The history of Islam and Christianity is not at all friendly, many people of both religions see others with suspicion (at best) or fear and hatred (at worst). Worse. Unfortunately, the dividing line between Christianity and Islam has always been very bloody.
An uncertain past, of course, produces an uncertain present, but it is not only our history that turns the border between Christians and Muslims into a dangerous seismic failure, many are also based on misunderstandings caused by misinformation. theological differences between the two religions, and these differences can lead to a legitimate collision, but dialogue can only move forward if we dispel some subtle myths. . You can do what I’ve never been able to learn from my mistakes without making them.
- Are there many obstacles to Muslims who come to believe in Jesus?Theological confusion and the cost of conversion are two of the most daunting.
- And.
- Of course.
- The most common reason for Muslims not to come unto Christ is that most simply never heard the gospel.
That said, there are a number of misconceptions that most Muslims have about Christians that prevent them from even considering the gospel. In the next article, we will examine the other side of the coin: Christian misunderstandings about Muslims. But here are three of the biggest misconceptions Muslims have about Christians:
It took me by surprise. I knew that the doctrine of the Trinity was difficult for Muslims (as for Christians), but I never realized how bad Muslims understand it and how offensive it is to them.
Many Muslims have asked me how I can believe that God had sex with the Virgin Mary to conceive of Jesus. “Christians are blasphemous,” they said to me, “For they worship three gods: the father god, the son god, and the mother god. “It was new to me, of course, so I asked them where they had learned it from. I was told they had learned from the local imam, the Islamic religious leader.
Obviously, Christians find this description of the Trinity as offensive as Muslims, and this is a good place to start. The idea of Jesus as a result of the sexual relations between God and Mary is blasphemy, and we must feel free to express our displeasure and indignation for the “Trinity”. so ill-described. Monotheism is at the heart of Christianity, just as it is for Islam. Christians can therefore sincerely agree with Muslims that there is only one God worthy of worship. Our view of him is radically different, but the offense here is generally wrong.
MTV caused a sensation in the part of the world where I lived. Western music videos always showed rap stars or half-naked women with crucifixes. My Muslim friends naturally assumed that they were Christians and that this behavior was typical of Christians.
A friend of mine, a Muslim student, once asked me if I could throw a “Christian” birthday party for her. When I asked him what he meant, he said he wanted a party with a lot of alcohol and spicy dancing, as he had seen on television. Misconceptions like hers, unfortunately, are the rule, not the exception.
Many Muslims do not even regard the gospel, because (correctly) they regard this behavior as offensive to God. However, you can use this to our advantage. When Muslims realize you’re not like that, they’ll want to know what makes you different. This is an opportunity to explain to you what living faith in Christ is.
? The separation between church and state is part of the cultural basis of Westerners, but Muslims do not understand such a distinction. Islam is, by its very nature, a political entity, full of many social codes. There is no parallel concept in Islam, such as the ” separation between the mosque and the state ”. The United States, Germany, France or the United Kingdom, see “Christian countries”. They assume that our presidents are Christian leaders and that our policies reflect the politics of the Church. What the government does is for the Church to do it. For example, I was once asked, “Why?Did Iraq bomb?
To attract Muslims to the gospel, you must describe these two entities, and you will probably have to put your patriotism aside in many situations. If you want to defend American politics, you probably won’t hear the gospel. space for discussion of both, but we only have enough room to ask a series of questions, and for me, as a representative of the Church, it is simply not worth sacrificing a platform for the gospel in the name of defending American political decisions. An American. A Turkish Muslim recently told me that “all the problems of the world are caused by the United States. “Do I agree with him? No, but is that where I’m going to establish my base?For the sake of the gospel, our patriotism must die when we serve in Muslim countries.
As we always say in our church, the gospel is offensive, nothing else should be. Since much of our message is pushing back Muslims, we must prepare to unmask the false offenses of Christianity. Only then can the vital offense, the cross, shine as it should.
When the Middle Westerner means “Muslim”, do several images, mainly negative images, come to mind. But most Muslims would be as horrified as we are by what we assume of them. In my next article, I will discuss three of the most common misconceptions Westerners have about Muslims.
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How to preach the gospel to a Muslim?
Islam is a religion that is growing globally. To help the Christian proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, the book “The Gospel for Muslims?”It affirms the transformative power of the gospel, encourages the reader in the evangelical task and gives him the means to communicate Christ’s way with clarity, boldness, and wisdom.
Thabiti Anyabwile, who converted from Islam to Christianity, is qualified to help him share the gospel message of Jesus Christ with his Muslim friends and acquaintances.
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By: J. D. Greear. © 2015 The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Original: Three Muslim Misconceptions about Christians, Part 1.
Translation: Alan Cristie Comment: Vin-cius Musselman Pimentel © 2014 Faithful Ministério All rights reserved. Website: MinistryFiel. com. br. Original: Three misconceptions of Muslims about Christians.
Authorizations: You are authorized and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that the author, his ministry and translator are no longer no longer modified and not used for commercial purposes.