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A Muslim Follower of Jesus
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 Muslim follower of Jesus, I would like to briefly comment on the current discussion. A Muslim follower of Jesus is someone, like me, who comes from a Muslim family and chooses to maintain his or her culture after being irretrievably transformed by the saving power of our Lord. Being born in a Muslim family automatically makes one a Muslim and part of the Muslim community. I was born a Muslim, not a Hindu nor a Christian nor a Jew. I am a part of the Muslim community even if I do not practice or believe all of it. But the day I reject it outright, I disavow myself of my family, my community, and my people.
Muslim followers of Jesus are being transformed by the same Holy Spirit that transforms all followers of Jesus. We read the same Holy Bible that Christians throughout the centuries have read. Shouldn't we believe the Holy Spirit will show us if we need to re-learn how to pray or change our forms and customs? Shouldn't we be free to follow Christ without being forced to adopt 2,000 years of Western religious culture? How can an outsider know the impact of our customs on our hearts? If we say our religious customs do not negate what is in our hearts, how can others negate our faith?
Vocabulary is an issue in this discussion. I often hear, "Followers of Jesus shouldn't call God 'Allah.'" But Allah is the Arabic word for God, and is the normal and usual word used by Christian Arabs for God. It shares a Semitic root with Hebrew words for God (el, eloah, and elohim).
Those who criticize followers of Jesus who want to remain in their largely Muslim culture may not fully understand us. My heart breaks for young believers who receive subtle (and perhaps unintentional) messages from Christians that the way of life handed down to them is ugly. They are given the impression that God cannot be in their culture. If I were a Jewish believer continuing to call myself a Jew and remaining inside my Jewish community, I would be lauded by most of the Christian West. My experience is that most Jewish ideology rejects the entirety of the New Testament and does not honor our Lord. (In contrast, as Joseph points out, "Islam recognizes the Torah and New Testament as Scripture"; Islam also recognizes Jesus as Messiah and his virgin birth.) Yet even with those obstacles, believers that remain inside Judaism are able to faithfully follow Jesus, and do not undergo scrutiny by Christians. Can we not honor Muslim followers of Jesus just as we honor Jewish followers of Jesus?
Here is something that most people in the West may not understand: Islam is the blanket with which my mother wrapped me when she nursed me and sang to me and prayed over me. I imbibed aspects of Islam with my mother's milk. I inherited Islam from my parents and it was the cradle which held me until I found Christ. Islam is my mother. You don't engage a person by telling him his mother is ugly. No matter what your friend's mother may look like, you don't say to him, "Your mother is ugly," or his initial reaction will certainly be to fight you.
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Danny
Kindly would like to contact you, regarding professional work
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
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