Islamic StudiesChrislam

MI Dr. Robert Patton

Chrislam = Syncretism

We need to be culturally sensitive This is contextualization But we must avoid changing the

basic message, which is syncretism

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.

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

What is the problem?

Muslims have many misconceptions about Christianity Worship styles Trinity Deity of Christ

The death penalty for apostacy from Islam

What has happened? In many cases, most of the

converts f lee, leaving no stable church or church leadership

Often the missionary church is viewed as foreign, often from “the great Satan, America.”

I . M. proposed solution Redefine Muslim converts as “fol lowers

of Isa, but sti l l Muslims.” Continue the Muslim practices – the

mosque, the prayers, Muslim names, etc.

Modify the terms in the Bible to create a “Muslim fr iendly” Bible.

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

Allah Unknown and unknowable Sent messengers demanding

submission to his laws – sharia Transcendent but never immanent No revelation of his person but just his

wil l Relationship of master to slave as

shown in the Muslim – one who submits

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 the Bible

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 wil l build my church

Forgets that the true Muslim does NOT accept the Bible – believes that it has been altered

Muslim Meaning of Tit les 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 tit le, but not anointed savior of mankind

Thus Isa is NOT the same as the Jesus of the Bible

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 not simply neutral, but have meaning

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

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 i t does NOT say, and leaves out crit ical points It specifically denies the trinity Breathing into someone is not producing

deity, because God did that with Adam too It is not recommended

Problems with CAMEL

You talk of Allah as if the same as the God of the Bible, but they are different

You accept redefinit ions of Jesus – l ike creating l iving birds from clay, etc.

You assume ignorance on the part of the Muslim

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

IM assumptions It is receptor-focused rather than

focusing on the author, God It assumes that the receptor

(reader) cannot change over t ime Remember that the primary

authority comes from the author

IM translation problems Jesus calls for REPENTANCE =

change We must be wil l ing 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

IM translation problems The Word of God has power Jesus offended the Jews call ing

Himself deity and therefore they kil led Him.

The Muslims need to know that! The Bible is very clear that Christ claimed to be God, and was kil led for shirk

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

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

Further substitut ions 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 glorif ied – the time is already come for the Prince of Flesh to be glorif ied…

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

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

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

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

Common Ground Similar to Insiders Movement Looks for common ground

between Muslims and Christians Again – similar problems

Common Word Dialogue with Muslims, but this

document does not allow the Trinity

Common Word This document allows Islam to defend

itself, but not Christianity or Judaism The Qur’an is sti l l the basis of truth for

them

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

Prophets

In Islam, the perfect vessels to receive a message from Allah

In Christianity, sinners who God uses

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

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

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