An Introduction to Islam
[Link]
Jim Sutherland, PhD, Director
1
World Religions by Percentage and Size
of World Population--2009
World Religions by Percentage World Religions by Population
Christians 33% Christians 2,271,727,000
Muslims 21% Muslims 1,449,614,000
Hindus 13% Hindus 913,455,000
Nonreligious 11% Nonreligious 773,947,000
Chinese universists Chinese universists 388,609,000
6%
Buddhists 6% Buddhists 387,872,000
Ethnoreligionists 4% Ethnoreligionists 266,281,000
Atheists 2% Atheists 148,346,000
Other 3% Other 228,306,000
David Barrett, Todd M. Johnson & Peter Crossing, “Christian World Communions: Five Overviews of
Global Christianity, AD 1800-2025,” Int’l Bulletin of Missionary Research, Jan. 2009, Global Table 5, p. 25.
Percentages of World Population:
Hindu, Muslim & Christian--2009
Annual percentage Percent of world Percent of world
growth rates as of population 2009 population 2025
2009 (est.)
Hindu 13.4 13.6
1.35 per annum
Muslim 21.2 23.5
1.75 per annum
Christian (all groups) 33.3 33.9
1.32 per annum
David Barrett, Todd M. Johnson & Peter Crossing, “Christian World Communions: Five Overviews of
Global Christianity, AD 1800-2025,” Int’l Bulletin of Missionary Research, Jan. 2009, Global Table 5, p. 25.
Muslim majority
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Islam
5
Islam
• (In Arabic, “Islam” means submission to the will of God).
The religious faith of Muslims who profess belief in Allah as
the sole deity and in Muhammad as the prophet of Allah.
– As of 2005, there were 4,750,000 Muslims in the USA, or about
1.6% of the population. World Christian Database
6
Muhammed’s Early Years
• Born around 570 AD, he was raised after age 6 by relatives.
– During his youth he came into contact with Jews and Christians of
various persuasions (including Nestorians), very probably leading
him to a belief in one God, in contrast to the polytheism of his tribe.
– At 25 he married a rich widow named Khadija, with whom he lived
until she died twenty-five years later. Of the 5-6 children they had,
only Fatima survived her father.
– Now 40, he thought much about the coming judgment day and hell,
meditating in the wilderness. Tradition provides that after several
days in a cave near Mt. Hira and Mecca, an angelic vision compelled
him to recite a revelation. Norman Anderson, “Islam,” ch. 3 in The World’s Religions,
ISBN: 0851113141, re: 1989, p. 93; J. Noss & D. Noss, Man’s Religions, 7th Ed., p. 501-502.
7
Coming Into Power
• He at first doubted that the visions were from God through
the angel Gabriel, but Khadija, together with others,
encouraged him, and he came to confidence that he was
both prophet and apostle of the God of the Jews and
Christians, but to the Arabs. Noss, p. 503; Anderson, p. 96.
– Early Suras seem to emphasize divine judgment, while later ones
the unity and otherness of God. Anderson, p. 94
– After being largely rejected in his own city of Mecca, he migrated
(hijra) eventually to Medina in 622, and there was given full authority
as prophet and virtual king. Nine years later he conquered Mecca
and became the leading Arab of their peninsula. Anderson, pp. 94-96.
8
Method of Revelations
• His revelations appeared to some as his being seized, or
similar to seizures, with cold sweats. He claimed that an
angel in the form of a man talked with him, although none
around him could see this person. Noss, p. 505
– “To work (these stories) up into the form of rhymed Suras…must
have required time, thought and labour. It is not possible that a man
who had done this could have forgotten all about it, and believed that
these legends had been brought to him ready prepared by an angelic
visitor.” R. Osborne, quoted by N. Anderson, p. 97
– Some sections are very similar to the Talmud and the OT.
– He claimed that his account of OT history was accurate and the
Hebrew OT corrupted, when they disagreed.
