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This is kind of a great thing, and I'll tell you what. Where pop culture, current events, and theology all come together. Speak your mind. And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host. Is Islam the religion of peace?
Is Islam the religion of peace? 866-34TRUTH-866-3636. 348-7884. We want your calls. I've got a Jeff Hoover in the building right now.
And Jeff, you were actually a missionary over to a Muslim area for how many years? Yeah. Eighteen years.
So let me ask you this. I'm sure. Your view of maybe Muslims and Islam actually changed during your time over there. Is that right?
Well, um It definitely changed uh a lot. Uh The thing is that uh Uh I mean, I didn't hate uh people uh Uh, you know, Muslims, when I went there. But uh the thing is that we have to realize that uh Jesus died For all people, and that when you go there, that you're wanting to uh to give them the gospel to tell them about Jesus and that's uh You know, that's what you're That's what your job is, to you want to tell them About the love of Jesus. You want to tell them about the love of Jesus. And we've got a Sherry out of Charleston, South Carolina.
How are you doing today, Sherry? I'm doing well. Good, good, good.
So let me ask you, Sherry, do you think that Islam is the religion of peace?
Well, I know it's quite a debated topic. I am not so sure about it. Those that are. Following the directive of G. Hodd, Um which means struggle.
see us as infidels. and we are lower than low. And that we all ought to be killed instead of or or converted one or the other.
So how is that useful? Yeah, and so to a lot of people, I think it's pretty obvious, Sherry. My friend Deborah. Sent me an article, and it was from David Harris Jr.'s Post. He's a conservative Christian, and he said, Can you name?
Here are your top 20 terrorist organizations. Number one, ISIS, Islam. Number two, Al-Qaeda, Islam. Number three, Boko Haram, Islam. Number four, the Taliban, Islam.
Number five, Al-Shabaab, Islam. And so as you go on and on, you see a lot of these terrorist activities that are taking place are being. Uh, done by Muslims, um, but I also think, on the other hand, and I know you connected me with a guy named Hatham, he's not going to be able to call in until 4:30 p.m. But as Christians, Sherry, we're not supposed to hate the individual Muslims because God wants all people to be saved. Is that right, Sherry?
Yes, sorry, got a jet going over. That's okay.
So, but you said that God wants all people to be saved. And you actually met this guy, he grew up in Kuwait. And I think until he was 41 years old, he was a Muslim. And he has been a devout Christian for the last 14 years, or 13 or 14 years, or whatever it is. But, you know, you actually know him and his wife.
So there are Muslims who can come to Jesus Christ. Is that right?
Yes, I've actually been hearing some rumors that Jesus has been appearing to many of them in their dreams. And maybe you're converting.
Well, yeah, and actually, that's been happening all over Iran, the country of Iran. And many of them have been coming. Jesus has been coming to them in their dreams and visions. And they say it's a man in white. And they tell them to go read the book.
And we've got Stu Epperson, the owner of the Truth Network, on the phone as well. Stu, let me ask you this: Is Islam the religion of peace?
Well, it's a great question. There are a lot more Um peaceful claiming peace claiming religions within Islam. that are that are that still don't lead to The truth in the right way. You know, there's a proverb says: there's a way that seems right to a man, but the end of that way is the way of death. And so, be it any world religion.
besides the true gospel Christianity. It's a false piece. It's a false piece, you know, in Buddhism, which goes into karma and meditation, it's a false piece. It's, you know, Eastern meditation is Getting everything out of your mind. Whereas Christian meditation is filling your mind with Jesus and the Word of God.
You know, Islam. the whole foundation of Sharia law and the w and the the whole idea of Islam, it means literally surrender.
So their goal is to bring surrender in. And I'm thankful that our Muslim friends in America are peaceful in that they're not They're overwhelmingly moderate or liberal. But the closer you get to Mecca, into the Middle East, into the countries you're talking about, they hold to a literal view of the Koran. Which It advocates the killing of infidels. If you're a non-Muslim, you're to be killed, obliterated, persecuted.
And that's the whole method of Sharia law. In the West There's there are more quote unquote peaceful, moderate Uh People, if we take the Bible literally, it tells us to love our neighbor and die for, you know, die for those, our enemies, you know, love our enemies. If you take the cron literally, it tells you to To kill. in the name of Muhammad and Allah. And that's exactly what Muhammad did.
