Modern approaches to Muslim evangelism include the so called Insider Movement and Common Ground. Both compromise the truth of Christian faith in an attempt to win over Muslim converts. My contention is that one must trust Biblical truth, stand firm in the faith and present the gospel in a clear form to Muslims. Contextualization is fine to make a subject understandable, but the truth of the message must never be compromised. This compromise distorts the faith, undermines the position of true converts, and deprives Muslim converts to Christianity of the truths they need to experience the power of the truly committed Christian life.

1. Islamic Studies
Chrislam
MI
Dr. Robert Patton

2. Chrislam = Syncretism
 We need to be culturally sensitive
 This is contextualization
 But we must avoid changing the
basic message, which is
syncretism

3. Catholics & syncretism
 For many centuries, the Roman
Catholic church has practiced
syncretism
 Example: Chiapas, santeria
 Suriname – you can practice witchcraft
and also Catholic ceremonial things
 Infant baptism
 Worship of Mary & saints, etc.

4. Insider movement
 Practiced about 30 years quietly
 Many others are unaware of it

5. What is the problem?
 Muslims have many
misconceptions about Christianity
 Worship styles
 Trinity
 Deity of Christ
 The death penalty for apostacy
from Islam

6. What has happened?
 In many cases, most of the
converts flee, leaving no stable
church or church leadership
 Often the missionary church is
viewed as foreign, often from “the
great Satan, America.”

7. I. M. proposed solution
 Redefine Muslim converts as “followers
of Isa, but still Muslims.”
 Continue the Muslim practices – the
mosque, the prayers, Muslim names,
etc.
 Modify the terms in the Bible to create a
“Muslim friendly” Bible.

8. Important points
 Islam cannot be adopted by Christians,
who hold the following:
 Allah is not Jehovah
 Isa is not Jesus
 Muhammad denies the deity of Christ and
the resurrection
 The Qur’an denies the truth of the Bible,
claiming it was changed; the Qur’an is true

9. Allah
 Unknown and unknowable
 Sent messengers demanding
submission to his laws – sharia
 Transcendent but never immanent
 No revelation of his person but just his
will
 Relationship of master to slave as
shown in the Muslim – one who submits

10. Participation in Islam?
 No Bible-believing Christian should
say the shahada
 No Bible-believing Christian should
pray the salat or participate in the
mosque
 No Bible-believing Christian should
make the hajj
 Bible-believing Christians should not
use the Qur’an as scripture replacing

11. Insider Movement
 Focuses on the kingdom of God rather
than the church, and feels that Islam is
a part of the kingdom
 Forgets Jesus said: I will build my
church
 Forgets that the true Muslim does NOT
accept the Bible – believes that it has
been altered

12. Muslim Meaning of Titles of
Jesus
 The Word of God – Jesus is a created
being, an apostle
 The Spirit of God = a spirit from Allah,
a created being
 Messiah – a title, but not anointed
savior of mankind
 Thus Isa is NOT the same as the
Jesus of the Bible

13. IM and Forms
 IM starts with the basis that culture is
neutral
 Then they believe that the form of
worship, etc. can be infused with new
meanings
 But culture is NOT neutral, and
culture is a reflection of sinful
creatures.
 Thus the prayers and prostrations are

14. IM downplays the church
 Jesus is building His church
 We need the fellowship, worship, etc of
the church
 By leaving the Muslim in the mosque,
he is separated from much of his growth

15. What about CAMEL method
 This method, using verses in the Qur’an
3:42-55 to prove Christ
 It misuses the Qur’an to say what it does
NOT say, and leaves out critical points
 It specifically denies the trinity
 Breathing into someone is not producing
deity, because God did that with Adam too
 It is not recommended

16. Problems with CAMEL
 You talk of Allah as if the same as the
God of the Bible, but they are different
 You accept redefinitions of Jesus – like
creating living birds from clay, etc.
 You assume ignorance on the part of
the Muslim

17. What about translation?
 Major problems for Muslims:
 The Fatherhood of God
 The Sonship of Jesus
 The Holy Spirit as the third person of the
Trinity

18. IM assumptions
 It is receptor-focused rather than
focusing on the author, God
 It assumes that the receptor
(reader) cannot change over time
 Remember that the primary
authority comes from the author

19. IM translation problems
 Jesus calls for REPENTANCE =
change
 We must be willing to let scriptures
offend
 We are all sinners &rebels. The Bible
is offensive to the natural man, who
thinks that he is basically good but
weak

20. IM translation problems
 The Word of God has power
 Jesus offended the Jews calling
Himself deity and therefore they killed
Him.
 The Muslims need to know that! The
Bible is very clear that Christ claimed
to be God, and was killed for shirk

21. Pragmatism is wrong
 We must not use pragmatic methods
hoping to get a “quick result”
 We must have accuracy – the use of
dynamic equivalence method opens
the door to compromising clarity of
meaning when one compromises the
truth of the Word because it offends

22. Examples of Muslim-
friendly translation
 Your father which is in heaven =
God, your supreme guardian
 The children of your Father which
is in heaven = guardians of God
 Son of God = messiah of the
Most High God, or messiah of
God

23. Further substitutions
 Father, into your hands I commit my
spirit… = O Guardian, I commit my
spirit into your hands
 Lk. 11:2 When you pray, say: “Our
Father…= O our Guardian God
 The hour has come for the Son of Man
to be glorified – the time is already
come for the Prince of Flesh to be
glorified…

24. Mallouhi translation
 Mt. 28:19 and cleanse them with
water in the name of God and His
Messiah and His Spirit
 Holy Father = my holy guardian
 My father = God; my Lord
 O Father, Father = O my Lord, O my
God

25. Is adoption important??
 Our adoption is vital
 God takes care of us as His children,
and He is our Father
 We are united in Christ through our
adoption and participate in both His
suffering and His glory
 Remove adoption and we have another
gospel

26. Jesus as Son of God
 God sent his own Son… = this points to
the pre-existence of the Son of God
 The Father-Son relationship is key to
understanding the Trinity
 Divine sonship is a prototype to
believers becoming also sons &
daughters of God

27. Jesus is the Son of God
 His position as Son made it possible
for Him to rule over the entire earth
 The Holy Spirit is the spirit of
sonship
 It is the son that makes us free
 We are to be conformed to the Son in
eternity

28. Common Ground
 Similar to Insiders Movement
 Looks for common ground
between Muslims and Christians
 Again – similar problems

29. Common Word
 Dialogue with Muslims, but this
document does not allow the Trinity

30. Common Word
 This document allows Islam to defend
itself, but not Christianity or Judaism
 The Qur’an is still the basis of truth for
them

31. Allah does not = God
 For example, he commands the angels
to bow before Adam
 Difference in belief: Christ is not a
savior, and did not die and resurrect
 Difference in belief: Jesus is not
mediator between God & man

32. Prophets
 In Islam, the perfect vessels to
receive a message from Allah
 In Christianity, sinners who God
uses

33. The Shahada
 Direct contradiction with John 14:6
 Remember that many current Muslims
descended from Christians who
became Muslims by the sword
 The statement of Muhammad that the
earth is given to him directly opposes
the great commission

34. Discriminary laws = dhimmi
 Gradual pressure often results in many
Christians abandoning their faith for
Islam
 We must not resort to taqiyya (lying)
 Historically those who blur the border
become Muslims, not Christians

35. The bottom line line
 Let’s not rely on human reasoning, but
the power of the gospel to transform
lives
 Let us not compromise or deceive –
we have the truth