Articles

A Biblical Response to the Post-Christian Agenda

Many are telling us that America is on the move into a post-Christian agenda like Europe did 25-50 years ago, but it’s moving at a more incredible speed of change than Europe did. Several recent surveys reveal that the size of the Christian evangelical church in America is around 21 to 22 million—7-8% of the total population—not the 60 million to 70 million of past reports. Others might believe in God or go to mainline denominational churches, but not churches where the Bible’s standard and authority over all cultural issues of debate is used.

Did Jesus Promise Muhammad's Coming?

Muslims believe that one of the important features of Jesus’ mission was to give the ‘glad tidings’ of the coming of the Prophet Muhammad. According to the Qur’an, Jesus said, ‘O children of Israel! I am the Apostle of God (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving glad tidings of an apostle to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmed’ (Surah 61:6). ---So why do Christians believe that the promise is not about Muhammad but is about the Holy Spirit?

The doctrine of Lying in Islamic Jurisprudence

In Islamic theology, the terms kitman, taqqiyya / tuqya, etc. stand for telling a lie, concealing the true intention or misleading for a greater purpose. In general, Muslims have used it since the 7th century to confuse and split their enemies. A favored tactic is “deceptive triangulation” to persuade the enemy that Jihad is not aimed at them but rather at another enemy. It also refers to how a Muslim may lie, mislead or avoid truthfulness to achieve a purpose if the goal is for the benefit of the Muslim community.

Hajj: A Biblical perspective

Every year, millions of Muslims around the world make the religious journey known as Hajj to Mecca. As one of the five 'pillars' of Islam, Hajj is a requirement for Muslims to perform at least once in their life, if physically and financially able (Qur’an 2:196ff). Muslims consider their sins forgiven due to their participation. Some make the pilgrimage more than once.

Many Muslims spend their entire lives saving and planning for this journey to Mecca, where no non-Muslims are allowed. Some sleep in fancy hotels; others don’t. However, they all share the purpose of fulfilling Hajj, following in the footsteps of Muhammad. This article deals with the question of Why Christians should know about Hajj.

The Momentous Sacrifice

God chose Abraham for a particular special purpose. The Bible states that God told him, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you, all the families of the earth shall bless themselves” (Genesis 12.1-3). The Qur'an also confirms that God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations: “Lo: I have appointed thee a leader for mankind” (Sura 2.124). Almost every sincere Muslim in the world celebrates the festival of Eid al-Adha with great feeling. This festival is observed in memory of the sacrifice that Abraham offered God. Muslims believe that God put Abraham to the test by asking him to sacrifice his son. At the right moment, God provided a ram to be sacrificed. In the Quran, we read of Abraham that God “gave him tidings of a gentle son. And when his son was old enough to walk with him, Abraham said: O my dear son, I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice thee” (Surah 37.100-102). Muslim exegetes claim it was Ishmael, not Isaac, as the Bible states in Genesis 22. However, the Qur’an does not state whether that son was Ishmael or Isaac. Among early Muslims, several key figures believed it was Isaac, not Ishmael ...