Our Muslim friends

Finally! After two of the most hectic weeks I've had in ages, I'm finished all of my ordination stuff. One more interview (at the end of June), and I officially become Reverend Chris Ulriksen. That's weird. And I don't really ever expect to use the Reverend title - I just won't have to correct people when they call me Reverend (happens sometimes).

I've been thinking a lot about Muslims lately, what with all the terrorism by Muslim groups, Iraq, and most recently the whole explosion in the Muslim world about these cartoons. I often wonder about the growing Muslim community. I've noticed two things. First, there is, or at least seems to be, a large percentage of Muslims who are quite radical in their beliefs (of course, many would consider us Christians radical, too). I don't really blame them for being committed to something they believe in - I can understand that. What concerns me is the prominent place that hatred and violence seem to play in their lifestyle. Islam somehow seems to breed this - not just the idea that God is only found in their faith (we share that), but that anyone who rejects that is not worthy of living. I know that's a vast simplification, but I struggle with the lack of love that they display (as a group). The second thing that I've noticed is how much they are spreading into Europe, especially Britain and France. Not that these nations have been anything other than "nominal" Christian nations for years now, but it is amazing to see how common and strong Islam is in Europe. I find myself wondering what could possible stop this tide of Islam.

Just this week I read a book called "Understanding Church Growth" by Donald McGavran. This book is a few years out of date (1990), and a lot has happened since then, but I found some of his comments interesting. In short, he pointed out that the culture in many of these Muslim countries is very much "group" oriented, and that many are not willing to listen to the gospel because to do so would completely separate them from their entire society. He pointed to Indonesia (I think - it might have been the Philippines), where the church has taken off because at a certain point, entire groups made the decision to follow Christ - to the point where mosques became churches. I know that even hearing the gospel is a challenge in most Muslim countries, but the book helped me to realize that God has not forgotten the Muslim world, and that when the gospel permeates those societies, the change could be quite rapid. In fact, he pointed out that as the Qu'ran is held up to the same type of scrutiny as the Bible has been, he expected that this would cause many to reconsider their beliefs (again, provided they are ever able to hear this information).

I guess in light of all the negative publicity and acts of Muslims, we need to hold tight to the fact that they are people who are desperately love by God, and that Christ desires a relationship with them as much as He does with us. I think we also need to hold tight to the hope and encouragement that God is at work there, even when all we seem to see is lostness, brokenness, anger and violence. For me, it was also a call to do what I could for them, which is primarily to pray for them and those missionaries who are working there. I hope that this can at least spark a few thoughts and prayers for Muslims from the rest of you as well.

That's it. I'm out.