Cross & Crescent: Responding to the Challenge of Islam

356 Pages·2003·7.214 MB·English

by  Colin Gilbert Chapman

C R e S C e N t
CROSS
aN D
R E S P O N D I N G f 0 T H E
" ' ; J t
C H A L L E N G E OF I S L A M
*' ^ ;* > . ,
m . * ' ' .
C o L i n C H a p m a N
PRaise foR Cross aND CResceNt
“Colin Chapmans book is intended as a guide for Christians who find themselves
encountering Muslims for the first time. The book would be useful for Christians
of any theological persuasion . . . especially for those who are basically scared of
Islam, afraid even of picking up a copy of the Quran.. .. Colin Chapman's book
will quickly enable them to move on constructively from such a crude and nega­
tive view."
Hugh Goddard, University of Nottingham
“It is a rich resource .. . not intended as an academic textbook. Rather, it is some­
thing of a manual for Christians who want to develop worthwhile and well-
informed relationships with Muslims. This practical aim is never far from view."
David Marshall, Oxford
“I recommend this book to all who need to understand the phenomenon of Islam,
and anyone who seriously wants to relate to Muslims should buy a copy."
John Meadowcroft, Bible College of New Zealand
“Colin is an able teacher. This book does not just give us facts about Islam, but
Colin has thought long and deeply about his readership. He is aware of the sense
of threat that many Christians feel and the attitude to Muslims that results. This
is one of the best books on Islam available today."
Bryan Knell, Christian Herald
CROSS aND C R e s c e N t
R E S P O N D I N G TO THE
C H A L L E N G E OF ISLAM
C o Lin C H a p m a N
IVP Books
\n imprint of InterVarsits Press
Dovsners (.ro\ e, Illinois
InterVarsity Press
PO. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-M26
World Wide Web: www.ivpress.com
E-mail: [email protected]
©Colin Chapman, 1995, 2003
Published in the United States of America by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, with permission from
Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, Leicester, England.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity
Press.
InterVarsity Press® is the bark-publishing division of Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a student movement
active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a
member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional
activities, write Public Relations Dept., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, 6400 Schroeder Rd., PO. Box 7895,
Madison, WI53707-7895, or visit the IVCF website at <www.interyarsity.org>.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®.
NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder and Stoughton
Ltd. All rights resctycd. UNIV" is a registered trademar k of International Bible Society. UK trademark number
1448790. Distributed m North America by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Cover design: Cindy Kiple
Cover images: Comstock (crescent); Kamil Vojnar/Photonica (cross)
ISBN-10: 0-8308-3204-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-8308-3204-0
Printed in the United States of America °°
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chapman, Colin Gilbert.
Cross & crescent: responding to the challenge of Islam/Colin
Chapman,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8308-3204-1 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Islam—Relations—Christianity. 2. Christianity and other
religions—Islam. 3. Islam—Essence, genius, nature. I. title.
BP 172. C418 2003
261.27—dc22
2003016152
P 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4
Y 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06