If you look at the history So but the answer is not in missiles, the answer is in missions. The answer is spreading the gospel. Only the gospel has the power to bring true peace. to bring surrender to Jesus. And then He changes your life, and that's what's happening.
to all these Muslims. They're coming to know Christ in big numbers. and numbers that aren't being reported in some countries, they don't want to report them. Because some of these Muslims that become Christians. They instantly sign their death certificate when they convert to Christianity.
And but it's just remarkable to see the movement of God. And when you're sharing the gospel with a Muslim, It's often not effective to attack Muhammad and To bring up all these things, it's far more effective to speak the gospel. Do you know when you die, you're going to go to heaven? Have you kept the law perfectly? The Quran compels every Muslim to be a very good to read the book of God.
In the Koran, in the Surahs, it says every every Muslim, every good Muslim should read the The Book of the Jews and the Book of the Christians. which is the Bible, which is the Old Testament, the Torah and the New Testament canon. And So that's compelled by the Quran.
So when you start to read the Bible, you start to realize that Jesus is more than just a prophet, He's more than just a good man. Who taught ethical living. and those things that he is truly God the Son. And the son of God, and the only one who. who can redeem sinful and fallen mankind.
And so that's what's happening. You're starting to read the Bible. And they're starting to find The author of Scripture, Jesus, as our Savior.
So it's pretty amazing what God's doing. And I'm really glad you're doing a show on this today because people need to be. Get out of this mindset of us is us versus them and let's go to war and let's get mad and angry, no. we need to go on missions trips. We need to pray for so many who are ministering.
In these countries, Muslim-occupied countries, as they share the gospel, that the Holy Spirit would continue to work. And lives would be changed and transformed. That's really good, Stu. And one of the things that I've heard, and one of the things that I've thought is that a Muslim who converts to Christ. They realize that they're giving up their family.
They realize that they're going to be shunned, and many of them could even be killed.
So, when a Muslim comes to Christ, they come 100% and they're willing to go all out. Have you seen that? Absolutely. Absolutely. We had a gentleman come to our Bible study yesterday who got up and shared.
that you know he is He loves Jesus and he follows Jesus, but when he made that choice to follow the Lord and God changed him, He went to war with all of his people, and but God's using him as a great witness. Thank you, Mike. Yes, 866-34 TRUTH-866-348-7884. We want your calls. Is Islam the religion of peace?
We'll be right back after these messages. Truth talk line. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Yeah. All right, guys, we are back.
Is Islam the religion of peace? Is Islam the religion of peace? 866-34TRUTH, 866-348-7884. I really appreciate. Stu answering that, and we've got our friend Manuel as well.
And Sherry, Manuel's on the phone, but Sherry, you said you actually dealt with a guy. You did deliverance with the Muslim who came to Christ. You did deliverance with his wife. And I'm sure you've seen some really good things from that family. Is that right?
Yes, yes. when he jumped in and became a Christian, um, See He knew he needed some freedom. from all that he had been taught. And he received deliverance. but he also received a great deal of freedom from that belief system.
And um Even there were some demons that were there to. helped make sure that he didn't forget all about it. Yeah, but but Jesus Jesus wins in the end, is that right? Amen. Amen.
Sherry, I want to thank you. Go ahead. Probably says he is the king of kings and lord of lords. Amen. And I want to thank you for the call, Sherry.
We've got Emmanuel out of Burlington, North Carolina. And Manuel is from Cross Exchange, and he is an apologist, and he's actually studied this. Tell us a little bit about that, Manuel. Yeah, I uh Emmanuel Pittman, I am in seminary, a reclined theological seminary. And the weirdest thing you might think about someone going to seminary taking a and learning about Islam, which is kind of funny that he's supposed to be there to learn about Christianity.
But the thing that I think I really appreciated about going to seminaries and taking two classes at the same time, taking Islam and apologetics at the same time by the same professor. who has been entrenched in this topic to really bring out to people what we need to be wary of with one of the fastest growing religions in the world and how Christians need to have an answer to it. In more ways than one. And yes, one of my greatest joys is the fact that I'm able to now more than ever engage. But at the same time, you want to make sure you understand it on its own terms.
