The Easiest People in the World to Witness to
What religion is growing twice as fast as Christianity in the United States? What religion will overtake Christianity as the most populous religion in the world by the year 2050?
The answer is Islam. Muslims comprise about 1% of the American population, but in 30 years their population in the US will double to 2%. Also, they’re young! Although 40% of American adults are younger than 40 years of age, 60% of Muslim adults in the US are younger than 40.
But the most interesting thing to me about Muslims is that they’re the easiest people in the world to witness to. I haven’t witnessed to every demographic, but among those that I’ve witnessed to, Muslims are the easiest.
Muslims don’t have a great reputation among American Christians. They’re often associated with terrorism because, it’s true, the 9/11 terrorists were Muslims, and a minority of Muslims still want to destroy Christianity and Western society. But that ideology is rare among Muslims. About 3/4 of American Muslims are first- or second-generation immigrants, and like most immigrants they want to fit in with their new country, assimilate to the culture, be good citizens, and make friends with the natives (that’s us).
Muslims have a lot in common with Christians. They believe in one God who created the heavens and the earth, along with Adam and Eve as the first humans. They believe in many of the Christian scriptures (the Pentateuch, the Psalms, and the Gospels) although they suspect that they’ve been corrupted since they were first written. The believe in many of the Biblical prophets, like Moses, David, Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, and John the Baptist. They place a strong emphasis on prayer and morality. Their scriptures have a lot in common with the Bible. Listen to the following passage from their holy book, the Quran:
“God! There is no god except He, the Living, the Everlasting. Neither slumber overtakes Him, nor sleep. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His permission? He knows what is before them, and what is behind them; and they cannot grasp any of His knowledge, except as He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation does not burden Him. He is the Most High, the Great.”
This is Sura 2:255 and it sounds a lot like the Bible! Of course, Mohamed plagiarized much of the Bible and the apocrypha, but that’s a separate issue … the point is that when we interact with Muslims, we need to find common ground – and we can! – just like Jesus found common ground with the woman at the well (John 4) and Paul found common ground with the Athenian philosophers (Acts 17).
The best reason that Muslims are easy to witness to is that they love Jesus. If you want to talk with Muslims about Jesus, you will have a willing and interested conversation partner. They believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, was a great prophet, performed miracles, ascended to heaven at the end of his earthly life, and will return to earth again. Muslims do not believe that Jesus was crucified, was raised from the dead, or is divine, but much of what they believe about Jesus is the same as what Christians believe. Here's how I witness to Muslims:
The word Injil is the Arabic word for Gospel, a word with which Muslims are familiar. Muslims understand the word Gospel much differently than Christians do, but that’s the point of having a discussion.
At this point I give my friend a copy of one of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John). Most Americans don’t like to talk about Jesus or God – it’s awkward, sensitive, and politically incorrect. But most Muslims are more than willing to talk about Jesus and God. Most of the time my friend is happy to receive a copy of the Gospel, and we’re off and running with a long-term conversation.
Of course, there’s a huge variety among Muslims, just like there’s a huge variety among Christians. Imagine the differences between Catholics, Mormons, Mennonites, Presbyterians, Pentecostals … these are the same levels of difference that we see among Muslims. So I can’t study Islam and then suppose that I understand my Muslim friend. I have to treat him as the unique person that he is, with all of his individual beliefs and perspectives. I have to listen to him. But in general, Muslims are the easiest group in the world to witness to.
I’m not saying that it’s easy for Muslims to convert to Christianity. For one thing, it’s not easy for anyone to convert to Christianity. For another thing, Muslims often have to forsake their family and friends to become Christian. Muslims who convert to Christianity often have to give up the option of ever returning to their home country at the risk of going to prison. This is especially true if they’re from a country like Pakistan, Iran, India, Nigeria, Libya, or Saudi Arabia. In many of these countries, Christianity is legal for people who were raised in Christian families, but it is not legal to convert from Islam to Christianity.
Imagine if you, as a Christian, became convinced that another religion was the true way to God. But in order to convert to that religion you had to give up all associations with family and friends, leave the United States, and never again return. I think that most Christians would not convert, even if they were convinced that God wanted them to. This is the situation that many Muslims find themselves in – it’s just not worth the risk.
But some of them will be open to the Spirit of God, the voice of reason, and the beauty of Jesus Christ. They deserve a chance. When you meet Muslims, share the Gospel with them. You may be surprised at how well it turns out.
Dan, many good comments here, and a refreshing difference from the Islam-bashing that GACs often issue forth, usually without having ever made contact with "good Muslims". Some points in response:
ReplyDelete1. "Jesus found common ground with the woman at the well (John 4)" This is somewhat off-topic for me to address, but it fits in with the Middle East origin of Islam. The woman was Samaritan and Jesus probably was not acclimated to her outlook any more than Judean Israelites who hated the Samaritans. They had good reason to; the Samaritans were Babylonians, relocated from seven (7) Babylonian cities into Israel after the Assyrians had depopulation (by deportation) the northern kingdom territory. They came from the origin (Babylon) of all extant forms of paganism today. A careful reading of the encounter shows that Jesus said nothing good about Samaritans! Yet he was kind to the well-woman. He set a good example of how to interact with people having a different/conflicting worldview.
