Building Bridges with Muslims

But that is not the case, says Fouad Masri, founder and president of Crescent Project (www.crescentproject.org). His ministry was founded to help equip Christians to effectively share their faith with Muslims. Many Muslims are searching for answers, he says, and they are finding answers in God’s Word.

With approximately 7 million Muslims living in North America and millions more in Western Europe, you don’t have to look far for an opportunity to meet a Muslim. Fouad says an effective way to connect with Muslims is first to understand the similarities between Christianity and Islam. These similarities can work like a bridge to lead Muslims to the gospel.

One similarity involves creation. Most Muslims believe in a Creator God, and many deny evolution as a fact. Though they claim that Allah—the god of Islam—is creator, most Muslims believe that the creation events happened in six literal 24-hour days. The Koran does not give many details about Creation Week (and these details are often contradictory, see Answers vol. 2.1, p. 44), but Muslims have learned through Arabic folklore about Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, Noah’s Ark, and the Flood.

In addition to learning more about what Islam teaches, Fouad suggests the following when trying to build bridges to Muslims:

• Invite Muslims to celebrate Christmas, Easter, or other holidays with your family. Most Muslims have never been invited into a Christian’s home.
• Give them a gift, such as a copy of the Injeel (Arabic for New Testament).
• Read a good translation of the Koran, such as the one published by Penguin.
• Bring them to a public Christian center, such as the Creation Museum near Cincinnati, and discuss the similarities between the two faiths.
• Equip your small group or Sunday school to connect with Muslims by studying specialized curricula, such as Bridges (see p. 19) produced by Crescent Project.
• Invite them to church or to a Bible study.