Gospel Contextualization
Should a Christian contextualize the Gospel and pretend to be a Muslim in order to become better missionaries for the sake of Muslims? While this theory may seem like a good idea, it is far more faulty for Christians to lie about their religion rather than being honest about it. If this make-believe facade of reverence were put on by a Christian and Muslims found out, it could be very detrimental to the established relationships and opportunities to witness to the Muslims would be reduced.
Rheenen, Gailyn Van. Missions: Biblical Foundations and Contemporary Strategies. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996.
Should a Christian contextualize the Gospel and pretend to be a Muslim in order to become better missionaries for the sake of Muslims? While this theory may seem like a good idea, it is far more faulty for Christians to lie about their religion rather than being honest about it. If this make-believe facade of reverence were put on by a Christian and Muslims found out, it could be very detrimental to the established relationships and opportunities to witness to the Muslims would be reduced. This is because the Muslims may think that the Christian is nothing short of a liar and evidence shows that there has already been a long history of “bitterness and mistrust in Christian-Muslim relations” (p. 183). A better alternative to pretending to be a Muslim in order to reach the lost would be to tell the truth of one’s Christian beliefs while being fair to both sides of the debate. Contextualization is required but lying is not.
It is best to begin evangelizing a Muslim by talking about the Koran. In order to talk about the holy book of Islam, one must first understand it. To be diligent in the mission of evangelizing the lost, missionaries should begin their work “with exegesis of the culture” (p. 204). This is what contextualization is. It is not pretending to be something you are not, rather it is understanding the culture of the lost and empathizing with it. This requires a discernment of words when speaking with Muslims about their faith and the Christian faith. Contextualization requires tenderness and mercy to make the conversation as peaceful as possible. Christians do not want to appear hostile or to put the God of Muslims to a contest. They rather want to share the love and Gospel of Christ to people who so desperately need it. Their words and actions ought to reflect that desire. Therefore, Christian missionaries ought to be honest about their religion with Muslims, yet they still have to contextualize to share the Gospel with them effectively.