What are the claims of Islam? And then honestly, basic apologetics is whole A Muslim accountable to his own holy book, and that'll show it's a flaw immediately. And that's an opportunity for the gospel. Yeah, and so you know, I think on one hand, we want to tell the truth. about Islam not being the religion of peace, correct?
Absolutely. The whole idea of Islam when it comes to people say of peace. I mean, if you want to say Islam's religion of peace, sure, after they dominate everything else, then it's going to be peaceful for them in theory. But that's the it depends on who's spinning the narrative. You're going to say that.
Yeah, but on the other hand, we don't want to attack the individual Muslims so much to where they don't even want to listen to us. How do you strike that balance, Manuel? Yeah. Well, when it comes to engagement with apologetics and polemics, the biggest thing we need to make sure we understand is those things are tools. These are tools to and like first Second Corinthians ten talks about taking every thought captive, destroying arguments, every lofty opinion held up against Christ.
The enemy is the evil sp Is the evil spirits, the demons, the fallen angels? They are the evil spirits that hold people in bondage. And our calling in Matthew 28 is to call the nations, people, victims of evil, and call them out of darkness into God's marvelous light. And if we keep that as our front, as our main objective, we apply our tools of apologetics. What we're going to do is know that we're up against different ideas.
or with love calling these people into knowing the truth. And so we don't make straw man, we don't call people names, we don't do things like that, we just simply say this is the truth. And this is the truth of what Christ has given to you in his life, his death and his resurrection, and your worldview. Fails to understand the reality of love and unity of all mankind. And it's through that.
By God's grace, you will work his salvation plan. That's really good. And so there are have have you personally witnessed yourself to Muslims? Absolutely. On multiple occasions, I'll mention my last one recently.
When I went to the Burlington Carousel Festival earlier this month, there was a guy named Mohammed He had a wife and a couple of kids, and his wife was a recent convert to Islam. Um from Christianity. And one of the things I immediately was able to engage with him on is Sharia law. If you believe that your religion is the truth, then how do you seek for your faith to be applied in law? And It was interesting that him and his wife were a little wary of like, well, we don't know if we are going to jump to using this law in America when America's not ready for it.
And to then, I would just simply respond is that we need some kind of standard for justice, do we not? And that's talking about justice and how we are to understand how to carry out Mm-hmm. punishment against the evil and how we call things evil. That led to a great opportunity to talk about justice that God demands and how that condemns everybody unless Jesus Christ stands in their place and takes the wrath of God for them. Mm-hmm.
Yeah, because from what I understand, uh Manuel, in Islam, you have to work really, really hard your whole life, and then at the end of the life, you're hoping that maybe you can make it to heaven.
Now, there is one exception to that rule, is that right? Yeah, the exception is if you die fighting the infidels. He died in the in the in the in in jihada in jihad in this idea of this holy war that the Muslim is fighting to bring about the end of days, to bring about the Majid with Isa in the return and to bring all things to be subjected under Allah. If you're able to die in this holy fight, then that's a guarantee that you get all your virgins, you get all your gold and stuff in eternity, which is interesting too, even the idea of eternity in heaven. you're hoping that you get an opportunity to Find your hedonism, which is weird.
The way they look at heaven is all hedonistic and selfish. And so the whole idea of even the idea of going to heaven or being in the resurrection as Christians would understand it is lost in Islam. It's that you work really, really hard. To maybe get a chance to get all your hedonistic desires satisfied. And that is a terrible way of understanding the universe.
Yeah, and so you know from what I understand The Muslims have an understanding of the final judgment, and from what I understand, what they believe, it's a very harsh judgment. Is that right?
Yeah, the idea of final judgment, the nature of the eternal conscious torment, they would affirm that. It's just the nature of what that would. Manifest like.
Now looking at Islamic eschatology, looking at which direction we're going to go with, They do anticipate the return of Isa or Jesus. who is in their theology not God. And he with the Mati, the net the final hero, they will judge the world. They will bring annihilation to those that are not part of that are not in submission to Some arbitrary perspective of the amount you're supposed to be subjected to, Islam. And It's uh there's to be a place for people to be slaves and people to be under the dominion of others that are.
ruling over others that are more subjected to Allah. And those then that's the best place to have. If not, you're going to be enflamed with torment. And for some of the hotter, some will be less hot. That's kind of the perspective.
