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Encountering the World of Islam – A Resource
Posted by From the Middle East in Bible & Theology, News & Culture
After hearing many positive things from different people about Encountering the World of Islam (EWI) over the past couple of years, I finally had the pleasure of meeting one of their coordinators a couple of weeks ago. He far exceeded my expectations. His explanation of how they serve local congregations (and even individuals) resonated with me. Not only is it informative and relational, but it is also quite practical. And, most importantly, their love for people, especially Muslims, was quite evident. Because of this, I am very excited to share more about EWI with our readers here at sbc IMPACT! Read on…
EWI exists to “help Christians understand Islam and foster positive relationships between Muslims and Christians.” This is primarily done through a 12 week curriculum patterned after the Perspectives model. The curriculum covers everything from the basics of Islam (history, beliefs, etc) to culture and worldview to church planting and missiology… even practical advice on how to pray for the Islamic world! Each lesson is taught by a different expert on the topic under discussion. The primary text is their own book which is a collection of articles from leading experts on Muslim ministry.
For those of you who have concerns about my thoughts on contextualization and might call this recommendation into question because of those concerns: EWI is a balanced course and does not endorse any particular view(s) on contextualization. This is evidenced by the varying opinions of the guest speakers who are invited to speak at EWI courses throughout the country.
Why am I posting this? Because most of you are either pastors or lay-leaders in your respective congregations. Further, the Muslim population is growing in every area of our country – this includes yours whether you realize it or not. And we have all been commanded by our King to not only to show strangers in our land hospitality but also to show those outside of the Kingdom love while proclaiming the goodness of the King and His Kingdom! And finally, because this is a GREAT resource that can help you and those you lead to do just that!
Below is a video our brothers and sisters at EWI put together. Please take a couple of minutes and watch it, then feel free to ask any questions. I will be around some today to answer any questions you may have and a representative from EWI can be reached via their website if you would like more information.
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I wanted to just say hello to all of you and invite your questions and comments. I should be able to answer them tomorrow, 5/27.
Thanks for caring about the Muslim world! We would love to help you share the vision about what God wants to do in the hearts of Muslims.
The world of Islam is so foreign (no pun intended – well) but I appreciate those of you who are intentionally engaging these people in the name of Christ. God bless you in your efforts.
We sometimes get so bogged down in the whole contextualization debate that we might forget how difficult the job is that you are doing.
Dave – thanks for the encouragement! There is lots of room for more celebration of what God is doing among Muslims and the people he is using to do that.
You mention two things that EWI hopes we can overcome. (1) Islam is so foreign: Muslims feel very foreign, but actually share many things with us including the desire to live in a way that pleases God. EWI tries to give enough cultural and religious specifics to encourage us that we can share things with Muslims and communicate effectively with them despite our differences.
(2) We get bogged down in the whole contextualization debate: I fear that is the case. While we definitely want to think strategically about our approach to Muslims and move carefully, if our debate keeps us from moving at all then we have defeated ourselves. At some point we need to be willing to obey, ask God to bless our efforts (even if they are flawed), and then step out in faith.
Is it possible that the reality of reaching out to Muslims isn’t as hard as it seems to us?
Is this written about Islam in the middle east, ie. focusing only on the 5 pillars and history? Or, does it deal with the real people of Islam?
Thanks
Bro. Chris
Bro. Chris -
Thanks for your question! It is an important one…
EWI attempts to help get a picture of the diversity of the Muslim world. While Arab peoples and cultures are an important part of that picture, the large majority of Muslims live in Asia and don’t speak Arabic. Through instructors and authors with experiences in the various parts of the Muslim world, students have the opportunity to see that not all Muslims have the same concerns or experiences.
The course spends some time on Muslim history and beliefs, as well as some general cultural observations, because these are important foundations for understanding how to communicate with Muslims. The later lessons in the course also address theological issues between Muslims and Christians, past ministry among Muslims, and current considerations of those working with Muslims.
Who are the “real people of Islam?” That is a question we hope students will see is debated among Muslims themselves, and has many answers depending on who you ask. In the end, we hope that EWI helps people minister to the Muslim in front of them and gives them the tools to both learn about that person and then communicate will with them.
To see the lesson topics for the course (and the in the book), click here.