Do You Feel the Difference?

While I was in Egypt this past week I met an Egyptian woman who worked for the American Embassy. She asked me a question that caught me a bit off guard. She asked if I could feel the difference this year compared to my visits last year. I had only been on the ground a few days, had no problem getting into the country, and had been surrounded by friends the whole time. So I told her "No, I could not feel the difference, but that I was aware of the difference because I kept up with everything that is going on in Egypt.

The presidential election will be held next year and tensions are running high. Conservative Muslims are immigrating into the country to try and influence the outcome. The Christmas Eve violence by three Muslim youths killing several Coptic Christians, and the Muslim on Christian violence west of Alexandria in March while I was there was more evidence of the "difference" this woman was referencing. On the way out of the country it was different too. And I must admit that I felt this difference. Security was the highest I ever remember it. Another seasoned traveler from America said it was the highest he remembers in many years.

So there is a difference, but mostly I didn't feel that difference. I felt safe and secure in the arms of the Lord and the care of the church.

I did feel a difference, however. The difference I felt though was quite different from the one my new acquaintance was referring to. The difference I felt, I told her, was a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit blowing trough the country. God is working there in a new and powerful way. The volatility created by the upcoming elections, the violence, the hatred are merely symptoms of of a desperate and defeated enemy. This is his last stand. He is going to be defeated, and I believe that this will happen in our life time in Egypt and throughout the Arabic world. That is the difference I felt, and that is the message that I brought to the church in Egypt.

The church is growing in Egypt. It is reaching out in amazing ways. It is having great success. Many Muslims are converting to Christianity. Naturally, the enemy is fearful of loosing his hold on the country. He fears the loss of power and influence that seems to be slipping away so he is stepping up to the challenge with new resolve, intimidation, and violence.

I can feel the difference. And I hope you can too. EPI is working hard to prepare the country and the region for the time when Islam collapses in North Africa and the Middle East. Through your prayers and financial support you are making this possible. May God bless our efforts to this end--and soon.

Christmas in Bethlehem: The Reality of Living Between Israel and Islam

Bethlehem was the place of Christ's birth. Historically it has been home to some of the oldest Christian communities. Yet today the Christian population there continues to shrink. For this we can thank both Israel and Islam. Both publicly claim to be supportive of the Christian population there, but everyone knows better. The truth is, that in its own way, Israel is as hostile to Christians and the gospel as is Islam.

This reality only highlights the miserable failure of both American foreign policy in the region, and the abysmal result of the United Nations partitioning dating back to 1948. In 1947 Christians made up nearly 75% of the population in Bethlehem. Today they make up only 15%.

What happened in the birth place of Christ is being repeated throughout North Africa and the Middle East, namely, Christians are fleeing the place of their nativity in an attempt to find a more hospitable home away from home.

Meanwhile, American politicians are operating in total disregard to this reality believing that they can bring stability to the region simply by replacing one Islamic regime with another more moderate Muslim government. As a result, American foreign policy is working to the same end as Islamic jihad--the eradication of Christian populations in North Africa and the Middle East. In this sense American foreign policy is helping to rid the region of the very population that could actually bring peace to the region if it were allowed to grow, and flourish, and proclaim the gospel in the very place Christ was born.

All of this underscores the importance of missions like Equipping Pastors International. We know that the only hope for the region is the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the power of God onto salvation. We believe that the church of Jesus Christ is the most important institution on earth for transforming North Africa and the Middles East. And we are committed to equipping the church so it can stay put and fight the good fight of faith until both Israel and Islam are transformed by the very gospel they are trying to suppress. This is the foreign policy of our King and kingdom. And this is our Christmas prayer:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.

(Part VII) Islam's Vision for the World: Jihad

It has often been said that throughout the history of time religious ideology has been the chief cause of war and death. The truth is, however, that more people were killed in the twentieth century at the hands of atheistic dictators than all the religious wars combined throughout history. Indeed, the twentieth century was the bloodiest century in human history. So much for the triumph of the Enlightenment ideas of reason and progress.

This bit of overlooked history provides a backdrop for discussion about religious violence, that is, holy war or jihad. Since 9-11 there have been seemingly endless discussions about the meaning and interpretation of jihad. Perhaps from the start we should accept the supposition that the word jihad has a broad range of meaning depending on which individual, sect, or group is using the term. That being said, jihad is now, and always has been, a part of Islamic strategy for world domination. Part of the reason for the confusion about jihad is the misunderstanding on the part of many that there are stages to jihad. In fact, if you look at the various countries around the world where Islam is on the move you will see that they are at one the three stages of Jihad.

