Kevin Stilley

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May 30, 2013 by kevinstilley

Do’s and Don’ts When Reaching Out To Muslims

The Islam and Christianity pamphlet published by Rose Media offers the following Do’s and Don’ts of Reaching Out to Muslims:

  • Do make it clear you are a follower of Christ, by your loving words and righteous lifestyle.
  • Don’t assume your Muslim friend understands your meaning of “Christian.”
  • Do take time to build a relationship. Practice hospitality.
  • Don’t be surprised if you are rejected at first. It is best to offer Muslim friends store-bought sweets and to avoid anything with pork or alcohol.
  • Do approach your encounters as a learner. Ask questions.
  • Don’t take notes and treat Muslim friends like an academic project.
  • Do correct their misunderstandings of your beliefs.
  • Don’t argue. If they want to debate with a Christian, refer them to the website: www.debate.org.uk/.
  • Do talk about Jesus. Use his title, Isa Al Masih.
  • Don’t insult the prophet Muhammad.
  • Do pray out loud with your Muslim friends. Ask if you can pray for their practical needs, healing, and worries. Look for opportunities and pray in Jesus’ name.
  • Don’t start your prayer with “Our Father…” because Muslims have a misunderstanding about the fatherhood of God (as sexual). Wait until you correct this misunderstanding before using “Father” or “Abba.” At first address your prayer to “Almighty God” or “Lord God.”
  • Do use your right hand in giving and receiving gifts.
  • Don’t use your left hand for eating food (especially when learning to eat with your hands). The left hand is used for toilet cleaning; the right hand for eating.
  • Do treat your Bible with respect. Store it high on a shelf. Some wrap it in a beautiful cloth.
  • Don’t put your Bible on the floor or in the bathroom as reading material. Many Muslims are superstitious about the bathroom.
  • Do be gender-sensitive: interact man to man, woman to woman.
  • Don’t allow any compromising situation, even just to protect from a possible rumor. An Arab proverb says, “A man and woman alone together are three with the devil.”
  • Do observe body language. Take your shoes off when entering a home or place of prayer (especially if you see shoes at the threshold).
  • Don’t sit so that the sole of your foot or shoe is facing someone. Women, don’t look men directly in the eye, or at least quickly avert your glance.
  • Do practice modesty, even among Westernized Muslims. For women this is very important since family honor is tied to their behavior and reputation.
  • Don’t assume Muslims think the same as you, even if they dress the same.

What would you add to their list?

Filed Under: Apologetics, Blog, Evangelism, Worldview Tagged With: Apologetics, Evangelism, Islam, Muslim, World Religions

April 25, 2011 by kevinstilley

The Future of Islam

The Pew Forum recently published their survery results pertaining to the future of the global Muslim population.  Here are a few highlights:

  • The global Muslim population is expected to increase 35% during the next 20 years, rising from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030.
  • Over the next two decades, the worldwide Muslim population is forecast to grow at about twice the rate of the non-Muslim population – an average annual growth rate of 1.5% for Muslims compared with 0.7% for non-Muslims.
  • A majority of the world’s Muslims (about 60%) will continue to live in the Asia-Pacific region, while about 20% will live in the Middle East and North Africa, as is the case today.
  • Pakistan is expected to surpass Indonesia as the country with the single largest Muslim population.
  • The number of Muslims (adults and children) in the United States is projected to more than double – rising from 2.6 million (0.8% of the total U.S. population) in 2010 to 6.2 million (1.7%) in 2030 – in large part because of immigration and higher-than-average fertility among Muslims, making Muslims roughly as numerous as Jews or Episcopalians are in the U.S. today.
  • Nearly a quarter (23.2%) of Israel’s population is expected to be Muslim in 2030, up from 17.7% in 2010 and 14.1% in 1990. During the past 20 years, the Muslim population in Israel has more than doubled, growing from 0.6 million in 1990 to 1.3 million in 2010. The Muslim population in Israel (including Jerusalem but not the West Bank and Gaza) is expected to reach 2.1 million by 2030.

Click on the following link to be transferred to the Pew Forum website for all findings of their survey  The Future of the Global Muslim Population.

Filed Under: Apologetics, Blog, Evangelism Tagged With: Islam, Israel, Muslim, Pakistan, Shia, Sunni, World Religions

November 24, 2009 by kevinstilley

Understanding Islam

Following the recent events in Fort Hood, it seems that all forms of media are dominated by discussion of the relationship between Islam and Christianity and between Church and State.  The information being scattered via the media ranges from excellent to horrific.  So where do you turn for accurate well balanced information?

The following sources of information on Islam are noteworthy and may be useful to you and those in your care:

1) Available free of charge from BiblicalTraining.org is a seminary level study Introduction to Islam,  by Dr. Timothy Tennent.  24 lectures (about 16 hours) on free downloadable Mp3

2) BeThinking.org has a collection of free helpful lectures and discussions on Islam at  http://www.bethinking.org/islam/ .  Most listeners will find these to be both accessible and interesting.

3) The Veritas Forum has a group of free talks related to Islam, Terror, violence, problem of evil, etc.  They can be found at http://www.veritas.org/media/talks/ .

4) The videos “Understanding Islam” and “Understanding Religious Terrorism” are available as a free movie download from WatchmanFellowship.org

5) There is a four-session DVD based curriculum called Christianity and Islam.  No fancy graphics or  flashing lights but the information is well-balanced and useful.  It is presented by Timothy George of Beeson Divinity School. It runs about $25 from Amazon but it is well worth it.  Topics include:

  • The Tenets of Islam
  • The Trinity
  • The Bible and the Incarnation
  • The Cross and Salvation

6) Another related  DVD small group study is volume #3 of Lee Strobel’s Faith Under Fire which addresses Islam.  It doesn’t have a great deal of informational value but does a very good job of creating an environment for pursuing and discussing the topic.

7) Books: One of the very few books on the history of the Middle East that is respected by those on all sides of the issue is Albert Hourani’s History of the Arab Peoples. However, having myself worked through both the text and audio versions, I can tell you that unless someone has an academic bent they won’t get very far into this.  Perhaps the small book written by my friends Ergun and Emir Caner Unveiling Islam or Abdul Saleeb and Norm Geisler’s Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross might be a better direction for someone looking for information in a print format.

8.) And, if you are looking for short but informational video clips available on the internet, I have collected several dozen and you can find the index to them at Islam – Resource Links.

If you have additional resources that you would recommend, please feel free to share them in the comment section below.

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  • The Islamic Fives

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Filed Under: Apologetics, Blog, Front Page Tagged With: Fort Hood, Islam, Muslim

May 4, 2008 by kevinstilley

Is Islam Opposed To Democracy?

Ergun Caner and Emir Caner address Islamic belief and practice, specifically its relationship to democracy.

Ergun Caner is the President of Liberty Theological Seminary at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. When Caner was named to the position in 2005, he became the first former Muslim to become the leader of an evangelical seminary.

Emir Caner is dean of The College at Southwestern (TCS) on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the largest seminary in the world.

Ergun and Emir were raised the sons of an Islamic leader until they were converted to Christ. Due to this decision, they were disowned by their father.

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Books by Ergun Caner and Emir Caner

Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Apologetics, Blog, Conversion, democracy, Emir Caner, Ergun Caner, Evangelism, God, Islam, Jesus, Jihad, liberty, middle east, Muslim, Sharia

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