9
Revelations Concerning
Muhammed’s Wives
• He received special dispensation from God that only he
could have more than 4 wives (Sura 33:50), and he had
15. Anis Shorrosh, Islam Revealed, ISBN: 0840730152, p. 56.
• He had another special revelation exempting him from the
taboo against marrying a beautiful daughter-in-law, who
had divorced his adoptive son Ali (Sura 33:36-38).
• Muhammed’s surviving wives could not remarry (Sura
33:53).
• After the age of 50 he married ‘Ayisha, a girl 6, and
consummated that marriage when she was 9. Stuart Robinson,
Mosques and Miracles, 2004, ISBN: 0957790554, p. 133.
10
Imitation of the Prophet
• Followers of no other religion try to imitate their founder in
as minute detail as those of Muhammed. D. G. Hogarth, cited by N.
Anderson, p. 99
– Ahmad ibn Hanbal, a Traditionalist, did not eat watermelons
because he didn’t know the exact way by which Muhammed ate
them. Anderson, p. 99
– The Koran dictates in immense detail responsibilities for the whole
range of human life. Anderson, p. 114
• Conversely, Christians have freedom in the Spirit: 2 Corinthians
3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord
is, there is freedom.”
11
Muslims
• Followers of Islam, in its 2 main branches (with schools of
law, rites or sects):
– Sunnis or Sunnites (Hanafite, Hanbalite, Malikite, Shafiite)
– Shias or Shiites (Ithna- Ashari, Ismaili, Alawite and Zaydi
versions)
• Also:
– Kharijite and other orthodox sects
– Reform movements (Wahhabi, Sanusi, Mahdiya), also heterodox
sects (Ahmadiya, Druzes, Yazidis)
• Excluding syncretistic religions with Muslim elements, and
partially-islamized tribal religionists
World Christian Database
12
Sunnis and Shias Defined
• Sunnis: “Followers of the larger of the major branches of
Islam, that adheres to the orthodox tradition of the sunna,
acknowledges the first 4 caliphs, and recognizes 4 schools
of jurisprudence: Hanafite, Hanbalite, Malikite, Shafiite.”
– Sunna: “The body of hadith, traditions of Muhammed, i.e. of
Islamic custom and practice.”
• (Shi’is). “Followers of the smaller of the 2 great divisions of
Islam, rejecting the Sunna and holding that Mohammed’s
son-in-law Ali was the Prophet’s successor and itself
divided into the Ithna-Ashari Ismaili, Alawite and Zaydi
sects.”
World Christian Database
13
Sunni Authorities
• The four school of jurisprudence accept these as
authoritative:
– The Koran
– The Sunna or Traditions of the Prophet
– The “Ijma,” or what the Muslim community agrees upon
– The Qiyas, which are deduced from the above three authorities.
Anderson, p. 108
• Muslims today, in general, do not feel that they have the
right to interpret the Koran for themselves (“ijtihad”).
Rather, Muslims must submit to previous commentary on
the Koran. Anderson, p. 108
14
Muslim Distribution
15
[Link] 1995
16
17
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15 of the 20 Least-reached Peoples
are 100% Muslim
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World Christian Database
The European Church
• 2,224,800 In 1900 94.5% of Europe was Christian, but in
2000 only 76.8% was.
– The 1990s saw a reversal of the decline of Christianity in Europe. In
1990 76.2% were Christian, while in 2000 the number is 76.6%.
The conversion gain was 34%, compared to 10% globally. North
America, Latin America and Oceania saw a net loss of Christians in
the 1990s.
Michael Jaffarian, “The demographics of world religions entering the 21st century,” in Between past
& future, J. Bonk ed. 2003, pp. 261-262.
Europe’s Future
• By 2050 Europe will have an estimated 2.3% evangelical
population, while Muslims may be 11%.
– Patrick Johnstone, “Look at the Fields: Survey of the Task,” ch. 1 in From Seed to Fruit: Global
trends, fruitful practices, and emerging issues among Muslims, 2008, ISBN: 9780878080038,
p.10.