I have encountered Indians (Bharatis), Jews, and Muslims who are far more respectful of others' views than I have found among fellow GACs. I suspect that this is largely because American culture breeds exceptionalism, superiority, and downright arrogance - and GACs have not often recognized how they are being conditioned in attitude by the surrounding mental environment.
2. I haven't looked at this in detail - maybe you have, Dan or others - but it might be possible to believe the gospel while retaining the formal affiliations and group inclusions of Islam. At least one member of the Judean Sanhedrin, Gamaliel, was a secret (or at least low-key) disciple of Jesus, as was another Sanhedrin member, Joseph of Arimathea. "Joe" had perhaps the most political clout of anyone in the Sanhedrin, having the Roman title of Nobilus Decurio (a very interesting piece of forgotten history for another time). A Muslim Christian would still have plenty of non-Christian "baggage" to carry with his Christian beliefs, but guess what? Christians do too! Not only Catholics, Mormons, and JWs, but also Protestants and even evangelical Christians, including myself, if only I knew what the baggage was. Anyway, any thoughts on that?
3. What is the Islamic response to the question: Is Allah the God of Abraham? It must be "yes", though I have lightly perused literature that says "Allah" was a pagan moon god of the Arabic tribes. Any light on this?
4. Finally, Islamic geopolitics categorizes countries into three: 1. Islamic countries; 2) countries in conflict with Islam (US, much of the West, Israel, etc), and 3) countries that are non-Islamic but are at peace with Islam. This third category would include true Christian countries (a topic for another time) and also true Judaists. Authentic followers of these three "religions of the Book" have so much of a common foundation that they must logically be allies in opposition to apostasy. Yet the devil has seen to it that this is usually not the case - a successful divide and conquer strategy!
1. Great point about the Samaritans. And I also agree with the rest of your point #1, unfortunately. One of the inherent hazards of being right is pride - and one of the inherent dangers of believing that Jesus is the only way is arrogance. Most other religions (most Muslims, Buddhists, etc.) don't condemn other religions like Christianity condemns its competitors.
ReplyDelete2. I have wondered about this point many times. Some Muslims, convinced in the truth of Christianity but not ready to leave Islam, have actually asked me, "Don't tell anyone that I'm asking you this ... but can't I be both a Christian AND a Muslim at the same time?" All I can tell them is that they must believe that Jesus died and rose again for the forgiveness of their sins in order to be saved. What about the deity of Christ? That is a really tough question - not the question of whether he is God or not, but the question of whether or not someone has to *believe* that Jesus is God in order to be saved. I doubt that the Philippian jailer in Acts 16 had a great understanding of the Trinity :) but Paul demanded that he switch his allegiance from Rome to Jesus in order to be saved, and then Paul baptized him that same night.
3. Muslims that I know would definitely agree that Allah was the God of Abraham - I have not heard the other viewpoint. Maybe they believe Abraham's father worshiped a pagan god? Whether or not Muslims worship the same God as Christians is a more interesting question, which I may write about later.
4. Interestingly, when Islam first began to grow in popularity (very early - before 1000 AD) it was viewed by most Christians as a Christian cult! After all, they believed in the Bible, more or less - they believed in Jesus, more or less. Once you start killing each other it becomes more difficult to believe that you're both part of the same religion.
On # 2, as George Eldon Ladd points out, the emphasis in the message of the early church was not the Four Spiritual Laws or other gospel claptrap popular in this era but ... the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. How he was ontologically in relation to "the Father" is never spelled out in the Bible in textbook fashion. Yet, if Jesus actually was resurrected, that is a concrete evidential basis for belief in him, whatever analytic model of divinity is to be applied to him. The scriptures affirm clearly that he is "god" but never tell us in satisfying detail what that means. Paul talks about what Yahweh gave up of his higher powers in his human incarnation, but who exactly "the Father" is will await further revelation, I suppose. Yahweh never revealed his "inner workings" to Israel, though they were always asking him to reveal his characteristics (name). Why? What a source of power if they could control him to their ends!
DeleteEntrance into the Kingdom of God (as I explain in detail in The Grand Deception) is primarily an act of affirming, in word and deed, a political loyalty to the government of Jesus. Yet I never hear (almost never - not at all in the ACC) any talk about the church as having an identity rooted in political loyalty to the KoG. If Americans are asked which jurisdiction they are citizens of they say "the united States", not the Kingdom of Heaven. That shows the lack of any real identity among Christians regarding social structures. The jurisdiction of King Jesus is within church-building walls, not in the public domain. (That is not the case in Belize.)
Dennis, these problems in the church partly stem from the physical / spiritual separation that has pervaded the church.
Delete"There are two different spheres of existence, so we claim loyalty to America as physical beings, and loyalty to God as spiritual beings. We enjoy everything the world has to offer while on earth, and look forward to enjoying heaven after earth. God's kingdom is in heaven and doesn't have anything to do with earth. Church is church, and business is business, and never the twain shall meet."
It's first-century Gnosticism all over again. Truly there is nothing new under the sun.