Apologetics with Muslims Course Taught This Summer by “the boldest evangelist I’ve ever met”!

Within 15 years, the world population of Muslims is expected to increase to over 20%. It is estimated that nearly 7 million Muslims live in the U.S. This presents a tremendous opportunity for the spread of the Gospel among people in one of the most unreached religions in the world.

In my 9 years of teaching at Calvary Baptist Seminary, I have never been more excited than I am about the new emphasis on apologetics. The basic course in apologetics, Intro to Apologetics, is now required for all incoming students. Future electives are on the drawing board. And this summer an introductory course on apologetics with Muslims will be taught by a professor that one pastor in Philadelphia called “the boldest evangelist I’ve ever met.”

Dr. Anees Zaka is an Egyptian-born Christian who has opened dialogue with Muslims in Philadelphia and London effectively for over thirty years. He has shared the gospel in almost every mosque in Philadelphia through his unique style of dialogue known as Meetings for Better Understanding. The class being offered this summer strikes a balance between classroom instruction and actual dialogue with Muslims in the setting of a mosque. Dr. Zaka has a unique combination of cultural and academic familiarity with Islam combined with an unshakeable boldness in sharing the gospel. Students will be equipped to share their faith comfortably with Muslims at the end of the class.

MI640 Introduction to Islam is intended to introduce students to the Islamic faith and life. Special attention is given to comparisons with biblical Christianity and to the methodology of communicating the Gospel to Muslims locally, nationally, and globally.

MI640 Introduction to Islam will be offered June 6-10, 2011. Class size is limited to 15 students, so interested students are encouraged to sign up quickly before the class fills up. See the full Summer 2011 Schedule as well as the Registration form for more information and details.

Why Blog? Ask Luther!

The advent of the internet on a popular level in the mid-1990’s and on a global scale by the turn of the century has had such an all-encompassing effect on the world, that it is virtually impossible anymore to imagine life without it. In the past few years serious thought and writing have emerged about the possibilities of this technology for the spread of gospel and the edification of the church.

Some object to the internet as too uncertain and prone to corruption for any serious use for spiritual purposes. In an attempt to perhaps preserve the old-fashioned ways of print media, some have balked at accepting the internet as a useful tool for God’s church. Perhaps these skeptics should go further back in history to the time when print media was the new technology and was transforming society in a way every bit as radical as the internet today.

Carter Lindberg documents the radical transformation of society in the fifteenth century in his book, The European Reformations (Blackwell, 1996). With the advent of moveable metal type in Germany, inexpensive linen rag paper from China and quality ink, the printing press transformed Europe by the rapid dissemination of ideas. Whereas John Wyclif’s ideas took decades to spread by means of hand-written copies, Martin Luther’s ideas blanketed Europe within six months. By 1500, printing presses existed in over 200 cities and towns. An estimated 6,000,000 books were in print, and half of the 30,000 titles were on religious subjects. Between 1460 and 1500 more books were printed than had been produced by scribes and monks throughout the entire Middle Ages (p. 36).

Books were not the only means of spreading ideas. Thousands of pamphlets and tracts incorporating pictures, images and cartoons flooded the Empire. In contrast to publications from the Middle Ages, which served primarily to preserve and transmit knowledge, the print media of the Reformation had a new function: to transmit opinions. These publications could be enormously provocative by swaying opinions and moving people to action in such momentous ways as to cause governments great concern (p. 37). And the most effective publicist to capitalize on this new tool was Martin Luther. According to historian Mark Edwards,

[Luther] dominated to a degree that no other person to my knowledge has ever dominated a major propaganda campaign and mass movement since. Not Lenin, not Mao Tse-tung, not Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, or Patrick Henry (Edwards,Printing, Propaganda and Martin Luther, xii).

In Wittenberg, Germany, there were seven print shops devoted exclusively to the writings of Luther and his colleagues. In other words, Luther saw the potential of the new technology for the spread of the gospel and sound doctrine, and capitalized on it very effectively.

What does that mean for us? With all the genuine dangers of the internet and the over-connected lifestyle of people in the West, technology is in itself a neutral “thing” that can be used for good or evil. Rather than let the potential good of the internet go to waste, we should use it to the best of our ability for the spread of the gospel and sound doctrine, for the edification of the church and the evangelism of the world. Like Luther, we should discern the possibilities of websites, blogging, social media sites, and whatever else comes along through the internet. Technology should never distract from our calling, but it can certainly help it, if we have a vision for its possibilities.

 

Can You Miss God’s Will?

The opening line of a familiar table grace for children is a good place to jump off this week: “God is great, God is good. . .”.

In the previous post we discussed God’s good heart toward His children. That’s a comfort to be sure – but what if my thick head can’t discern what His good heart is leading me toward? The second principle focuses on God’s greatness, which thankfully is able to overcome my denseness!

Principle #2: Rest in God’s Sovereignty

It’s a familiar old anxiety that has plagued me from college days. Many of life’s decisions are perplexing, with multiple options each looking attractive. You pray. You confess your sin. You search your heart’s motives. You ask for counsel. You weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each option comparatively. You want nothing more than to know and do God’s will.

But still, YOU must make a choice. Careful now. What if you didn’t pray enough? What if you left a sin off your confession list? What if your counselor was having a bad day? What if, what if, what if. . .? And what if you left off an important “what if”?!

Do you notice where all the focus is here? On YOU and your ability to discern. Really, this kind of anxiety is evidence of self-reliance. Let’s get our mind off our inabilities for a minute and onto the greatness of our God. The prophet Daniel’s prayer should do it:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.

He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings;

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;

He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness;

and the light dwells with Him.” (Daniel 2:20-22)

Just think of it. The God who loves you unconditionally in Christ is the omnipotent sovereign of the universe. If He is controlling little things like earthly dynasties and pagan rulers, it’s likely He’s up to the challenge of guiding His children through life.

The next time you’re bordering on a panic attack over some decision, just rest in God’s super-ability to guide you safely toward His ultimate goal for you – that of being transformed into the image of His Son (cf. Phil. 1:6).