• With very low birth rates of Europeans, some Muslims
expect to be able to turn European countries into Muslim
states simply by voting.
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Comparison of Scriptures
• Bible • Quran (Muslim’s view)
– Without error in – Believed accurately
autographs preserved by Allah (15:9)
– Given by God via the Spirit – Dictated to illiterate
• 2 Peter 1:20-21 20 Above all, you Muhammad by the angel
must understand that no Gabriel.
prophecy of Scripture came about
by the prophet's own • Sura 2.97 “Say: Whoever is an
interpretation. 21 For prophecy enemy to Gabriel-for he brings down
never had its origin in the will of the (revelation) to thy heart by
man, but men spoke from God as Allah’s will, a confirmation of what
they were carried along by the went before, and guidance and glad
Holy Spirit. tidings for those who believe”
• 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is • Prescriptive, rather than descriptive
(Dr. Ergun Caner).
God-breathed…”
• God used the personalities of the
writers—mediated, not dictated.
[Link]/Intro/[Link] 22
Comparison of Scriptures
• Bible • Quran
– Contains thousands of – Contains no actual
prophecies, many of which predictive prophecy.
[Link]/worldview_3/quranvbi
have been fulfilled. [Link] R. Totten
• Jer. 51:35-40; 49:17-18; Micah – Given to Muhammad
5:2; Ps. 22:14-18; Is. 53:1-10
during approximately 20
– In the Quran Muslims are years in “ecstatic
told that Allah revealed the states.” (J. Noss & D. Noss, Man’s
Torah and the Gospel Religions, 7th Ed., p. 506)
• Sura 3:3 It is He Who sent down – Sura 10:94 “If thou wert in
to thee, in truth, the Book, doubt as to what We have
confirming what went before it; revealed unto thee, then ask
and He sent down the Law (of those who have been reading
Moses) and the Gospel (of the Book from before thee”
Jesus) before this, as a guide to [ask Christians]
mankind cf.4:136 23
Comparison of Scriptures
• Bible • Quran
– Is not eternal, but the – Considered eternal,
product of prophetic and descended from heaven, the
apostolic authority. Jesus is the actual words of God. Noss, p. 94.
eternal Word of God (John 1:1-5, – (W)hat the Qur'an is to the
14). Muslim, 'Christ himself' is to
– We don’t consider only the the Christian. We are not
Hebrew and Greek (& Aramaic) 'book'-centered; we are
copies to be truly authoritative, 'Person'-centered (that is,
but encourage translations. For 'Christ'-centered)! [Link]-
[Link]/Intro/[Link]
Islam, the Quran in Arabic is
– Muslims consider the Bible to
authoritative, superseding the
be corrupted.
Bible.
• “But the transgressors
– Translations from Arabic are
changed the word from
interpretations. [Link]-
[Link]/Intro/[Link] that which had been given
them” Sura 2:59 24
Understanding of God
• God is a Tri-unity • “There is no god but God.”
– Matt. 3:16-17; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; (Shahadah)
Eph. 4:4-6; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. – Say not "Trinity" : desist: it will
1:2; 4:14; Gen. 1:2,26 +John be better for you: for Allah is
1:1-3; Matt. 28:19 one Allah. Surah 4:171; cf.
5:76 [Link]-
• God is Father to Christians [Link]/Intro/[Link]
(Matt. 6:9)—an intimate • God is not Father to His
Father (Rom. 8:15; Gal. followers, but more a
4:6). merciful Judge.
• God is not only just, but – Of the 99 names for God, not
gracious. He gives what we one shows a personal
don’t deserve in the death relationship (Ergun Caner).