In stage one, muslims are a living in countries where they are small minorities without much in the way of power or influence. At this stage Muslims follow the words of Muhammad in Surah 2:256, There is no compulsion in religion. This is an oft quoted verse to prove that Islam does not engage in forced conversions. It is usually mentioned in conjuction with Surah 5:105:

O you who believe! Take care of your ownselves, [do righteous deeds, fear Allâh much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allâh much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]. If you follow the right guidance and enjoin what is right (Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden) no hurt can come to you from those who are in error. The return of you all is to Allâh, then He will inform you about (all) that which you used to do.

These verses were written in response to Muslims in Mecca who wanted to know how to deal with unbelievers around them. In essence it was telling them to just worry about themselves and not to be concerned about the unbelievers in their midst.

The second phase of jihad is when Muslims have a sizable, influential minority. In this phase, they prepare to infiltrate every possible arena: political, economic, business, military, etc. In this phase Mulims are making preparation for direct confrontation of the enemy.

Let not the unbelievers think that they can get the better (of the godly): they will never frustrate (them). Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. Whatever ye shall spend in the cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly. Surah 8:59-60

The last phase of jihad is when Muslims are a strong and influential minority. In this phase it is the duty of every Muslim to work to overthrow the system of the non-Muslim country and establish Islamic authroity in every realm. This is based on Muhammad's final revelation concerning jihad in Surah 9:5:

But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

So it has already been noted above that individuals, sects, and groups may use the word jihad in different ways to mean different things. This may be because of ignorance on the part of some, or it may be an intentional effort on the part of others to try and put a better face on Islam in order to make the religion more acceptable to the modern world.

Even so, if you look at the countries around the world where Islam is gaining ground it is apparent that jihad is still a Muslim strategy to bring about world domination. The key is to understand jihad in phases or stages based on the writings of the Quran. This makes it easier to see and understand the various stages of progress of Islam in many countries around the world.

*I am indebted to Mark Gabriel for much of what has been said in this post. See Islam and Terrorism, chapter 11.

(Part VI) Islam's Vision for the World: Immigration & Deportation

When many people think about the Islamic conquest they often think of a violent take over of nation-states and forced conversions. This, of course, is true to a large extent, but it is often exaggerated to the degree that other important factors related to Islamization are missed.

A truer picture is that muslim populations immigrated in mass to places like Spain, Asia Minor, North Africa and the Middles East. At the same time Christians were either deported or went into exile to flee the onslaught of foreign migration. Overtime, Muslims simply outnumbered the native residents.

From the earliest times migration played a greater role than birth rates in altering the balance between religions. Governments recognized this and did much to try and regulate migratory trends. Population transfers were deliberately aimed at depleting the religious minorities. Muslim rulers worked hard to remove Christian populations from the Arabian Peninsula. This combination of Islamic immigration and Christian deportation radically undermined the minority populations and eventually stripped them of their influence, power, and rights. In turn, the political, social, and religious pressure pushed the older Christian populations into accepting Islam, or forced them into exile. The presence of these new populations into North Africa and the Middle East contributed greatly to giving places in the region a Muslim coloring by the late Middle Ages.

This policy often resulted in conflict, war, plague, and economic downfall, but like so often in history it is the minorities that get the blame for it. And only the dominant faith would be eligible for official assistance. Thus "dominance reinforces dominance."

With this in mind, in order to defeat Islam the trend ultimately has to be reversed. Christians need to immigrate into the predominantly Islamic states. They need to learn the language, work there, study there, raise families there. That is to say that they need to have a ministry of presence there. Christians need to be willing to get off the carer track of upward mobility, always looking for advancement, always seeing the call of God in taking a the higher paying job, buying the better car, or purchasing the bigger house. If we want to defeat Islam and re-Christianize the Muslim world we need to peacefully and quietly immigrate to Muslim countries.

In addition, we have got to give Christians in these parts a reason to stay in their homelands. If Islam is ever going to lose its stronghold on the region then the best and brightest of Christians in the region need to stay put. The temptation to immigrate to the USA, Canada, or Europe is great. The religious discrimination is intimidating and frustrating especially to younger people who now see no hope of ever reversing the trend. Young Christians are overlooked for the best schools, the best jobs, and for political office. As a result it is far too attractive to seek opportunity outside of their homeland. However, this only further exacerbates the problem and strengthens the hand of the oppressors.

