Thread: A Dispute on Using the Koran as a Path to Jesus

On Feb. 3, Ergun Caner, president of the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, in Lynchburg, Va., focused attention on a Southern Baptist controversy when he called Jerry Rankin, the president of the denomination’s International Mission Board, a liar. Dr. Caner has since apologized for his language, but he still maintains that the “Camel Method,” a strategy Dr. Rankin endorses for preaching Christianity to Muslims, is deceitful.

Instead of talking about the Jesus of the New Testament, missionaries using the Camel Method point Muslims to the Koran, where in the third chapter, or sura, an infant named Isa — Arabic for Jesus — is born. Missionaries have found that by starting with the Koran’s Jesus story, they can make inroads with Muslims who reject the Bible out of hand. But according to Dr. Caner, whose attack on Dr. Rankin came in a weekly Southern Baptist podcast, the idea that the Koran can contain the seeds of Christian faith is “an absolute, fundamental deception.”

David Garrison, a missionary who edited a book on the Camel Method by Kevin Greeson, the method’s developer, defends the use of the Koran as a path to Jesus. “You aren’t criticizing Muhammad or any other prophets,” Dr. Garrison said, “just raising Jesus up.”

He explained that after reading the sura in which Maryam, or Mary, gives birth to Isa, a missionary might ask a Muslim, “Do you know of any other prophets born of a virgin?”

And, Dr. Garrison continued: “It says in that passage that Isa would be able to cleanse the leper, even raise the dead. At that point in the conversation with Muslims, we say, ‘Isn’t it interesting that Isa had this tremendous power that God gave to him? Even death was under his power.’

“Then you ask the question, ‘Is there any other prophet that had this kind of power?’ And in Islam, there isn’t.”

“Camel” is not (readers might be gladdened to learn) a reference to a beast of burden in Arab lands. Rather, it is Mr. Greeson’s acronym — Chosen Angels Miracles Eternal Life — to help missionaries remember aspects of Isa’s story.

Beliefs - Beliefs - A Christian Overture to Muslims Has Its Critics - NYTimes.com

:huh:

Ooh ooh, I want to try!

"Hey Muslim dude, isn't it interesting how Jesus is at the last supper eating pork and drinking wine? If you live your life with a WWJD philosophy, you can eat that stuff too!"

I as a Muslim say the same thing to you. Perhaps I should use the Qur'an to guide you to the true teaching of Christ Jesus (peace upon him). The Qur'an comes as a commentary on scriptures that came before it, it comes as a correction on scriptures that came before it, and it comes as a completion of scriptures that came before it.

Whatever Allah revealed to Jesus it the qur'an confirms it and what Allah did not reveal the qur'an rejects. So there are teachings in the Bible of Jesus that the qur'an confirms and others of Jesus the qur'an rejects as not being what G-d revealed to Christ Jesus.

The qur'an came as a criterion to judge between right and wrong.

The problems christians are having is that they feel insecure in their beliefs because of the defects in it that they feel they must have a mission to try and convert believers in G-d already. Muslims are believers in G-d. Why are you spending all of your energies trying to convert believers. There are plenty people in the world who don't believe in G-d that gives you an opportunity to direct your attention to. Muslims that really knows and understands his/her way of life is not trying to convert anyone to their faith. They know only Allah guides whom He pleases to a way that is straight. Our focus is more on living an excellent model of human conduct. Its more important to live the life one professes to have an impact on the souls of humans, rather than just preach. Preaching doesn't impress me. Your action in how you live and treat people regardless of what they believe will do more to convince me if you are truly of those that are regardful of G-d.

Another mistake christians are making towards their missionary efforts to convert muslims is their perception of human nature is faulty. Muslims don't see human nature as inherently evil or bad, something that needs to be condemned or saved. We come here innocent and pure straight from heaven. What we need for our salvation is already within our creation when G-d created. All we have to do is be true to it and let not satan seduce us to come out of it and even if we slip and fall into the tricks of satan, that what Allah created us with originally is always there. All we have to do is become more obedient to the guidance of G-d and that will assist us getting back to our true self.

Allah says is the Qur'an that we have in the balanced way of living that is witness in Muhammed the Prophet an excellent model of conduct for any who believe in Allah and the Last Day. Also, Allah says of of Muhammed that he is a mortal human being just like us. That is to say that Allah communicated His words to a man just like us. That is the good news.

Muhammed didn't have angel nature, or was a divine being. He was a human just like us sent to lead humans. His nature is my nature.

Allah says in the Qur'an if He had populated the earth with angels, He would have sent to us an angel as a Messenger to lead us. But He populated the earth with human beings therefore He sent to us a human being as His Messenger to lead us.

WOW, that dignifies me. That frees me from the lies that have been told against my nature, my humanity. That exonerates me.