[Link]
of Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9). nine_names_of_Allah
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Understanding of God
• God is love (I John 4:8-- • Allah is characterized
agape). God’s love is based primarily by justice and
upon His own character mercy. Allah loves those
more than the merit of the who do what is right (Surah
beloved. 2:195, 222, 276; 3:31, 134,
– God loves even the etc.),but not unconditionally
prodigals (Luke 15) and (agape love).
the transgressors (Rom. • He does not love the
5:8-10). prodigals (7:31) or
• God is also sovereign in His transgressors (5:87).
mercy and compassion • God forgives or chastens
(Rom. 9:15-16). according to his will (5:18).
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Understanding of God
• God is singular: “apart from • The Koran teaches that
Me there is no God,” Is. 44:6; Allah is the same God as
45:5, or Savior (Is. 45:21). the God of Jews and
• No one comes to the Father Christians. “We believe in
except through Jesus (John the Revelation which has
14:6). come down to us and in
• Jesus claims to be one with that which came down to
the Father (John 10:30). If we you; Our God and your God
see Jesus, we see the Father is One; And it is to Him we
(John 14:9). If we don’t believe bow.” Sura 29:46
in Jesus, we are condemned
(John 3:18).
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Discrepancies Between
The Bible & The Koran
• The Koran emerged to correct the Bible, due to supposed
corruption in transmission.
[Link] accessed 3/5/09
– All sons of Noah are saved from the Flood: Gen. 8:18; One of
Noah’s sons rejects him and is drowned: Sura 11:43.
• Noah wife is labeled as being untrue to him—Sura 66:10.
– Lot’s wife is turned into a pillar of salt: Gen. 19:26; she does not
leave Sodom: Sura 11:81.
– The Queen of Sheba inquires of Solomon’s wisdom: 1 Kings 10:1-
3; she becomes a monotheist: Sura 27:43
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Discrepancies Between
The Bible & The Koran
• Haman served under Persian King Xerxes: Esther 3:1; Haman served
a Pharaoh (“Firaun”), Sura 28:6.
• Aaron made the golden calf that was worshipped when Moses was on
Mt. Sinai, and “had let them get out of control,” Ex. 32:24-25; Aaron
professed innocence and had almost died from abuse by the
Israelites, Sura 7:150.
• The Bible does not mention the infant Jesus speaking intelligible
sentences; The Koran does: Sura19:30-33.
• Mary, mother of Jesus was said to have Aaron for a brother—Sura
19:28. Some Muslims say this [suddenly] refers to the Miriam of Ex.
15:20 (their names are the same in Arabic).
• Muhammed believed the Christian Trinity was composed of the
Father, Mary and their offspring, Jesus (Sura 4:171; 5:72).
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Sin and Salvation
• Adam’s sin is transmitted to • Adam was forgiven (Sura
all, and all individually sin 20:122), and sin was not
(Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22; transmitted to all.
Rom. 3:10-12). – It hasn’t been easy to
– The wages of sin is death, convince Muslims I’ve met
resulting in Hell (Rom. 6:23; that they sin.
Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:14-15). – A Muslim must have at least
– Salvation is by God’s grace 51% good deeds in life, or
and mercy (Rom. 6:23; Titus face roasting in Hell (Sura
3:5; Eph. 2:8-9), through the 23:103).
sacrificial, substitutionary • Angel on the right shoulder
sacrifice of Jesus Christ (1 records good, on left, evil.
Pet. 2:24). – Sura 56 describes Hell as
black smoke and drinking
boiling water.
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Sin and Salvation
• Christians can have • Muslims cannot be sure of
assurance of salvation their salvation, unless they
before death (1 John 5:11- die in a jihad that has been
13), because our trust is in legitimized by a fatwah.
the finished sacrifice of (Ergun Caner).
Christ on the cross, and the – Those whose scales are
love of the Father, not in our heavy with good deeds can
enjoy a garden of paradise
performance (John 19:30; 1 with feasting and perpetual
John 4:16-17; Col. 1:19-20). virgins serving them (Sura
56.21-22;36).
