it says he was not crucified, the goldmine in the Qur'an is Jesus.
(37)
Note that Muslims do not associate the Qur'an and its
writings with any human authors as we do with the Bible. (40)
[A list of Qur'an verses that refer to Jesus is given. It occupies five full pages. dlm]
To befriend a Muslim it is important to know about the
religious, political and cultural barriers.
It is a vastly different culture.
The East and West have always been greatly different.
"Honor and courage are among the chief virtues of
any Arab. Conversely, shame is an
issue which cuts deep into the heart, and even the historical failures of the
Arab people bring a sharp stab of pain if flippantly addressed."
(47)
In Islam God is vast and unknowable. He is known by his wrath vs. his love. He is untouchable and aloof. The idea of him coming to earth is
unthinkable. Avoid phrases like
"son of God" or "Shared godhead." Do not try to explain Christian beliefs and
show their truth and superiority.
Don't try to argue that Jesus is the son of God. Don't deny it either.
The most important question in history is the one Jesus
asked Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" "If we can introduce people to Jesus,
he will take the responsibility of asking each person the same
question." (48)
Be honest, be real.
Confess your faults. Respect
your friends' religion. Assume they
are more holy than you and treat them like it. Be the servant. Be interested in them. (49)
"Honor is a very important issue to Muslim
families, and it is within a woman's reach to bring dishonor on her whole
family. As a result of this, women are
'protected' from impurity and dishonor…." (51) "The Qur'an is explicit about how
women should dress." (52)
"Muslim men traditionally fear western influence
and corruption: keep that in mind if you intend to help 'modernize' the
beliefs of your Muslim friend." (53)
"In Islamic states, the legal evaluation of women
is approximately half that of a man."
"A woman is assumed to be of the religion of her husband."
(53)
"A way to build rapport with a Muslim woman is to
talk about her life, her heart, her experiences, and her beliefs." "Be real, but don't let the
conversation turn into 'how the West is better for women' because that isn't
the point. The point is that Jesus
loves women as much as he does men.
Use the stories of Jesus to point this out…." (60)
"…there is nothing conclusive gained by accusing
the religion itself of brokering the violence committed by a handful of its followers."
(61)
"The party of Ali (Shi'a Ali) became known as the
Shi'a, or Shi'ite sect, and today they comprise only about ten percent of the
Muslim world, primarily in Iran, as well as a growing demographic of Shia
Islam in Iraq. The primary difference
between Sunni and Shi'a is that the Shi'ites believe that Ali was the first
actually rightful caliph. Today, the
word Imam is used." (68)
"Less than five percent of Islamic adherents
practice extremism, or even believe in it.
This faction of Islam is what constitutes the members of such groups
as the Taliban, The Muslim Brotherhood, and the Wahhabi sect of Saudi
Arabia." (69)
Every Muslim believes his religion is directly connected
to Abraham. Why argue this point? Abraham is not the issue. (70)
"Muslims are wounded people, injured by the stigma
attached to them because of radical movements. They have the same fear of Christians that
Christians do of them." (71)
"Forget evangelism as a methodology. You know how it feels when somebody
approaches you with a religious angle.
You don't like having evangelism 'done' to you, so I don't advise
'doing evangelism' to others. Make it
about building a true friendship and let Christ change the heart. Simply present Jesus. Be interested, participate, ask questions,
and above all, love and respect your friend.
This method is called discipleship or mentoring." (71-2)
The top five questions that my Muslim friends ask me:
1. Do you
believe the Qur'an is God's inspired book?
2. Do you
believe Muhammad is a true prophet of God?
3. Has the
Bible been changed?
4. How can
God have a son?
5. Was he
crucified?
[The author suggests how to respond on pp. 73-77. dlm]
Embrace the questions.
Drop the arguments. Take the
questions seriously. Ask questions
yourself but don't pry. (78-9)
"The most serious heresy in Islam is to leave
Islam." The author suggests avoiding the "gospel of
terminology." (80) "There
are a growing number of Muslims … who maintain their cultural identity as
'Muslim', but choose to align themselves with the spiritual and moral
teachings of Jesus, becoming his disciples while becoming what 'Muslim' truly
means: submitted to God. I know that
there is quite a bit of controversy over this issue." (81) [He follows with his rationale, based on scripture
and logic. You will want to read this
and come to your own conclusion. dlm]
"[Christian] is, after all, a word, and for that
matter a loaded word, filled with hidden meanings and historical
grievances." (84)
"Most American Christians…are simply not connected
to the issue in a primary sense. On
the one hand, they know what they read in the Gospels to be true, but at the
same time…they do live in a nation which has color-coded terror
alerts…." "They feel as if it is irrelevant what they feel or believe towards Muslims." (88-9)
"It becomes very difficult to 'love the sinner and
hate the sin,' when you believe you are the target." "That's like loving the bomb and
hating the explosion." (90)
The Europeans defeated the proud Islamic Ottoman Empire,
the last singular collection of Islamic nation-states, giving control to
Catholic/Protestant Christians. The
rope of Islamic unity unraveled into warring nations, tribes, and colonies
owned by European monarchies. The
"God, Gold, and Glory" of Christendom struck into the heart of
Islam, controlling, conniving, and exploiting - often doing the opposite of
what Jesus preached. Contemporary
international policies of the U.S., while reasonable to us, look similar in
their eyes. (90-94)
"By choosing an attitude of love and compassion
toward people we don't understand, and toward an intimidatingly unknown
religion, we can not only see fear and suspicion diminish, we can begin to
build bridges. Bridges which lead to
Jesus, the Prince of peace." (96)
The appendix consists of statistics, facts, and glossary
of terms.
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Arab countries include 380+ million Muslims
·
Sub-Saharan Africa - 250+ million
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Pakistan and Bangladesh - 230 million each
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Indonesia - 195 mission
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India and China - 130 million each
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Iran - 65 million (Shia)
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Southeast Asia 0 100 million.
·
Soviet Central Asia and Azerbaijan - almost 50
million
·
Russia - almost 30 million
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