Many Christians find themselves not very prepared to be able to have good discussions with their Muslim neighbors.

Thabiti Anyabwile sets forth his encouragement and insights in The Gospel for Muslims: An Encouragement to Share Christ With Confidence.

The author was raised Muslim and converted to Christianity; he also has himself spoken of Christ with many Muslims, as attested throughout the book.

In the first half of the book the author explored the dogmatic and doctrinal aspects of speaking with Muslims. He addressed the similarities and differences between the Christian and Muslim conceptions of God, Jesus, sin, faith, repentance, and the Bible, and the internal contradictions of the Muslim position in terms of each.

The second half of the book provides more guidance about method and framework, and would be as true in terms of witnessing regarding Jesus to anyone as to someone of the Muslim faith: heeding the promptings of the Spirit; affirming the Bible and its accuracy; the value of hospitality and how to be truly hospitable; involvement of the local congregation; why and how Christians might suffer for the Name of Jesus. The author concluded by addressing how to converse with Black Muslims in America and a final message to encourage all in their witness for Christ.

The author converted to a form of Calvinism and this becomes quite apparent in his emphasis on the matters of sin, justice, and penal substitutionary atonement. Yet there remain many good thoughts and forms of encouragement regarding effectively testifying about the Lord Jesus Christ among Muslims.

I always love reading on this subject. Thabiti does make some points that I haven't read elsewhere so I don't think they are true for everyone. I still appreciate hearing his perspective and story, though.

This book is a great resource with clear writing on a complex subject. Thabiti writes in a gracious, inviting tone and dives into many aspects of evangelism and Christian hospitality. The "encouragement to share Christ with confidence" part is covered but the "for Muslims" part I found a tiny bit lacking. The "same God" argument is unpacked as well as a few rebuttals that Christians can expect and counter. I realize that this was intended to be an overview and not a deep dive into apologetics, but I believe it would've served the reader even better to have more details. Excellent book on the topic overall.

*This review is based on a free digital advance copy provided by the publisher. The opinions expressed are my own.

THE GOSPEL FOR MUSLIMS – THABITI ANYABWILE

The Gospel for Muslims, by Thabiti Anyabwile, is not an apologetic book. It nonetheless consists of bringing the Gospel to others, not defensively but rather by employing a good offensive strategy. Here the reader will get some support to engage in conversation; advice on avoiding some common mistakes; biblical lessons destined to help everyone tell the story of God’s love and redemption through His son, Jesus.
The most important method in order to be prepared to share our faith with Muslim  neighbors and friends is knowing the Gospel from start to finish. Christians know  the Scriptures but lack confidence in its power. This book is a call to embrace the  confidence in the message of God’s power to save all who believe.
On one hand, The Gospel for Muslims praises the Gospel’s attributes – God,  Mankind, Jesus, repentance, Faith – providing the reader references to the Quran as  well, with a simple introduction and a few basic teachings. Reading this book  along with the Bible will help you focus on key principles. On the other hand, it gives us practical suggestions, useful in evangelistic discussions with Muslims on Bible  chapters, hospitality, the local church and suffering in evangelism. With absolute  reliance in God and the Gospel, we may very well witness the greatest revival among  the Muslim people in history.
Thabiti himself has crossed the gap between Islam and Christianity. He tells his  story in the book, from his conversion to Islam in college and his contempt for  Christianity, all the way to his pledge before Jesus. At that time he sought to equip  himself with every possible argument to ridicule his Christian classmates. It was in this relentless search that he realized the discrepancies found in the Quran and  sought to consult the Bible’s very text. Surprisingly, when he tried to confirm  Mohammad’s prophecies in the Bible, such was not possible and his assumptions were left void of any support, which meant Islam could not be the true religion. This realization shocked him, and not only did he turn his back to Islam but  to all religions as well. After a period of time in which Thabiti suffered from  depression, the preaching and power of the Gospel finally touched him.
The author gives special attention to the hospitality that the Christian must refine  when dealing with his neighbor, especially with Muslims. If you’re not welcoming,  then learn to be so. Thabiti exhorts Christians to go out and fulfill their call by bringing people of all nations to the knowledge of His son and eternal life,  declaring that in the evangelism of Muslims, unlike what is commonly thought, they  too convert.