So in that sense, how they understand the torture of God is more based on his Um You could argue that it could be based more on his own perspective of like what kind of pleasure am I getting out of someone else's suffering, which is not the Christian view. No, not at all. And so, when you're talking about this, one of the things that I have to wonder is this: it seems like Christianity would be the perfect option for a Muslim because you're working hard your whole life and you can never really know unless you're a martyr that you're going to heaven. But Christianity is the exact opposite of that. Is that right?
Yes, absolutely. Christianity demands a humility, demands an idea that we're. Fully reliant on the work of Christ and Christ alone. Any amount of work that we try to earn for our place. It cannot make up for the sins we've done.
In the Bible, we see the idea that all our works are like filthy rags, and it cannot compare to the work of Christ. And only by Christ's work and it alone, by his perfect life, his death, and his resurrection, do we have union with God? Amen. 866-34 TRUTH. 866-348-7884.
We've got a Jerry on the line when we come back. We'll be right back after these messages. Truth Talk Life. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Uh All right, guys, we are back.
We've got Manuel on the phone, and we've got a Jerry out of Winston-Salem. Are you there, Jerry? Is Islam the religion of peace, Jerry? No.
Okay. That was why do you say that?
Well, there's from my understanding, the five pillars of Islam is that you must say that there is no God. But Allah and Muhammad is its prophet. He must go to Mecca. Or send someone if you can. You must participate in feasts and in the past.
And also pray five times a day. And one other thing is. Participate in jihad if you can.
So there's a number of ways that you could participate in jihad. One would be by war, another would be by, say, having a lot of children You could vote. There's just a number of things you could do. It's not all of it is violated, but if you do everything right, you're still not assured. Um Heaven, which would be all the wine you can drink, all the food you can eat, seventy-two.
Perpetual virgins mix and match could be boys or girls.
So, my understanding. And so If you participate in jihad and you die, then you are guaranteed of heaven.
So the potential for someone wanting to basically Engage in violent activity is really overwhelming.
So it's really not a religion of peace at all. They've been at war with Christianity for Since the beginning. As a matter of fact, the Crusades were all about the war, and they want to also take over the world. And then they believe that there will be peace. But their idea of peace is not Like Jesus said, my peace I give not as the world gives, but the peace that passes understanding and inner peace.
But there'll be peace when I conquer you. Yeah. I would say, no, it's not a religion of peace. Yeah, that's really good. Thank you for the call, Jerry.
That was really good.
Something to think about. We've got a Deborah out of Burlington, North Carolina. Are you there, Deborah? I am. Yeah, so is Islam the religion of peace?
Are you there, Deborah? Okay. I feel like That Stu and the other gentleman that called in. They were spot on with a lot of information and what I wanted to talk to you about Um You know, there are Muslims that live here in the United States. Um, I at one time had a friend And he came from if I Correct.
He lived in the old city in Israel. And He had memories of, you know, going to school, having to come back through the woods. hiding because of You know, the shooting and things that were going on. And so when he got old enough, he wanted to leave. He you know, his desire was to come here to the United States.
And he became a business owner. We became friends. Um I had I had been to his um home. And Actually, my daughter worked for this individual. and was always treated very well.
The other thing There was one of The friends that were getting married, I attended the wedding as well. and the festivities there.
So, you know. We want to see that they're good and and people. And yes, we see some where there's evil. And we have that. Um you know, in in any nationality and any You know, 'cause human, fleshy.
And I like I said, I thought Stu had a lot of good things to say. And so did, I think it's Emmanuel. Yeah, Manuel. He did, yeah. And you know, it's funny.
It's funny. It's funny, Deborah. We've got a Hatham, and I'm hoping I'm saying his name right. He's out of Greenville, South Carolina. And did I say your name right?
Is it Hatham? There's Hatham, Mike. Hatham. And Hatham, you actually grew up as a Muslim, and about 13 years ago, you converted to Christianity.