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Christ
• Christians believe that He • Muslims believe that He
was a prophet, lived a was a prophet and
sinless life, died on the Messiah (Sura 2.136;
cross for sin and is God 3.45). He was not crucified
incarnate and the Messiah (Sura 4:57). He did
(Mk. 6:4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. miracles but is not God’s
2:6-8). son (Sura 5:110; 4.171).
– Muhammad was told to ask for • Prophets are considered
forgiveness for his sin (Sura sinless (isma). [Link]-
40:55; 47:19). [Link]/Intro/[Link]
• To call Jesus “Allah,” being
son of Mary, is
blasphemous. (5:72-73)
32
Sharia Law
• “There is no strictly static set of laws of sharia.
Sharia is more of a system of law, a consensus
of the unified spirit, based on the Koran (the
religious test of Islam), hadith (sayings and
doings of Muhammad and his companions), lima
(consensus), Qivas (reasoning by analogy) and
centuries of debate, interpretation and
precedent.” Wikipedia
33
Sharia Law
• Sharia law is established in separate courts in
England and is one of the major aims of Muslims
as they gain a majority in nations such as Nigeria.
– These practices are legal: amputation, stoning, honor
killing, killing of apostates, wife-beating, female genital
mutilation, punishment for blasphemy.
Cinnamon Stillwell, “Sharia Law: Coming to a Western Nation near you,”
FrontPage Magazine, 9/25/08
34
Basic Doctrines
• Belief in God—oneness
• Belief in angels
• Belief in God’s prophets (Muhammad is the final
prophet)
• Belief in the holy books
• Belief in the Day of Judgment
• Belief in predestination (God’s divine decrees)
– Sam Elisha; Anderson, p. 115
35
Basic Practices
1. Profession of Faith, Shahadah, "There is no God but
Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet".
2. Prayer, five times a day & on Fridays--The "Salat"
3. Giving of alms, “Zakat” 2.5% to Dar Islam
4. Fasting, "Sawm," on the month of “Ramadan”
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca—The Hajj
[Link]
6. Christianity is concerned with orthodoxy—Islam
with orthopraxy. [Link]/Intro/[Link]
36
Witnessing to a Muslim
• Be patient. A Muslim convert will be rejected by
that family—it’s momentous.
• Don’t offend a Muslim by eating shellfish, pork or
lard-based foods. Men speak to men and women
to women.
• Focus upon God’s finished work of atonement and
upon God’s grace.
– Ergun Caner, “What Do Muslims Believe?, Ankerberg Theological
Research Institute DVD.
• Don’t assume the person is a theologically trained
Muslim—s/he may be a cultural Muslim. 37
Dreams and Visions
• Due perhaps to the few missionaries, and the
extraordinary insulation of many Muslims, God is
using dreams and visions to bring many Muslims to
Himself.
– Rajab Ali Nozad, formerly a Shiite Iranian, was given a
vision of two “spiritual forms” who told him, “God is and
Jesus is true. Of that rest assured and come.” He then had
joy and began to understand the Bible, coming to Christ. His
account is at: [Link]
– “More Than Dreams,” a DVD, dramatizes the accounts of
Muslims from Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia, Iran and Turkey
who found Christ through visions. [Link] not accessible
38
2-
25-09
Muslim Distribution
• As of 2008, Muslims were in the majority in 50 nations.
– Globally, only about 20% of Muslims are of Arabic
background. Patrick Johnstone, “Look at the Fields: Survey of the Task,” ch. 1 in From Seed to
Fruit: Global trends, fruitful practices, and emerging issues among Muslims, 2008, ISBN:
9780878080038, p.10.
• There are approximately 8.3 million Evangelicals
inside Muslim nations, which is about .57% of the
Muslim population.
• As of 2008, there exist an estimated 229 unengaged,
unreached Muslim groups of at least 100,000. Jim Haney,
“First Fruits and Future Harvests,” Ch. 6 in From Seed to Fruit: Global trends, fruitful practices, and emerging
issues among Muslims, 2008, ISBN: 9780878080038, p. 87.