The solution is not going to come from our government. As said before, our government isn't looking to overthrow Muslim power. They are only interested in removing one sect of Muslims form power to replace them with another sect. This has had dire consequences for Christians in the region. Christian populations around North Africa and the Middle East, in most cases, are shrinking as a direct result of our previous and current foreign policy. While the USA and Western Europe may be against radical Islam, they are in every other way pro-Islam when it comes to the Arab states. That is to say, that the minority Christian populations are not even on their radar.

Therefore, the solution is not going to come from any nation-state. It is only going to come from the those who belong to the kingdom of God--the church. Foreign Christians must be willing to immigrate, and native Christians must be willing to stay put. Increasing the population (through birth rates and immigration) is one of the most important means in changing the religious imbalance in North Africa and the Middle East.

*I am indebted to Philip Jenkins in general for many of the ideas in this series, and in particular for much of what has been said in this post. See his book The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia--and How It Died.

(Part V) Islam's Vision for the World: Differential Birth Rates

Where you are born largely determines what you believe. If you were born in Saudi Arabia, for instance, it is unlikely that you would grow up to become a Christian. Demography, to a large degree, decides one's religion. This phenomenon informs us of the importance of population in determining religious belief. A robust birth rate is essential to the survival and success of a religion. Declining birth rates put religious belief at risk. This is not just a numbers game. It is the reality of religious dominance.

The religion of Islam since the 7th century has understood and used demography and birth rates to their advantage. Having multiple wives each bearing multiple children who will be raised, tutored, and immersed in Islamic culture gives Islam a decided advantage over other rival religions such as Christianity. For the most part, Christians have long ago surrendered to the culture regarding family planning, and contraception.

The most successful method of evangelism is procreation. Theologians refer to this as covenant succession. It is the practice of passing on your faith to your children from generation to generation. In this way, the propagation of children is at once and the same time the propagation of the faith.

Philip Jenkins has correctly recognized that demography has played a crucial role in the rise and fall of religions... In the Middle East, higher education and better access to contraception have resulted in Christian communities having much lower birthrates than Muslim neighbors, so that Christians have progressively lost there share of population.

While it is encouraging to see the number of Muslims converting to Christianity in North Africa and the Middle East, it is going to take more than conversion to shift the tide of religious dominance enjoyed by Islam. Covenant Succession must accompany conversion if these nations are ever going to recover their rightful Christian heritage as the intellectual and theological capital of the christian world.

Equipping Pastors International teachers pastors, Christian leaders, and their wives about marriage and the family. We believe that healthy marriages and healthy families make healthy ministries. Covenant succession is part of this training. It is our conviction that covenant succession must accompany conversion if Christianity is going to return to its majority status in what is now the Islamic world.

*I am indebted to Philip Jenkins in general for many of the ideas in this series, and in particular for much of what has been said in this post. See his book The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia--and How It Died.

(Part IV) Islam's Vision for the World: Systematic Discrimination

The world cried out against segregation during the mid-twentieth century in the United States resulting in the civil rights legislation. It shamed the South African advocates of apartheid later in the century ending one of the most discriminatory regimes in history. Yet the world has been silent, for the most part, about the Islamic Umaric code which legalized discrimination against all non-Muslims. However, this discrimination is somewhat unique. Unlike the racist discrimination in the United States and South Africa, Islamic discrimination has a religious basis. One wonders, though, Where is the outrage against this discrimination? Especially since it is wider in scope, more systematic, and in many cases much more severe.

From the very beginning of the Islamic conquest Muslims structured all of life so that unbelievers were constantly aware of their inferior status. Systematic discrimination limiting the rights of all non-Muslims took the form of political policy. This practice imposed great limitations on a non-Muslim's mobility in society.

The intent of these policies was to remind non-Muslims of their minority status. For instance, under these restrictions non-Muslims were forbidden to testify against Muslims in a court of law. If an unbeliever witnessed a Muslim committing a crime his testimony is not permitted in court. Yet a Muslim can bring a charge against a non-Muslim at anytime (often without any proof). Similarly a non-Muslim, in most Islamic countries, cannot hold political office or other positions of honor. They have no say in the formulation of policies which affects their lives. They are not even allowed to speak like Muslims. This extends right down to the common Muslim greeting salaam aleikum (Peace be with you). Such speech could earn you a beating or worse. Often, they do not even have the right to choose where they live or work. Likewise, they are forbidden the right of retaliation against insult (a basic Middle Eastern honor custom). It is easy to see how these discriminatory practices often lead to outright persecution and violence against non-Muslims.