Originaly Published at:
Biblion Online Magazine (PT): http://www.biblion.pt/evangelismo-the-gospel-for-muslims-thabiti-anyabwile/
Biblion Online Magazine (EN): http://www.biblion.pt/the-gospel-for-muslims-thabiti-anyabwile/
Biblion #9 Digital Edition (Jul-Sep2018 – Portuguese): http://www.biblion.pt/biblion-9-edicao-digital-pt/
Biblion #9 Digital Edition ( Jul-Sep2018 – English version): http://www.biblion.pt/biblion-9-digital-edition-en/

Of all the worthy topics in the American church that are not addressed (and there are many), this subject may deserve to be mentioned near the top of the list: how Christians can effectively share their faith with Muslims. Consider that Muslims make up about 1% of the population of the United States. That doesn’t sound like much. However, Christian discussions of apologetics (how to defend your faith) focus almost solely on speaking to atheists, who (despite being notoriously difficult to estimate population-wise) probably make up between 3 and 10 percent of the population. With those demographics, shouldn’t we devote at least 1% of our evangelism discussions on how to reach Muslim neighbors? Obviously it’s not so simple, but the topic does get short shrift, especially in urban areas. Thabiti Anyabwile’s 2010 book (which gets a new edition on January 1), is an important step in educating Christians and exhorting them to share their faith with Muslims in their community.

Anyabwile, a Muslim convert himself, structures his book in two parts. The first lays out and deeply examines the gospel differences between Christianity and Islam: their differing beliefs about God, Jesus, sin, and redemption. The second part is a grouping of chapters, each covering a strategy or aspect of the Christian life to keep in mind when sharing your faith with Muslims. There are many practical exhortations in this second half, ranging from Christian women and their special role in reaching Muslim women to the importance of hospitality as a strategy for reaching Muslims.

Of the two parts, I found the first, doctrine-centered part a little more helpful due to its focus on areas that I was not aware of in the belief system of Islam. However, the entire book contained countless insights that would be extremely helpful to most Christians as they begin to encounter Muslims more and more in American society.

Of the two parts, I found the first, doctrine-centered part a little more helpful due to its focus on areas that I was not aware of in the belief system of Islam. However, the entire book contained countless insights that would be extremely helpful to most Christians as they begin to encounter Muslims more and more in American society.

I received this book as an eARC courtesy of Moody Publishers and NetGalley, but my opinions are my own.

This book is written to remind Christians of an important, basic truth: "As a Christian, you already know everything you need to know to effectively share the good news of Jesus Christ with Muslim people. The same message that saves us—the gospel—is the message that will eternally save our Muslim neighbors and friends. In my experience, Christians know the gospel. They simply lack confidence in its power. This book is a call to place our confidence in the message that contains God’s power to save all who believe (Rom. 1:16). We don’t need new techniques for sharing the faith. We need confidence in the gospel in our evangelism to Muslims."

The book serves as a refresher course on the gospel--what it is. And it also serves as a refresher course on evangelism--how to share the gospel.

In part one, key gospel topics are covered: God, humanity, Jesus, repentance, and faith. These topics are presented from a Christian and a Muslim perspective. The goal isn't just to show the contrasts between two faiths, but to help readers better explain the gospel in ways that are meaningful.

In part two, the focus shifts from the gospel to evangelism. The book isn't a theoretical discussion of abstract ideas. It's an appeal to readers to get out there and to evangelize. The book seeks to be practical and helpful. Several chapters focus on hospitality and how important it is for families and churches to be hospitable.

I definitely enjoyed reading this one. I found it a great read. It takes an intimidating subject and makes it less intimidating perhaps. This one is PACKED with information. And it's passionately written.

Thabiti Anyabwile writes a very engaging text that is personal in origins and encouraging in its results. Anyabwile keeps the reader focus on the fact that the Gospel is the Gospel no matter the person. He did inform me of some facts about Islam that I was not aware of that I believe makes sharing the Gospel with Muslim friends and neighbors straightforward. I never knew the Koran states the Torah, the Psalms of David, and the Gospels are divine texts. Anyabwile cites the Sera for every statement he makes concerning Islam. Due to this book, I want to renew relationships I have had with Islamic neighbors that have moved. Great book.

This was well written and very helpful He understands the Gospel and also Islam and thus is a good person to write about this subject..
I received this book free from the publisher for the purpose of review.

A nice read on approaching Muslims with the Gospel. I particularly found the portions on hospitality interesting. This is not an angle that I've normally seen talked about.