Bibles not Bombs
Christian Missionaries are Key to True Peace and Reconciliation
Response to “Should Christians Convert Muslims” Time, June 22, 2003
Darryl Record
The June 22, Time magazine article, “Should Christians Convert Muslims?” asks a very important
question. Rather than launching directly into the material, social, and spiritual benefits that
missionaries can bring to the Muslim world it is important to carefully consider our most basic
assumptions. The Time article appears to be written from a secular postmodern worldview in
which Christianity and Islam are both equally true (or more likely untrue, if you took notes in Biology
101, but Time wouldn‘t want to be impolite). There are some basic questions that we must be able
to answer. 1. Did God create everything? 2. Is the Bible truly God’s Word? 3. Is Jesus Christ God?
If we answer “No” to any of these three questions, then converting Muslims to Christianity
(especially when this conversion can cost them their lives, not to mention the risk to the
missionaries) is not only foolish but unethical and cruel. The objective truth of the resurrection of
Christ is so vital to Christianity that if it is not true all churches should close and all Christian
leaders should publicly apologize and be punished for profiting from fraud (I Cor 15:12-22).
Fortunately, these three questions can be answered in the affirmative. In fact, the truth claims of
Christianity are supported by evidence from archaeology, astronomy, biology, geology, history,
mathematics and prophecy, if one wishes to examine the evidence with an open mind. Therefore,
if Christianity is true, then we must accept what the Bible says. The Bible makes some very
specific claims about having “no other gods (Exodus 20:3-5)” and about Jesus Christ being the only
way to heaven instead of hell (John 3:16, 14:6 Matt. 10:27 23:33). It is the same for Christians to tell
to our Muslim friends (or any unbeliever) that without Christ, they are on the path to hell unless they
turn around as for a doctor to tell their patients with cancer that without surgery they will die. In
fact, the most unloving thing Christians can do is to know the truth about the way to salvation and
refuse to tell the world. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give
the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (I Peter 3:15)."
Asking the question, “Should Christians convert Muslims,” today is the same as asking the Apostle
Paul, “Should Christians convert Gentiles?” I am thankful that he answered that question with an
emphatic “Yes!” For this answer he was beaten, stoned, and imprisoned. When Christianity was in
its early stages it was much different from western style Christianity in which pastors have nice
cars, expensive suits, nice offices, the protection of the law, and the respect of the community.
The first Christians lived and evangelized in a hostile environment which was similar to Afghanistan
under the Taliban. They were rejected by their families, beaten, imprisoned and killed. Why?
Unlike, Christians today who put everything from gardening to golf ahead of Christ, these early
Christians had rock solid faith. They knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ was really God
and that he had really come back to life. They had experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in their
midst in the form of answers to prayer, releases from prison, healings, and more. They also had a
close-knit community who was united around Christ who would take care of people who were
persecuted. This is the faith that we as Christians must possess if we are to reach the world for
Christ. Not just Muslims and Buddhists but everyone. Not just the 10-40 window but all the windows
in the world. Therefore, Christian missionaries must be prepared and willing to suffer
imprisonment, torture, and even death to share the Gospel in Muslim lands. Jesus said, “Follow
me.”
In addition to salvation there are secondary benefits that Christianity has historically brought to the
lands that have accepted it. Women have gained equality; polygamy, slavery, and cannibalism have
vanished as a direct result of Christianity even though credit is not given. Quoting D. James
Kennedy in What if Jesus Had Never Been Born? “Had Jesus never come, Gloria Steinem had she
survived childhood, might very well be wearing a veil today!” Dr. Kennedy further outlines how that
Christians applying their Christian beliefs of compassion, service, and excellence started such
organizations as the Red Cross, the YMCA, the Salvation Army, charities in general, hospitals,
universities, free public education for all, literacy programs, the concept of limited government,
basic freedoms, antiseptic surgery, bacteriology, calculus, chemistry, computer science,
electronics, genetics, non-Euclidian geometry, gynecology, and more. Would conditions improve in
Afghanistan if they all converted to Christianity? Based on the evidence of history, I would have to
say "Yes!"
Beyond evangelism, missionaries are more than ambassadors for Christ. They represent their
home countries, churches, families, and cultures. One of the reasons that Muslims view
westerners with contempt is that they only thing they know about the west is what they see in
western media. Imagine if the only thing you knew about America was what you saw in Hollywood
movies. You would think that all Americans are wealthy, arrogant, disrespectful, violent, and
immoral. I am an American and yet my lifestyle in no way resembles Hollywood. At best, movies
represent the worst aspects of our society. You certainly do no not see movies entitled “Johnny
Goes to Church,” “Sally Gives Blood,” or “Susan Helps the Homeless.,” even though there are
many people who do many good things. Just as all Muslims are not terrorists, all Westerners are
not immoral. I had the privilege of having a Muslim roommate in college. Within a short time, we
got beyond stereotypes and began to see each other as people and friends, even though we did not
agree about spiritual matters. Likewise, during the three years that I spent as an English teacher
in Cambodia, my students had the opportunity see me as a person instead of the “ugly-American.”
It is impossible for me to hate Muslims as a group because I have a Muslim friend. My students
will never hate Americans, as a group, because they grew to love me, an American. Similarly, when
Christian workers go into a Muslim country to feed the poor, teach English, set up hospitals, and to
share their lives and faith, the Muslim people will stop seeing Christians as the “great Satan.” One
Afghan man told my friend, a Christian worker, “Our Muslim brothers never came to help us, but the
Christians came to help us.” I doubt very seriously that this man, who has experienced the love of
Christ in my Christian friend will ever become a terrorist. To send a Christian aide worker or a
missionary to a Muslim land to love the people, serve them, and be a positive ambassador for
Christ and country costs a few thousand dollars a year, while cruise missiles cost a million dollars
each! Maybe, if Americans had sent more missionaries to Afghanistan and Iraq over the past
decades, maybe we would not have to spend millions of dollars each day for military personnel in
these very countries. Don't misunderstand, I am not opposed to defense spending or the use of
military force when necessary. I am just saying that the way that "an ounce of prevention is worth
a pound of cure." There is a better way.
I realize that terrorism has become an unfortunate fact of life in our times. Rather than seeing
Muslims as terrorists and enemies, we need to understand that the September 11 hijackers were
sincere religious people who were deceived by Satan into believing that they would inherit eternal
life and would make the world a better place by crashing planes full of innocent people into
buildings. The same is the case for the terrorists who blew up the UN building in Baghdad. “They
will kill you and think they do God a service, because they have not known the Father or me (John
16:2).” Instead of hate, we as Christians must forgive the terrorists with open arms, like Christ.
Even if we emerge from our bombed out offices blood running from our hands, feet, head , and
back, and we see our loved ones dead. It is in those times that we must look at the terrorists and
those that support them, and then look to heaven and say, “Father forgive them, for they do not
know what they do (Luke 23:32).” This kind of forgiveness is only possible by the power of the Holy
Spirit in our lives and it is the key for reconciling Muslims to Christ and to Christians.
Darryl Record is the president and founder of Fisher of Men International (FMI), and an MA student in
Christian Apologetics at Biola University. He spent three years as a Christian English teacher in
Cambodia, holds an MA in TESOL, and a BA in Political Science. Fisherofmenintl@yahoo.com
