As many of you know I am currently hosting a week of radio broadcasts which focuses on understanding Islam. I have been very concerned about the extremism that I often find in Christian circles concerning this religion. On the one end of the spectrum are those who are totally passive about the radical differences between Christianity and Islam believing that for the most part both religions are fundamentally the same. On the other end of the spectrum are those who are so paralyzed by irrational fear that although they recognize the stark differences between the two faiths they won’t dare evangelize those beautiful Muslim people who they know lack saving faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior. My hope is that through my radio program Christians will become more informed and increase in both their courage and compassion as it pertains to witnessing to Muslims. In my personal experience I have had some success in sharing my faith with those who I love which are a part of the Muslim faith. I have found most of them to be very reasonable and open to intellectual dialogue. However, I believe that, like most Christians, many of them do not properly understand what there religion teaches and therefore often argue on the basis of emotion and not doctrinal beliefs or absolute truths. Even worse is the fact that far to many of them have a totally distorted view of Christianity and therefore fall prey to the stereotypes and false perceptions of popular culture. For me the key to witnessing to a Muslim is to be informed, courageous and loving. I am convinced that when a Muslim encounters a Christian who possesses a knowledge of the teachings of the Bible, a commitment to the rational interchange of ideas and a genuine desire to see them come to the knowledge of the truth of God’s love they are very reachable. There is one more thing that I believe is crucial to our effectiveness to understanding how to witness to Muslims and that is the fact that they are a highly relational and community oriented people. This means that cold tactics like street witnessing or track evangelism typically won’t work when it comes to reaching them with the gospel. Ideally Christ should be shared in the context of genuine relationships and intimate friendships. I find the closer the relationship the more open they are to honest criticisms of their beliefs. Without these sincere connections disagreements can easily escalate to hostility. My prayer is that more Christians would have the boldness to share their faith with Muslims with whom they share a relationship. I would also love for some of you to leave comments on tips and recommendations for witnessing to Muslims. Thanks and let’s keep the conversation going!