This systematic discrimination put enormous pressure on Christians until it has all but marginalized their faith, and has made them socially and politically irrelevant. It makes conversion to the majority religion an attractive option especially to the younger generation.

Equipping Pastors International desires to strengthen the church where Islam is oppressing and systematically discriminating against her. We are now working hard in North Africa and the Middle East to help the church persevere and endure under discriminatory practices that are designed to bring about its death. We believe that we will see enormous changes in this region over the next decade that radically alter the religious and political environment. This will of course require the church in the West to be aware, and to cry out against these practices in the same way it did over segregation in the States, and apartheid in South Africa. In the same way these forms of institutional discrimination were dismantled the systematic discrimination of Islam can be defeated, and the Christians and the church can again thrive in the region.

*I am indebted to Philip Jenkins in general for many of the ideas in this series, and in particular for much of what has been said in this post. See his book The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia--and How It Died.

(Part III) Islam's Vision for the World: Control of the Language

Christians are ignorant of their own tongue. ~Ninth-century Spanish Christian

Whoever controls the language controls the world. The success of the Islamic conquest meant not only the disappearance of Christianity, but the dismantling of the languages used by Christians as the medium of communication for thought and culture. By the eighth century Arabic was the language of politics, economics, and culture. The victory of Arabic, as Peter Brown reminds us, opened the doors to Islamization. The rise of Arabic signaled the fall of the older languages used by Christians.

Muslim regimes limited the use of these languages in the public sphere. The Greek, Coptic, and Syriac languages fell by the wayside as speakers of the older tongues realized that Arabic was the only way to get ahead in the world.

The results were predictable. As Philip Jenkins notes:

The Long term religious consequences for Christianity were grim. The texts and liturgy of faith were all available in languages that, though venerable, were clearly associated with fading cultures--literally, the words of the very old. Worse, when members of a faith are unable to express their ideas except in a language that is primarily associated with a rival religious system--can use only the words and intellectual categories of another creed--that minority religion is en route to oblivion.

Today, Arabic is the official language of 28 countries in the North Africa and the Middle East. The languages used by Christians to communicate its ideas and culture have fallen into disuse. Consequently, the memory of their Christian heritage has largely been forgotten. Their Christian history erased. It is not unusual for Christians and Islam alike to believe the same myth, namely, that Christianity is a European religion that came to the region during the 19th century modern missions movement and is linked to Western colonialism. The truth is, as I have said may times now, that North Africa and the Middle East were once the intellectual and theological capital of the Christian world. These were (and in my mind still are) Christian countries. However, most of the great literature of the first six centuries of the Christian era remain unaccessible to the modern Christians in North Africa and the Middle East. Not to mention that very little (practically none) of the good, theologically sound, Christian literature ever gets translated into Arabic.

So what is the way forward? Well, it is safe to assume that the language of Arabic will not be overturned as the official language of Islam and of the 28 countries across North Africa and the Middle East. Therefore, Christianity must not only learn Arabic, we must master it. Like Islam we must use Arabic to communicate our thought and culture. We must work diligently to translate the best of our Christian literature into Arabic and get these works distributed throughout North Africa and the Middle East. In short, Arabic must become the language of Christianity more so than it is the language of Islam. We must learn it, master it, adopt it, think in it, write in it, lecture in it, and preach in it. We need to teach it at our Christian Schools, Bible Colleges, and Seminaries as a required course along with Greek and Hebrew. To put it another way, the church needs to baptize Arabic. That is, Christianity needs to control the language.

Equipping Pastors International is committed to helping the church accomplish this goal. However, we must remember that in the same way it took a united Islamic strategy to accomplish making Arabic the official religious language, it will take no less from the church in the West. May God help us all to join together for this common purpose. The success of Christianity in 28 countries in North Africa and the Middle East depends on it.

On a personal note, please pray for me as I prepare to study Arabic. There are several ways to go about it and I am trying to discern the best approach. Also, please think and pray about what part you may play. Exciting things are going on in the Arabic speaking world. God is moving. Wouldn't it be great to be a part of it?

*I am indebted to Philip Jenkins in general for many of the ideas in this series, and in particular for much of what has been said in this post. See his book The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia--and How It Died.