So is Islam the religion of peace? Uh nuts. It's not the religion of peace.
Okay, why do you say that? And I say that because they still follow the Old Testament in our Bible. When God commanded everybody to When they go invade a town to kill everybody and including animals and kids, and we were redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Islam still follows the same theory. If you come against Islam, It is okay for Muslims to kill you because we're called infidels now.
Give you a good example. In the Quran, it tells you if some Muslim converts to other religion than Islam. Then if they get your blood is cheap. And if you if anybody kills you, they cannot even be prosecuted in court. And that's still the case in Saudi Arabia and South.
Wow, that's incredible. Let me ask you this: are there any verses in the Quran that point to Islam not being the religion of peace? And do you have those? Wow, it's a No religion of peace will call you to kill.
So I mean, I can give you a verse Um for example Go on. Surah twenty two, nineteen, it tells you the severe punishment awaiting disbelievers, contrasting the fate with that of the believers, emphasizing the consequences of rejecting faith. Quran nine Surah nine, verse one twenty three, all believers, five of disbelievers. And when he's talking about believers, he's talking about Muslims. Fight the disbelievers around you and let them find firmness in you and know that Allah is with those.
mindful of him. There is another one It says kill the infidels, Galan eight, twelve. God inspiring the angels to support the believers in battle, instilling fear in the hearts of disbeliever. in diving the believers to strike effectively So there is nothing peaceful. about this religion.
Yeah, and so you grew up, you grew up in Kuwait, is that right? Totally correct. Yeah, and so what I I think from what I've heard Hathem, there are some very serious consequences. to turning from Islam to Christianity. Can you tell me about that a little bit?
Yes, absolutely. As I mentioned to you, I like right now when I give you a good example, I go to mission trips.
Well, I used to go to mission trips in Jordan. And um The pastor instructed me there, since I was in a Muslim country, that I could not go, even though, like, I cannot share my testimony, which is the whole purpose. of preaching to Muslims. I cannot share my testimony with them and my conversion and the vision of Jesus that I had. because that can put me in danger.
Uh because People will come. and kill me because they think they're going to get a reward of hea in heaven. For Pretty much killing a non-believer which they call me Catholic. in uh in Islam.
So let me ask you this. You said you had a vision of Jesus and it brought you to Christianity. Can you tell us about that a little bit? Yes, I actually was there was more of a rebuke from Jesus for denying his identity because My wife was a Christian, and I was traveling a lot before I came to Christ. My job required me to travel every week.
Sometimes I leave on Sunday, sometimes I leave on Monday. When I leave on Monday and I'm home Sunday, my wife was taking my kids to church. And she was telling me that's a daycare, but now I know it was like a kids' ministry that they were attending. And when I find that out, it was a battle every Sunday. In my house, because I'm like, no, they're Muslim, even though I wasn't practicing Islam with them per se.
He's still a Muslim by name. And it was just a fight in my house. And one day, thirteen years ago, I had a dream and God was like, Why are you? And Jesus appeared to me exactly like how I imagined him in white. And he told me, he's like, Why are you forsaking me?
And I woke up and I was like, oh my goodness, there he is.
So, how did you respond when you woke up? I woke up and I told my wife, I'm like, I need to go, we need to go to church. And it happened to be in Sunday, 2 a.m. And I woke up, I'm like, We're going to church today. Um We're going to church.
Jesus is real. How did she respond to that? Of course, she was joyful and crying. She's like, Are you pulling my leg? And it was the nicest thing about it is like everybody tells me, I've been a Christian so long and I've never had that revelation.
And I was like, Because you got it the nice way out of love. And even when he rebuked me in my dream, it was in a loving way. It's like, listen, I'm here. Why are you denying me? You know, it wasn't like it was the most peaceful reviewed as ever.
Imagine in my life. It was like out of love. You can even tell it was love, even though I was doing wrong against him. And so you went to church. Did you get baptized, or did you say, I mean, what happened after that?
