Tony Clark's Page

Ever since September 11th, 2001, western peoples have been paying much more attention to the religion of Islam. I know I have been reading much more about it since that horrible day. I have a few points to make -- mainly concerning the similarities and differences between Biblical Christianity and Islam. Even though I don't have a ton of experience, I would like to make a few points on evangelizing Muslims.

First of all, we should admit that Christianity and Islam share some important points of view. Both religions believe in a God that reveals himself to mankind. Both religions believe that God has established standards of morality. In this way, I probably understand Islam better than secular humanism or atheism. I have read many Muslim criticisms of the West, and I find myself surprised that I agree with some (notice the word "some") of their criticisms. They complain about the evils of American pop culture. They complain that our women dress immodestly in public. They complain that we are interested in material gain more than godliness. I am required to agree with them on these points. Western civilization is very immodest and decadent.

Furthermore, many of the people of the Bible are mentioned in the Qu'ran. The Qu'ran speaks of Adam, Abraham, Moses, and even Jesus. One thing I have noticed from talking to Iraqi immigrants in the Louisville area is that they almost always state that Muslims believe in Jesus.
It is true that Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet of God. They also believe in the virgin birth and that Jesus will return to judge the world. (All of these teachings are in the Qu'ran).

What Muslims rarely bring up in these conversations is that they think Jesus was nothing more than a prophet. The Qu'ran specifically teaches that Jesus is not the Son of God, that he did not die on the cross, and that he did not rise from the dead. Of course, these are three of the foundational doctrines of Biblical Christianity. Yes, Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet, but they reject him as Savior.

This is what makes Islam so pernicious. While confirming many important truths, they deny the only true plan of salvation. The worst deceivers are the ones who hide lies among truths. I know that this will not make me popular among some, but I will say this. I think different forms of Christianity were taking over the Mediterranean, Persian, and Arabic world during the centuries following the resurrection of Christ. In order to "compete," the Devil needed a monotheistic religion he could use to counter the truth. I personally believe that Muhammad's surahs were of supernatural origin. The main difference is that I think that Lucifer (not Gabriel) gave him the surahs. According to the hadiths, Muhammad thought he was being visited by a demon until his wife Khadija convinced him that he was being visited by an angel.. Any religion or philosophy that denies that Jesus is the Son of God is of the Devil.

Now having said all this, what can we do to bring Muslims to Christ? I have some experience in this regard, but not much. A Muslim woman was saved while I was preaching in revival in Kenya in January of this 2006.

Like Christians, Muslims believe in sin and Hell. They believe that Hell is real. They also believe that sin is real. The problem is that they underestimate mankind's sinfulness. Muslims generally believe that if they live good enough and follow the five pillars of Islam, they will go to heaven. We must emphasize that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We must emphasize that everyone is so sinful, that we all deserve Hell. We must also emphasize that we are so sinful, that Jesus had to die on the cross in order for us to be saved. Muslims believe they can go straight to God without a mediator, but they cannot. We are so sinful, we all need Jesus Christ.

A devout Muslim is going to always doubt whether or not he is going to heaven. Has he prayed five times a day? Did he give enough alms? If he cannot make the pilgramage to Mecca, will God overlook this? I think this is why so many are willing to die in the name of Islam. They are told that their entrace into heaven is guaranteed IF they die as martyrs. True knowledge of salvation comes only from God through Jesus Christ, and this is a very important advantage that true Christians have. The Holy Spirit bears witness in our hearts that we are the children of God. We have what many of them are looking for.

Of course, following the Holy Spirit is the key in witnessing to anyone, but these are just a few ideas to keep in mind while witnessing to Muslims.