ackNowLeDgmeNts
For permission to quote from the following publications, IVP ex­
presses its gratitude to
The Church Missionary Society (CMS) for extracts from Uncharted
Journey by Roger Hooker.
The Fellowship of Faith for the Muslims and the author for ex­
tracts from The Life of Muslim Women by Vivienne Stacey
The Islamic Book Foundation for extracts from Chtistian Mission
and Islamic Da’wah by Isma’il al-Farugi.
The Islamic Foundation, Markfield, Leicester, LE67 9RN, for ex­
tracts from The Holy Qur'an, Translation and Commentary by
A. Yusuf Ali.
Israel Academic Committee on the Middle East for the extract
from Islam and the Minohties by Ronald L. Nettler.
MARC (a division of World Vision International) and the author,
Bill Musk, for the diagram from The Gospel and Islam: A 1978 Com­
pendium, edited by Don M. Curry
Masihi Isha at Khana, Lahore, Pakistan, and the author for extracts
from Christ Supreme Over Satan by Vivienne Stacey
CROSS AND C R E S C E N T
The Muslim Educational Trust, London N4 3RZ, for extracts from
Islam: A Brief Guide.
John Murray (Publishers) Limited and the author for the table
from Approaches to Islam by Richard Tames.
The Open University for extracts from Islam and the Muslim by
Kenneth Cragg.
Oxford University Press for extracts from Khursh’d Ahmad’s con­
tribution to Voices of Resurgent Islam edited by John L. Esposito
(1983) and from The Life of the Prophet: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s
Sirat Rasul Allah by A. Guillaume (1970).
Ta Ha Publishers Limited for extracts from Islam in Britain by Zaki
Badawi.
Unwin Hyman, an imprint of HarperCollms Publishers Limited,
and the authors for extracts from Islam and The Destiny of Man by
Charles Le Gai Eaton and from The Meaning of the Glorious Koran
by Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall.
Penguin Books India (P) Ltd and the author for the extracts from
The Struggle Within Islam and Muhammed and the Qur’an by Rafiq
Zakaria.
6
CONteNtS
Foreword . 9
Introduction . 11
Part 1 Relating to Our Muslim Neighbors
1 Meeting Face to Face . 21
2 Appreciating Islamic Culture . 28
3 Examining Our Attitudes 41
4 Visiting a Mosque 50
5 Facing Immediate Issues. 54
Resources for Further Study . 67
Part 2 Understanding Islam
6 Muslims at Prayer 71
7 Basic Muslim Beliefs and Practices . 77
8 The Qur’an . 84
9 Muhammad. 95
10 Tradition (Hadith and Sunna). . 104
11 Law (Sharfa) and Theology (Kalam) . .109
12 Subgroups in Islam . .117
13 Sufism. . 121
14 “Folk” or “Popular” Islam . 129
15 The Spread and Development of Islam . 135
16 Islam and Muslims in the WorldT oday . .147
17 Women in Islam . .159
Resources for Further Study . .177
Part 3 Entering into Discussion and Dialogue
18 Questions and Objections Concerning Christian Practice . 181
19 Questions and Objections Concerning Christian Beliefs. . .184
20 Social and Political Issues . . . . . .188
21 Guidelines and Aims in Discussion with Muslims . .190
22 A Deeper Look at the Main Muslim Objections . . . . 193
23 Learning from the Controversies of the Past . .211
24 Exploring Dialogue. . . . . 222
Resources for Further Study . . . 232
Part 4 Facing Fundamental Issues
25 Theological Questions. . 235
26 The Islamic View of Jesus . . . . 244
27 Crucial Differences: The Parting of the Ways. . 252
28 Thinking Biblically About Islam . . . . . 268
29 Counting the Cost of Conversion . . 277
30 Facing the Political Challenge of Islam . ...................286
Resources for Further Study . . . . 302
Part 5 Sharing Our Faith
31 Natural Openings in Everyday Life. . 305
32 Christian Responses to “Folk Islam” . 307
33 Using the Bible . . . . . 311
34 Rethinking and Restating the Gospel . . . . 323
35 Strategies for the Church: What Can We Do Together? . . 339
Resources for Further Study . . . 343
Conclusion: Walking the Way of the Cross . . 345
Notes. . . 348
O Re WORD
I first met Colin Chapman, the author of Cross and Crescent, in 1978 at a
consultation on ministry to Muslims in Karachi, Pakistan. At the time he was
working with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in the
Middle East. Since our first meeting our paths have crossed several times,
and each time I have been keenly aware of his continuing interest and study
in the area of Christians engaging with Islam.
Cross and Crescent reflects four outstanding qualities one wants to see in
any serious writing. The first is that it is a work bom out of extensive per­
sonal experience combined with study. Following his time with the IFES in
the Middle East, Chapman was principal of Crowther Hall, the Church Mis­
sion Society training college in Birmingham, England, where for years he
taught a course on Christian outreach to Muslims. Most recently he has
moved back to the Middle East, where he teaches at the Near Eastern School
of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon. Chapman knows Islam both academically
and personally, but more than that, his book reflects a compassionate under­
standing not just for Muslims but also for Christians who want to share their
faith with Muslims.
Second, Cross and Crescent is written by someone who has taught and
knows how to communicate. The book is clearly laid out in short chapters