A Review of Muslims, Christians and Jesus by Carl Medearis

The author begins by stating that during the cold war communism was the enemy, but since the fall of the Soviet Union, many Americans think Islam is the enemy.  The purpose of this book is to help us all understand that Islam is not the enemy and neither are Muslims.  They can in fact become our friends.  We should pray for them, take every opportunity to pray in their presence, and seek to witness with love and understanding.  We should seek their friendship, not simply to unload the gospel, but to become genuine friends.  In such a context, opportunities for witness will come, since most are open to discussing matters of faith.   Having befriended, witnessed and prayed with many Muslims over the years, Medearis sets a good example for the rest of us.

In an effort to help others engage Muslims in meaningful relationships, Medearis suggests a gentle steering of conversations toward Jesus, rather than focusing on apologetics, or trying to defend Israel.  He argues convincingly that if this is our goal many Muslim-Christian tensions will fall by the way side.  In short, he wants to move Christians from fear to faith and says a good place to begin is to look for common ground, like God, angels, Holy Books, Prophets and the Day of Judgment.  There are sticky points, like the Son of God, but we should not start there.

Medearis suggests that by using the Qur’an we can help Muslims think more deeply about Jesus: “[T]he Qur’an is quite possibly the greatest inroad we have to reach the hearts of our Muslim friends” (p. 66).  He arranges the nearly one hundred verses about Jesus (all of them positive) under the topics of his birth, his character, his death and his exaltation (pp. 70-73).  He admits the Qur’an is problematic, confusing, conflicted and “… a few verses do condone killing” (p. 66).  It categorically denies Jesus is the Son of God, but he insists there is a “gold mine running through the Qur’an: His name is Jesus (Isa)” (p. 66).

Of particular value in this book are the many practical ways Christians can relate to Muslims, especially in the area of hospitality.  Christians, he says, should first of all plan to “have fun” (p. 152) because most Muslims love to party.  Such settings will afford conversations and he lists the top five questions often asked: “Do you believe Muhammad was a prophet?”  “Do you think the Qur’an is God’s inspired book?”  “Has the Bible been changed?” “How could God have a son?” And, “Was Jesus crucified?” He gives guidelines on how to respond to each question and ends up with a few do’s and don’ts in witness.  Whatever you do, says Medearis, do not attack Muhammad and try to visit a mosque.

The greatest strength of this book is perhaps the author’s ability to tell stories and some of them are humorous.  Every missionary can relate to how using the wrong word can completely change the meaning.  In attempting to sing a song to a group of Arab children in the desert, the Medearis family used the wrong word for “joy,” so rather than “I’ve got the joy, joy,” joy, down in my heart …” they sang, “I’ve got a mouse, mouse, mouse, down in my heart” (p. 29).

Other stories illustrate how much prayer means to Muslims.  He tells about meeting a leader of the Hezbollah, and when Medearis prayed for him, and his country, tears began to stream down the man’s face.  Over the course of time, he had further opportunities to meet and pray with him in the name of Jesus.  Another was a gifted Lebanese Arab, high up in government, who confessed that he had lost all hope for the country and for his ability to make a difference, but over time, during which they discussed the book of Luke and prayed for the nation, this man too was able to seriously consider the life of Jesus.

One particularly moving story (pp. 92-96) tells how he and a friend witnessed to a Saudi princess who in the beginning was not at all open to hearing about Jesus.  She was a highly-educated woman of the royal family with a degree in journalism and strong feelings against the West, especially the United States.  But as they addressed her hurts and frustrations, the princess broke down and they were able to share Christ’s love and the hope that only God can give.  Before it was over, and in the midst of many tears, the princess placed her faith in Christ.

However, this story illustrates what may be the most controversial aspect in the book, because apparently the princess is still very much a Muslim.  The question is: Can one be a follower of Jesus and yet remain a Muslim?   Medearis devotes an entire chapter (pp. 134-150) to show they can retain their identity, but in their heart of hearts be disciples of Jesus.  Some readers will respond that “Muslim” also carries with it religious connotations, such as allegiance to Muhammad, and that eventually allegiance must be given to Jesus–come what may.  This is one of the concerns in reference to some insider movements and the controversy swirling around contextualization.  In my view evangelicals can only resolve these issues through mutual respect and face-to-face dialog.

The only weakness is this book contains some inaccuracies.  For example, it says Muhammad and his first wife had seven children together, six of whom died young (p. 24).  It is true there were no surviving sons from the marriage, but the couple had four daughters who lived for years. The book calls the Hadith one of the revealed Holy Books (p. 42), but it is not in the same category as the four divinely-inspired books.  He says Jews and Christians will not be in hell for eternity (p. 44), whereas many modern Muslim scholars regard Christians and Jews as mushrik (those who add partners to God) who will be in hell eternally.  He says Islam is based largely on works, when the truth is it is based on both works and faith.  Muslims must embrace the five pillars of Islam plus the six articles of faith (p. 57).  He says if a Christian or Jewish woman marries a Muslim man she is a Muslim (p. 89).  These can easily be edited out in a future edition.

In conclusion, this book should be read for at least two reasons: First, it demonstrates that attitude is more important than knowing all there is to know about Islam, and building bridges with Muslims is the most fruitful approach.  Second, this work stimulates ongoing Christian thinking as to the extent to which Muslims can remain Muslim as they follow Jesus the Messiah.