39
Jihad Is Supported by Quran
• Sura 4.89: They desire that you should disbelieve as
they have disbelieved, so that you might be (all) alike;
therefore take not from among them friends until they fly
(their homes) in Allah's way; but if they turn back, then
seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and
take not from among them a friend or a helper. (Shakir
trans.)
• So when the sacred months have passed away, then
slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them
captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in
every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer
and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them;
40
surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
Global Domination
• Muslim extremists want domination of the world by
Islam.
• The founder and board chairman of the Council for
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Omar Ahmed,
told Muslims in Freemont, California in 1998,
“Islam isn’t in America to be equal to any other
faith, but to become dominant. The Koran should
be the highest authority in America, and Islam the
only accepted religion on Earth.”
• Brigitte Gabriel, Because They Hate, 2006, ISBN: 9780312358389, p. 138. See
[Link] and [Link]
41
Muslim Persecution of MBBs
• A MBB pastor and family in Kiegestan must
move about every 6 months, due to community
and government pressure on landlords, due to
the “shame” he brings on the community.
– A sister-in-law of this pastor who is single faces much
pressure from her family for following Christ and not
Islam.
42
US Prison Muslim Recruitment
• The National Islamic Prison Foundation, funded by the
American Muslim Foundation with Saudi Arabian funds,
aims to convert to Islam American prisoners, two-thirds
of whom are nonwhite. Being already at odds with US
society, they are natural targets. An estimated one in six
US prisoners are Muslims. Chuck Colson, “Evangelizing for Evil in Our
Prisons: Radical Islamists seek to turn criminals into terrorists,” June 24, 2002,
[Link]/editorial/[Link]?id=110001885 , accessed 3/24/09
– “Responsible for indoctrinating the inmates in NIPF’s program
are Saudi-trained Islamic clerics, who generally preach
Wahhabism, an extreme form of Islam embraced by the Taliban
and al Qaeda, and associated with virulent anti-Semetic and
anti-Western worldviews.”
[Link]/[Link]?grpid=6387, accessed 3/24/09
43
New Media and Muslims
• “In the Middle East, there are an estimated
41,939,200 Internet users, and between 2000 and
2008 the region witnessed an impressive Internet
usage growth rate of 1,176.8 %.”
[Link]/[Link], accessed 2/23/09
– “197,090,443 population estimate for the Middle East in
2008”
– “41,939,200 Internet users as of Mar.31/08, 21.3% of
population” [Link]/[Link], accessed 2/23/09
44
Christianity and the Internet
• 56 global ministry networks have developed, with
350 million computers. (David B. Barrett & Todd M. Johnson, World Christian
Trends AD30-AD 2200, p. 71)
• How well are we evangelizing on the Web? Are we
providing Christian knowledge-seekers with solid
teaching?
– Father Zakaria Boutros “Father Z” has 300 million annual hits to his
websites, exposing Islam. His TV programs (260 of them) are
watched by 20 million people and are downloaded by the hundreds
of thousands on the Internet. [Link]
Presentation by Father Z and Haroum Ibraham at Maclellan Global
Briefing, 8/8/07
Why Do Muslims Follow “Isa”?
• J. Dudley Woodberry and Russell G. Shubin, in their
article “Why I Chose Jesus,” document these reasons:
– Muslims are drawn to Jesus, to the Bible and particularly to the
Sermon on the Mount.
– Muslims usually do not have an assurance of their salvation.
Christ offers this (cf. 1 John 5:11-13).
– The character of Christ attracts Muslims.
– The Bible provides satisfying answers.
– Over 25% of a survey of 120 Muslim Background Believers
(MBB) indicated that a dream or vision “were key in drawing
them to Christ and sustaining them through difficult times.”
• Mission Frontiers, March 2001, [Link]/pdf/2001/01/[Link],
accessed 2/26/09
46
Other Factors Leading to Christ
• The “power of love” was named by half as the
greatest reason for becoming a follower of Christ.
