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The Main Question Is Identity
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.
C5 believers are defined as Muslims who follow Jesus as Lord and Savior. From Cumming's paper and more recent writings of proponents of the Insider Movement, the point is made that C5 is a divine initiative of God reaching Muslims. The Muslim-background believers (MBBs) so reached then independently and of their own free choice decide to remain within the Muslim community and to be identified officially as Muslim. The testimony of Ibrahim in Cumming's piece makes this point clear.
The main issue has been identified as identity. As an African MBB, I have always described myself as one with Muslim blood, a Catholic heart, and a Protestant head. The glue to all of these being the African DNA. I have read criticisms of C5 and felt that some of the critics come at the issue with deep-seated prejudice, disdain, and even hostility toward anything Islamic and toward Muhammad in particular.
That said, I believe C5 advocates bear some responsibility for the animated and sometimes acrimonious discourse. In his earlier writings, John Travis appealed to Christians that "much of our missiological energy should be devoted to seeking a path whereby Muslims can remain Muslims, yet live as true followers of the Lord Jesus." (See "Must All Muslims Leave Islam to Follow Jesus?" by John Travis, Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 34 (4), 1998, pp. 411-415.)
Some C5ers speak of "encouraging" or "urging" MBBs to remain within the Muslim community as "Insiders." Others have urged and even required their missionaries to officially become Muslim in order to be effective. In several articles C5ers have devoted their missiological energy to demonstrating from the Bible that leaving one's religion of birth ("extraction") is unbiblical, and that Jesus and the apostles were all "Insiders," thereby suggesting that the existence of the church in its present diverse traditions (C1 to C4) is an aberration.
Some critics of the movement, however, are certain that "C5 is a reflection of intentional Western missiology, Western training, and often a great deal of Western money. Mission agencies expend a great deal of effort to promote 'Insider' methods." (See "Evaluating 'Insider Movements': C5 (Messianic Muslims)" by Bill Nikides, St Francis Magazine, No. 4, March 2006, at [imbed this link]stfrancismagazine.info/issue4/francis4007.pdf.) Nikides goes on to talk of how money is used as inducement and other forms of pressure are applied to quarantine MBBs, in some cases against their will, in order "to prevent contamination of the movement" from the rest of the Christian community. Others with many years of ministry and research experience in Asia question claims of an "Insider Movement." All of this has left many confused as to the truth about C5.
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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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