Worldviews in Secular Humanism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam

Teaching Gospel to a Muslim

There are a number of practical steps that are necessary to implement to build a relationship with a follower of Islam who might be a neighbor or a co-worker. One of the first steps that one should take to establish a relationship with such a person is to establish an air of affability and respect for that person. Virtually all things of merit in this world are better achieved if there is a benign sincerity that exists between people. Once this first rudimentary step of establishing respect and a degree of friendship with a follower of Islam has been achieved, it would be necessary to display some sort of curiosity regarding the professed faith of such a Muslim. Typically, this curiosity should be displayed from an innocent perspective, which may involve asking a person of Islamic faith about particular habits related to their religion, manners, or even modes of dress. It is also fairly important to mention that one should evince this sort of curiosity about Islam in the general context of getting to know such a person. Therefore, questions and conversations regarding religion should be tempered with additional, neutral topics of conversation that virtually anyone could relate to. In such a way, by pursuing both manners of getting to know such a person, those pertaining to their religion as well as to them in general, it should be possible to build a relationship with a follower of Islam.

There are many different types of barriers that could exist when attempting to present Christian gospel to an adherent of Islam. The primary barrier is the fact that Islam teaches that Jesus himself was a mere prophet. Christians, however, believe that Jesus (through the concept of the Trinity) is an incarnation and expression of God in a humanly form. Therefore, the mere mention of Christ in an authoritative way to a Muslim may elicit resistance on the part of such a person to listen, believe or even consider the virtue of what one is saying about the gospel, for the simple fact that Muslim religion greatly understates the importance of Jesus. This fact is particularly true when one considers the fact that Jesus occupies the central position in Christianity as the divinity for this religion. Additionally, followers of Islam believe that there is only one true god -- Allah, whom they credit with having conceived of and created everything. Believers in this religion have a strong aversion to heresy -- which they believe that any person who worships another religion other than Islam is involved in. Therefore, when attempting to get a Muslim to listen to a religion propagated by another god that is in conflict with their own, most Muslims would be severely disinclined to do so because they believe that listening to such an ideology is not permitted by their religion.