Well, after well, probably six months into it, once I start reading the Bible and understand it more, I said, no, I need to get baptized. I'm all in. I'm committing my myself to Jesus and then From there, you still have the unbelieve, you know, like you're jumping between, you know, mentally. You get confused between what you learned in the Quran, and you know, the Quran is more like. a harsh Old Testament style what the Ten Commandments really enforced plus And I'm still kind of comparing things, and I struggled a lot with the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity.
than just God and miracles and stuff, and just God's revealed all this to me through the years. miracles of healing, of deliverance, like the Bible coming to life and just increasing my faith. Did it, you know, did you, did your, how did your family accept this? Your mother, your father, your sisters, your brothers? But they don't accept it.
My brothers, they're good because they're not really full practicing Muslims because they live here. But my mom, my mom is a devout Muslim and she's she's not okay with it, even though I still talk to them and I know my mom is sick, and I tell her, if you just come to Jesus, just want him to show you who he is. My aunts. They're all devout Muslims, they're totally against it.
So They keep sending me videos and so forth and I do the same, but Again, they know the words, they know the identity of Jesus, even though the Quran tells them that he was just a normal prophet. And Hathem, we're going to a break right now, 86634 Truth. We'll be right back. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Islam, the religion of peace.
And guys, just in case you missed it. We have a Muslim named Hatham. From Greenville, South Carolina, who converted to Christianity, and Jesus came to him in a dream. And, Deborah, are you still there as well? I am.
Did you have a question for Hatham? Yes, and it's like the the Muslim friends that are um had, and I say had because um that family moved away at one point in time. Um It's Mm-hmm. Uh you know I know. Because they told me.
If every American was like you, So I know they saw in me you know, that I'm a person that I love people. I know that we're to give people chances So, what would you have to say regarding things like that? When we've had experiences and friendships. Are you there, Hatham? Yeah, I'm not understanding.
I think what she's trying to say is that there were Muslims that she knew who said if more Christians lived a Christian lifestyle and lived the word of God, they lived what they actually said that they believed, she said that a lot more Muslims would be coming to Christ. Do you agree? Yes, I agree. Can you explain? I totally I totally agree because I mean, you see between, I mean, Muslims, there are some Muslims like my family, they're very sweet.
Like, when you need them, as people as person They're very good people. They're not going to steal. They don't lie. They don't hurt anybody. But they still have.
there are religio the religious beliefs that you cannot come against. And they're not going to follow like Quran 2, 191, that tells you slay the unbelievable. Like I know my family will never do that. Uh no matter what. And as Christians as well, some people live by the faith.
Being a Christian, it's not just going to church on a Sunday and call it, hey, you know, a checkbox. You have to live a Jesus-like life. You've got to love on people no matter what they do. No matter who they are, you gotta love people and show them love. When you go to a family that's not even from your religion or your country, and see that they're in need and go help them out of goodwill that shows them the true Christian in you.
There's gotta be some fixed. From being a Christian. And that's how. People should see it, not just me telling them, hey, I'm a Christian, and yet I mind my own business. I don't talk to them.
I don't try to uh Gather with them or fellowship, you know, just because from a different religion. I have a lot of Muslim friends, I mean, even my friends. And my neighbors that are not Christian, they're the same way. They're like They see the love. Like I I love people just like how Jesus loved us.
And all that is from from the Bible. Yeah, can you give us an example of another Christian you met who really. showed love and you really saw Jesus in them. You're talking to me, or I'm talking to you, yes, sir. Um I mean, a lot of my a lot of my Christian friends Show love to other people.
I mean, everybody that goes and tries to preach and go downtown, feed the homeless, or Go volunteer in a shelter just to show those people that nobody usually cares about their love. I mean, a lot of people from my church, a lot of people from Pastor Henry Church, I mean, all these people always show your love and welcome you, and they don't judge you because of your sins. or because of what you've done or the way you look or the way you dress, or what you say just through love. Yeah, and you're talk you're referring to Pastor Henry Schaefer. Is that the church you go to or do you go to another church?
No, I go th this is what I do my training because it's two hours away from me. But that's where uh That's why I've seen all my miracles. Yeah. So you've been a Christian. You've been a Christian for 13 years.
How do you stay on fire for Jesus Christ, Hatham? Just reading, reading the Bible. Reading the Bible, curiosity. I'm an engineer. I like to.
