www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization Witnessing Christ to Muslims

Dear Friends,

Is it perhaps that God is calling Christians to a spiritual reawakening to witness to His Son to the ever-growing numbers of Muslims in our midst?

One Muslim convert to Orthodoxy once said that what got him interested in the Church was the daily Office with its seven times for prayer during the day, resembling the way pious Muslims punctuate their day with prayer, the prostrations etc.

How can we be effective witnesses ourselves in this way?

There are no atheists in fox-holes and there can be no non-missionary Christians in the world today.

Alex

true.
the Evangelicals have long held that you are ither a missionary or a mission field.
deal with it.
Much Love,
Jonn

Islam and Christianity are locked in "battle" for souls in sub-Saharan Africa.

It was featured in one of al-Jazeera's programs featuring an Imam accusing the Catholic Church of "sheep-stealing" (!), the transcript of which was discussed a while back in one of the Internet fora.

This is now confirmed partly by the latest reports on the state of the Catholic Church in Africa. Fifteen years ago (1990) there were around 55 million Catholics throughout Africa but the 2006 Annuario Pontificio reports that, at the end of 2005, the number dramatically increased to approximately 145 million Catholics in Africa.

The increase must be the result of the evangelization efforts of the Catholic Church in the continent!

The Catholic News Agency has the full story:

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=9316

Dear Amado,

So what is the Church in Africa doing right that we aren't in North America and Europe?

Alex

they know what and why they believe. the Catholics in America are still moaning over the loss of Camelot and are too busy singing folk music. what is there about Catholicism in America that anyone would want? the African believers have it right.
Much Love,
Jonn

It is not a question of "right or wrong."

The Catholic Church in Europe should re-commit herself to new evangelization or to re-evangelization as the late Pope John Paul II exhortation at the turn of the new millenium!

The European bishops seem to be heeding the call:

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=51005

Dear Amado,

Where can I go to get training?

Not with respect to how to properly behave myself on the Forum - I'm unteachable in that department.

I mean the new evangelization.

Alex

A good place to start would be Pakistan or Indonesia in Asia and Nigeria or Uganda in Africa!

And you have to leave your dear wife behind, for good measure!

They probably don't have those stupid "Clown Masses" in Africa. There's something about the beauty of Truth that will draw people. We just have to stop trying to put eyeliner on it here in America and just let it be what it is. Truth will handle itself just fine.

Brother Ed

Dear Friends,

Well, to be perfectly sincere, I think that if this is the best advice the best can muster here on this subject, we're in one heck of a lot of trouble!

How about some ideas on how to present Christ in a context to them that would be meaningful?

Alex

As the African bishops make their successive ad limina visit to Rome, we may be able to catch a glimpse of the evangelization efforts exerted by the hierarchy of each African nation.

The ad limina visit by Mali's bishops is about to be completed and here's the state of the Catholic Church in Mali as she interfaces with the Muslim majority:



Full story:

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=9425

I can assure you that I am not, nor have I ever, moaned over the loss of Camelot. I fear for muslim converts though. We have not done the ground work necessary to safely preach to the muslims. Until we have unequivocally enlisted the secular government in putting down coercive sharia courts, muslims will stay muslim out of fear of violence. Fatwas aren't just for Salman Rushdie.

Muslim converts do exist. They do fear their families' and communities' responses which can include kidnapping, forced divorces, or honor killings including in America. Most often, the wives or children are forcefully transported to a Middle Eastern country where Muslim courts award divorce and custody, and the convert (usually a man) is beaten to a pulp by his own family and shunned. They require a strong support network as well as extremely knowledgeable mentors. They value apologetics, strong communities, prayer lives and worship, and a respect for marriage and morality. They need same-sex mentors.

On average, they would be scandalized to see a church full of scantily clad women, back talking children, ineffective husbands, no prayer life, and little to no knowledge about the faith or how to live it.

I would like to talk to a Muslim convert to ask which questions would be best to highlight in apologetics. It seems to me that the divinity of Jesus, the oneness of the Trinity, and the common respect for Mary would be good places to start. For women, the biggest thing I hear about why they like being Muslims is the respect for womanhood, wives, mothers, and chastity. They would need to understand that Christianity also provides this respect. You can compare the current application of Christianity in America to the current application of Islam in Turkey, where women are dressed in bikinis on the beach, to help them understand that America does not provide the face for Christianity. Then Theology of the Body and other writings about the great respect for women would be a good place to start for them. They would probably also appreciate conservative apostolates if looking into Roman Catholicism which encourage meekness, humility, prayer, service, and womanhood. They should be encouraged to continue wearing their head scarves if they feel inclined to do so. Secular Muslims are less likely to have an attachment to it.

Beautiful - we should all try our best to convert everyone to the Catholic Faith (or anyone who is non-Catholic to the Orthodox faith :D)

Catholig

I have a Protestant friend who's brother in law is a muslim convert. He absolutely can not return home. Next I talk to her I'll ask her why he says he converted to Christianity.Recently someone told me about a muslim convert who was led to the Church through the Mother of God.(And she always leads us to Christ)

As for traditonal muslim women and even more secularized muslims of a certain age I'd also think the tight skirts and bosoms in our churches would be a major turn off. There are many muslim women on my campus and though I have no interest in Islam I admire their modest dress and veils. That their men respect and guard their chastity is appealing and it really does seem that reverence for feminine chastity would have to be a key point. We could learn from muslims in this respect, because,except for the traditional christians, we've pretty much lost that in the western world. At the same time their reason for veiling is different from Christians and that would have to be made clear to muslim converts also.They veil for modesty (as do Jewish women)and as a woman ages she does not have to cover herself as much, whereas we veil as a sign of submission and obedience to right order; to God.

Oops, didn't mean to hijack the thread in a different direction. I'll ask around campus about muslim converts and see if I can talk with one.If anyone else has the opportunity to do so I would love to hear from them.

Indigo