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Away with the Sterile Debates!
A Response to Joseph Cumming's 'Muslim Followers of Jesus?'
To facilitate a truly global conversation, we ask Christian leaders from around the world to respond to the Global Conversation's lead articles. These points of view do not necessarily represent Christianity Today magazine or the Lausanne Movement. They are designed to stimulate discussion from all points of the compass and from different segments of the Christian community. Please add your perspective by posting a comment so that we can learn and grow together in the unity of the Spirit.
As a follower of Jesus with a Christian family background, as a Lebanese having grown up and currently living on the Muslim-majority side of Beirut, as the grandson and son of grandparents and parents who have loved and served the Muslim community with the gospel of Jesus throughout their lives, I am often alarmed at how sterile and decontextualized much of the whole debate over so-called "contextualization" has often become in churches, seminaries, and missionary circles. The irony is that most of those directly affected on a day-to-day basis by the issue, the "Nabils" and "Ibrahims" in the Muslim world, whose lives are on the line yet for whom the victory of one side of the debate over the other is virtually meaningless, are not even aware this debate is raging. Did members of the Gentile churches of the New Testament await the outcome of the debate within the Jerusalem church about their legitimacy before they became and called themselves Christ-followers (Christianoi)? Thank God they did not!
Joseph Cumming has served us well in his article by distilling this tiresome debate for us in around 2,000 words. He puts faces and names to the controversial phenomenon: "Nabil" and "Ibrahim" summarize the main issues of the debate dialectically in eight concise points. Cumming helpfully recasts the debate in the comparative context of Messianic Judaism. I say "helpfully" because today, unlike in the '70s, most American Christians have become sympathetic to the cause of Messianic Jews. Conversely, due to the widespread attitude of suspicion of all things Muslim since 9/11, a substantial number of American Christians find it hard to believe there is anything legitimate or even redeemable in a Muslim's religion and culture. Never mind the fact that, as an Arab Christian, I share much more with the culture of Arab Muslims than with that of American Christians.
I remember sitting half-amused some time ago at an international missions conference lunch table, while two gentlemen debated whether my grandfather, Fouad Accad (author of Building Bridges: Christianity and Islam, 1997), would have sat more comfortably with the C4 or the C5 side of the "contextualization" debate. My grandfather was an Arab Christian, a friend of Muslims, conversant in the Qur'an and Muslim traditions and practices. He lived and died in the Arab world, was there as friend and mentor at the side of many high-profile Muslim leaders as they embarked on the path of Christ and remained respected leaders in their communities. He did not engage them in a debate on whether they should proclaim their break with Islam, pack their bags and travel "West" or simply await persecution and death. He did not give them a list of items they could legitimately keep in their religious bag and others they should do away with. Nor would he have awaited the decision of mission and church leaders on whether he should proceed with his calling using the C4 or C5 model of ministry. Thank God he did not!
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Anonymous
if we read books of islam christianity &jews we can see similarities and can see someone behind the stage and we call him by different names a muslim cannot deny christ .quran is saying that god doesnt have offspring but every single human has a part his soul which we people inherit from adam and eve . Quran also says that christ will raise before judgement day and rule humans also will releve the truth that he was not the son of god and god is only one
Anonymous
Read quran it has answer why god choosed one more representative after christ (peace be upon him)
Peter, Australia
This is a great read and I agree with it completely. I am a Christian and I believe we have been lied to by the media and our Christian leaders who have been lied to by the media and other Christians for years and they find it hard to see this as it has been going on for years and years and years. Muslems are terrorists! How wrong is this statement!!!!! God bless you all guys if you are a Christian or a Muslim believer. A pastor friend of mine once said, " There is no excuse for being an ignorant Christian" Research it with an open mind and heart.
David Emme
I am in no position to judge anyone but hope this will make a differance. A young man who was Muslim had to leave home to get a job to help support his family.(this took place in an Asian country where there are Muslims and Christians.) He met a man from his country whom led him to the Lord. Eventually he went back home and began preaching the gospel. There was a contract on his life now. Someone tried collecting and he was shot in the stomach. As in this country, to say you had some family would be a gross misstatement. Many came-well over 100 came. As he was in pain and still alive-he led almost every single one of them to Christ including the woman who put a contract on his life-his own mother. The most interesting thing is I am a disabled vet because of Iraq and had the chance to meet his uncle who now was a pastor-he fought along side Al Qaeda and had the oppurtunity to embrace as brothers in Christ. God bless Dave Emme
Norman
This is human dilemma, they think they can bring the Word of God to suit their need. Since sin came into this world, human spirit had been kind of short-circuit and cannot align to the Spirit of God. That's why humans are easily been deceived by Satan, and wants to bring the God of creator to human's standard. Oh what a pity to ourselves!
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