Hmm..I think I’ll ask the Lord to bring a Muslim in ear shot today. It’s worth a try. I’ll let ya know how it goes.

In the time that it took to read and respond to this blog, how many Muslims perished without ever having had the opportunity to hear a clear presentation of the Good News. It seems that we may have determined what the real barrier for Muslims is…we are the barrier.

My challenge is this: Before you post another comment, go share with a Muslim.

A concerned IMB missionary whose heart aches for God’s people to focus on the TASK.

Is it good to see the continued challenges raised to methods based on the wisdom of men rather than the foolishness of the gospel.

Common Ground is an affront to the Cross and a shameful denial of Jesus who died to rescue us from the claws of Satan who is the deceiver. Only Satan could have devised such an ingenious religion as Islam that purports to believe in God and Christ and at the same time denies his Fatherhood and the redemptive work of Christ. How can darkness be a bridge to light? How can falsehood (the Quran) lead to the Truth? Put the Quran aside and take up your Bible and find out for yourselves the power of God’s word to bring light into darkness and rescue the lost from the pit of hell. A limited quoting of the Quran is fine as long as the core of our message is from the Bible. Camel Method leans heavily on the Quran and uses the Bible very little.
Our training program will equip workers in using the Bible not the Quran to call Muslims (the other sheep) to the fold (John 10:16) We will show the appropriate use of the Quran without reinterpreting it and deceptively making it say what it does not say.
Please check out: http://engagingislam.org and read more articles on http://biblicalmissiology.org.

I don’t know about “deifying” culture. The only people I know who come close to that are people who are so afraid of foreign cultures that they naively present the gospel through their home culture–though they would claim that they don’t.

I am not ethnocentric in so far as I can help it; I am contextual… When my ethnocentrism is exposed, I repent. But then it appears that we are using different definitions of ethnocentric.

To all,
As I really don’t have a dog in this fight since I don’t use the camel or c scale, I will leave the last word to you guys [unless someone asks me something specifically]. I only want to encourage folks to be discerning so that we do not hold positions which are both untenable biblically and unproductive to the advancement of the kingdom.

I only took issue with the statement he made which said:
“He never ever contextualized the gospel. He only contextualized the culture to the gospel.”
The first part of that is unbiblical. The latter part is just nonsensical.

David
re 33
The reference in 2 John does not contradict the concept of contextualization. Again, we can talk about what constitutes biblical vs unbiblical contextualization but we cannot say that contextualizing the gospel is wrong since this is what the early writers and apostles did. One can affirm biblical contextualization without telling people to go to mosque and pray. Many people who critique the Camel try to throw the baby out with the bath water. That is dangerous and unproductive.

Regarding Daniel: he, like Paul, put limits on how far he would go. Paul would be as under the law to the Jew, though not actually under the law, and as without the law to the Greek, though not actually lawless. Daniel was willing to conform to his culture in many ways, not the least of which included taking for his name the name of a pagan deity, studying the occultic philosophy, and [becoming a eunuch]… Though arguably that last one was probably against his will… All of those would be very stigmatic for a Jew.
He drew the line at violating the law and idolatry.

We are in agreement that there needs to be boundaries on contextualization. The common misunderstanding in this comments stream is that contextualization is being defined as syncretism. They are two distinct categories. While overcontextualization can lead to syncretism, undercontextualization can do the same.

What can I say? I totally agree with you. :-)

David

Allow me to take your example in the stepping stones to explain to you my concerns. Of course, the link to Dr. Bart Barber’s articles in the original article will help understanding my concern.

Here is a quote from the Camel book that illustrates the stepping stone approach and incorporates Scripture. “Say (to your Muslim friend), ‘When I read the Before Books’…I find over 300 prophecies about Isa spoken by the prophets. For example, I found one (verse) that was written over 700 years before the birth of Isa which says, ‘Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him ‘Immanuel.’ (Isaiah 7:14) Explain to him (your Muslim friend) that in the Hebrew language, the name Immanuel means God with us. In this way you are continuing to sow in him the truth that Isa and Allah are one.” p. 137

The “prophecies about Isa”. Who is Isa for a Muslim? It is not the Jesus of the Bible. What has happened is the “Before Books” spoken of in the Muslim Tradition is does not hold the authority of the Koran. Isa of the Koran is a created being, not God. These stepping stones are not sowing a truth, but giving validity to a heretical book called the Koran.

Blessings,
Tim

If we have a convention leader endorsing heresy, then that’s what we have. No one is perfect. I’ve often found people endorsing things, having totally ignored an unbiblical, or anti-biblical aspect of it.

We are all human. Part of this discussion is creating a process to provoke discussion and thought as to the basis of such things.

If enough people bring the Camel method’s problems to the attention of the ‘endorsers’ I’m sure you’ll see an about face.

I know I’ve endorsed things before, and on second thought, realized, I had erred. God is forgiving. People are less so.