Research things, get everybody else's feedback, but most important, I just pray and ask God for discernment. And that's the one thing that I always warn people. I'm like, you got to be careful. What? You take from who, because there's a lot of false prophets and preachers, and you got to discern God's voice, and you got to have affirmation that this is truly God and not.
Say N. trying to pretend that he's speaking to you. That's good. And Mike, I have another question for him, too. When I was friends with these individuals, they came to my home.
Like I said, I went to their home. We had we celebrated birthday parties together and things. And one of the things I had heard at that time When We as Christians are establishing a relationship with someone that's Muslim. that it takes about three years For that trust and that bond to build. It's not necessarily instant, you know, an instant thing.
Yeah, so are you asking him?
So, how do you build that trust, Hatham? Is that what you're saying? And so is that about right that it is? It takes time where you build that trust with each other. Yeah, I think that has more to do with Be in a Middle Eastern or the same culture more than religion.
So, I mean, I can go to a Middle Eastern that's a Christian and bond with them, even if a Muslim. very easily because of the culture. You just have that high China together and makes it easier for them to welcome you. Versus having somebody from a different culture or from the US or any other country, but the Middle East. That's just it I don't think it has so much to do with religion as much as the culture itself.
So for me, for example, I can go and meet a Middle Eastern guy that I've never known. And if you see us together, you'll think we've known each other since childhood. And it's just because of the Middle Eastern tie. Yeah. So let me ask you this.
Do you think that it's important, Hatham, that Americans learn the Muslim culture a little bit more before they actually go and try to preach to them? Absolutely. You totally, absolutely have to learn the culture because there's a lot of things that we can do that might be. offensive to them. Can you give me an example?
Can you give me an example? I'll tell you, for example, like when you go to somebody's house, you know, it's just known, you go to the Middle East or a Muslim house, you take your shoes off. You never cross your leg and make your foot face the leg. You know what I mean? That immediately shows you, shows that person that this, you know, they learned about my culture.
They do not want to offend me and they respect me. the way you address elders is different than you address like a normal friend. There's like respectful things pronounced that you gotta say and things like that.
So, um like this is what I usually advise and this is how they'll open up to you. Uh, to speak, it's just respect, and then when you know the religion, they know that you put the time. To study it so you can preach to them. And one thing I never do, I never. go against that religion.
I don't want to show them what's wrong with their religion. I want God to show them what's wrong with the vision. I want them to discern why Christianity is the religion to be And why Jesus is God and why Jesus died for our sins. Like, this is what I want him to see, why I do what I do, and why I love people the way I do. Let me ask you this: Are there some specific Bible verses that you would use with a Muslim that would really help them?
I usually I usually start I don't start the verse. Like every time I told my parents, for example, if they were to read the Bible, I tell them, start with John. Like the book of John, especially if you want to know the deity of Jesus, I go with John 10, for example, myself, where he said, because Muslims will always come back and he's like, where did Jesus say that he is God? You know, like where did Jesus say that he is God? Everybody else says, like Paul or the other disciples say that he is God, he's divine.
But where did he himself tell you that he's God? And in John, there's a lot of references to him making, speaking about the prophecies that he existed from the beginning.
So I always encourage people, it's not so much a verse, it's so much the whole book of John. It's one of the best books for Muslims. When I came to Christ, that was the book that I. that I read. And I gave you one time, I was praying.
I was when I told you I was struggling with Jesus being God. Um I was taking a nap and I woke up, and all I was doing, I was just reciting John 1:1. At the beginning was the word, the word was with God, the word was God. And I just kept seeing it over 30, 40 times. I just could not stop.
And I was like, okay, God, I get it. And so you would encourage Muslims to read the book of John. You would encourage Christians to share the book of John or tell Muslims to read the book of John. And you would also encourage Christians, instead of coming against their religion, because the Islamic people may see that as disrespectful, to show them the truth and then to let God show them that their religion is wrong. Is that right?
Yeah, and you do it in a loving way. Like I said, it's not a battle. Like, I'm like, hey, I'm sharing this for you, not for me. I'm already. You know?
Yeah. Hathan, this is Jeff Hoover. I just wanted to give you a quick question. How, since we're talking about things that offend, I wanted to ask you really quick. Uh about the uh Scriptures Uh
