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Colin Bearup's "Keys" has been developed out of faithful experience in seeking to share the Good News with Muslims. Underlying Colin's approach is a spirit of humility and an urgency to do everything possible to enable our Muslim friends to come face to face with the Jesus portrayed through Matthew's Gospel. He helps the reader to get himself (as a Western Christian) out of the way as much as possible and to head off the presuppositions that Muslims have about what "Christianity" means. The bulk of the book aims to assist the Western Christian in serving up as dramatically as possible and as pointedly as possible (for a Muslim audience) what the Gospel of Matthew records. This book is very practical, suggesting ways of reading the Gospel text and exploring its meaning that will have an impact upon a Muslim. Colin's purpose is for our Muslim friends to be enabled to meet in Matthew's Gospel a Jesus of whom they have never before heard. I thoroughly commend it. Right Reverend Doctor Bill Musk. Assistant Bishop for the North Africa Area in the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa & the Horn of Africa, and Rector of St. George's Anglican Church, Tunis. Known as Bishop Bill.
We live in extraordinary days. When I was a student (not that long ago) there were no books by Christians about Muslims. Well, there were, but finding them was a challenge. No one was interested. Muslims were people who lived overseas - for all intents and purposes, on another planet. No one was taught anything about Islam at school. As a keen young Christian who wanted to know everything about everything, I was totally ignorant of Islam and I didn't even know it. Countries in which Muslims lived were in the news all the time, just like today, but their religion was not. Today the beliefs and practices of Muslims turn up frequently in the conversation of ordinary people who have no interest in religion. Halal food. Veils. Jihad. Mosques. This is new. There has never before been a time when Islam was discussed over the breakfast tables of Britain. God is on the move. The vast majority of all people who were born as Muslims and then found new life in Christ are alive today. We live in extraordinary times - what a shame if we miss it because we are so busy obsessing about how our country used to look so different. God is intent on the harvest being brought in and he is redrawing the map of the world to do it. (Read Acts 17:26-27) The presence of Muslims in this country is the will of God. His purpose is that they find new life in Christ. Are we with him or against him? This book is one of many that aim to equip Christians to share the good news of Jesus effectively. It is not intended as a quick read; rather it provides reference material for people who want to train themselves to handle scripture effectively. Years ago, Christians were ignorant and did not know it. Today, Christians are still ignorance, but many of us now realize it. This book aims to be practical. It comes out of experiences overseas in a Muslim setting. There I learnt about two things. First, how to communicate with Muslims, and second, that most Christians, even the professionals, don't know how to use scripture to good effect. You don't learn these things unless someone teaches you. The writings of a pioneer called Charles Marsh set me on the right road. I hope this volume will do that and much more for many others. Why Matthew? Muslims believe in Holy Books. The notion that God has spoken through scripture is a familiar one to them. Quoting verses you have memorized (or have sort of memorized...) may impress you pastor, but Muslims want to see it on the page. If you have such a thorough knowledge of the Bible that you can open it with ease and confidence to address any issue on the spur of the moment, you will find an audience with Muslims. The bad news is that for most of us, that is a big ask. Mastering a single book such as a Gospel though, can be done. And that is what this volume is for. Setting out to master one Gospel thoroughly also makes a lot of sense. Walking around with whole Bibles in your pocket to give away would require eccentric attire to say the least. A single Gospel is practical to carry. The idea advocated here is to familiarize yourself with Matthew's Gospel so that you can use it with skill. Whether you end up read it it aloud, giving it away, lending it, or leading studies on it, you will be able to do so with confidence. Why Matthew? Because Matthew is brilliant. It describes the life and teachings of Christ. It includes hot topics like religious hypocrisy, facing persecution and end times. Again and again it roots the good news in God's word to the prophets. The fact is that it is quite possible to share the gospel without ever referring to John 3:16 and, surprising as it may seem, may have done in other periods of history and in other cultures. Why not the other Gospels? They are OK too. Maybe someone else can write about how to use them. Matthew has a lot to offer. Learn to use Matthew and you will soon learn how to use the others too. Who is this book for? It is intended for anyone who wants some help in communicating the gospel to Muslims. There is a tremendous diversity among the Muslims out there - from born and bred British to newly arrived student, from illiterate refugees to university professors, from fanatically religious to thoroughly secular. This book is intended to enable ordinary Christians to equip themselves to meet any of these challenges. Which translation should you use? Copies of Matthew's Gospel are available in a variety of translations. Obviously, you need something in clear English. You also want something that does not quickly fall to bits. The more it looks like a holy book the better. Muslims tend to assume that a book containing pictures is not scripture. There is such a thing as a specialist Gospel which contains notes on key terms to help the Muslim reader. One example would be The Holy Injil from IBS. Some people worry about language. If you speak another language you should be able to adapt the material offered here. If your Muslim friends do not speak English brilliantly, you might want to offer them something in their own language, but that will make it much m more difficult for you to answer their questions about what they are reading. Even if they have their own copy, as well, you should operate from a text you are confident with. KEYS For all sorts of reasons the gospel is locked to Muslims. Terms apparently familiar to them carry different meanings. They have been taught to think in a way that is hostile to basic gospel principles. They have even been warned against being deceived by it. Your opportunities to witness will come in a variety of forms - chance encounters, planned visits, established friendships and so on. Sharing Christ is spiritual work and cooperating with the Holy Spirit is the only way to fruitfulness. The time for harvest has started but it is still not a simple task. What this book does is to provide you with a set of practical tools, keys even, to help unlock the gospel for your Muslim neighbours. Colin Bearup |
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