– This was both the love of Believers and that of God.
• A personal relationship with God was cited by
10% of the survey as the main reason they
followed Christ. God is Father (Rom. 8:15: Gal.
4:6) [Link]/pdf/2001/01/[Link], accessed 2/26/09
47
Why Do Muslims Follow “Isa”?
• Woodberry and Shubin note concerning dreams
and visions:
– Christ is often seen in a white robe.
– There are often “preparatory” visions to salvation. A
person may be directed to visit a particular follower of
Christ.
– A second type of vision is “empowering,” to sustain
through torture, for example.
– A third is some kind of supernatural event pointing
people to Christ.
Mission Frontiers, March 2001, [Link]/pdf/2001/01/[Link], accessed 48
2/26/09
Three “Fruitful Practices” in
Reaching Muslims
• From responses by 300 workers who attempt to
establish fellowships among Muslims (representing more
than 30 organizations) some fruitful practices emerged.
1. Use the heart language of the people--99% considered
this important and 94% practiced it.
2. Use storying in oral cultures to share the Gospel—98%
believed this important, and 74% practiced it.
3. Use local methods to develop leaders--such as
informal apprenticeships—98% believed it important,
and 80% did it.
Don Allen, “Eyes to See, Ears to Hear,” Ch. 7 in From Seed to Fruit: Global trends, fruitful practices,
and emerging issues among Muslims, 2008, ISBN: 9780878080038, pp. 101-105.
49
Nine “Fruitful Practices” in
Witnessing
1. Witness through social networks, such as families, as a
means to form fellowships.
2. Communicate the Gospel in ways that make the most
sense in the local culture. “Use scripture that addresses
worldview issues and creates spiritual hunger.”
3. Witness in the heart language. Since women know
trade languages less than men, the heart language is
more important to them.
4. Adapt to the local culture in dress, language and
patterns of behavior—more important in rural areas.
50
Nine “Fruitful Practices” in
Witnessing
5. Proclaim the Gospel boldly.
6. Offer to pray for people’s friends, while the friends are
there, in the name of “Isa al-Masih”.
7. Utilize the personal testimonies of Muslim Background
Believers.
8. Use evangelistic methods that can be reproduced.
9. Use a variety of methods to share the Gospel, rather
than a single approach.
David Greenlee and Pam Wilson, “The Sowing of Witnessing,”, Ch. 8 in From Seed to Fruit:
Global trends, fruitful practices, and emerging issues among Muslims, 2008, ISBN:
9780878080038, pp. 113- 121.
51
John Travis’ “C1-C6 Spectrum” of Muslim
Background Believer Christ-centeredness
• C1--a church that is culturally alien to the Muslim
community in language, music and other forms
• C2—a church that uses the local Muslim language, but in
other regards is alien to the Muslim community.
• C3—a C2 church that uses non-Islamic local cultural
forms, such as clothing and art
• C4– a C3 church that uses Muslim cultural forms that do
not violate the Bible. Muslims consider them Christians.
They may use Muslim prayer posture and a Muslim diet.
Most missionaries try to plant this kind of fellowship.
52
John Travis’ “C1-C6 Spectrum” of Muslim
Background Believer Christ-centeredness
• C5– a C4 church, with the distinctions that members
consider themselves to be Muslims, but followers of “Isa”,
and that Muslims consider them to be basically Muslims.
Their theology is biblical, however.
• C6—secret believers in Christ, considered to be Muslims.
They consider themselves to be either Christians or
followers of Isa, but are considered by Muslims to be
Muslims.
Joshua Massey, “God’s Amazing Diversity in Drawing Muslims to Christ,” International Journal of Frontier
Missions, 17:1, Spring 2000, pp. 5-13.
53
Useful Websites for
Islamic Study
• [Link]
0301
• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]
[Link] (differences between Shi’ah and Sunni)
• [Link]
• [Link] Koran online
END 54
