Shane Bennett

One of the worst things about Christmas: The song “Away in a Manger!” Ask Mary and she’s going to tell you, “Actually a lot of crying he makes!” 

One of the best things about Christmas: Pictures of Jesus in a manger with his mom and dad. This one is my favorite. 

If you grew up as a Christian, you’ve likely been exposed to hundreds (thousands?) of images of Jesus. Some of them amazing, some stunning and some you just wish you could unsee. But likely you don’t think your appreciation or enjoyment of a particular picture of Jesus might lead to idolatry. I think you’re right. 

But the possibility of idolatry seems to be one of the key reasons many Muslims forbid images of Muhammad, and to a lesser degree the other prophets. The prohibition is not overtly in the Quran, but traces back to some statements and actions attributed to Muhammad and recorded in the Hadith. 

When Muhammad has been depicted in art, often by Muslims for Muslims, it is with respect and honor, his face obscured with a veil. Muslims refrain from painting Muhammad’s face because, not knowing what he looked like, any depiction is prone to misrepresentation. 

While the reluctance to depict Muhammad is not difficult to understand, the intensity of response by some to his image being shown sometimes is. My hunch is that most Muslims do not like to see pictures of Muhammad, particularly mocking ones like on the cover of Charlie Hebdo, but also disagree with violent response to them. 

Our challenge is to not lump all Muslims together, but to recognize all Muslims are created by God and creatively love and respect the ones God brings across our paths and minds.

Thanksgiving Day may be the most Christian of holidays. Gratitude is certainly an appropriate response to a God who has blessed us as thoroughly as he has. 

Since you may have family visiting today and you need to get busy telling them how much God loves Muslims, I’ll be brief. 

I am grateful for:

• As I write this morning, the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah seems to be holding. 

• I’ve recently been reminded of the tenacity of workers dedicated to befriending and connecting with Muslims nearby and very far away. 

• Having taught a couple Perspectives Lesson #15 classes this week, I’m rejoicing to think of the global band of just-graduated Perspectives students being released into the world! 

• I’m thankful for believers, both red and blue, who will continue to swim upstream by loving immigrants, even if we head into very xenophobic times.

• Finally, I’m grateful for you. Thank you for taking the time to open and read Muslim Connect and, to the degree God gives you grace, put what you learn into practice. 

(If you’ve got a moment to set your fork down and let me know what you’re thankful for, I’d be happy to join you in your gratitude!)

Have you ever loved something that most people disdain? For instance, sauerkraut, velcro sneakers or the Chicago Cubs. I love a city like this: Bradford, UK. It’s beautiful, set in the God-designed, soul-nurturing moors of northern England and its streets smell like curry! On the other hand, its glorious days are in the past and, unbelievably, some don’t see the balti-scented boulevards as a good thing. Go figure! 

Bradford’s population is about a third Muslim, the highest of any city in the UK. Among Muslim leaders there is concern these days about a bill that will have its first vote in Parliament next Friday. The bill calls for liberalizing the UK’s approach to assisted dying. 

Muslims and Christians largely agree on issues of suicide, euthanasia and physician assisted death. The shared conviction is that God alone has the right to both give and take away life. Of course, the particulars are gut-wrenching. Having not stared these things directly in the face, I hesitate even to write about them.

As Christians our challenge is to understand the Bible and apply its teaching with grace and love. 

Muslims in Bradford and elsewhere in the UK face an added challenge. Having felt slighted in the distribution of palliative care in the midst of Covid, they now wonder if the advance of assisted death might further diminish their hope for help. 

It’s a classic conflict between the majority who says, “This is how we do it now,” and the minority who pleads, “But that is not how we do it, nor has it ever been.” 

When Auntie’s life is in balance, the doctor seems to be leaning hard one way and you’re sure Allah’s looking down with a stern eye, these decisions are brutal. 

For a quick look at how Christians might view these issues check out this article from Britain and this from our friends at Denison Forum. 

As the Christmas train begins to pick up steam (We’re like 40 days away!), I’m wondering how much I should buy this year and how much I should eat. Sorry if this is too personal, but I have a history of overindulgence in both. 

At our house we’re aiming to mess up the tracks just a bit by implementing an idea from The Advent Conspiracy: We plan to take a long weekend (Thursday dinner to Sunday lunch) and eat nothing but beans, rice and tortillas. (And maybe an egg or two.) This will be a micro-step toward understanding how some people always eat, toward recognizing that life is more than what we put in our mouths. 

In Christian history, we’ve had forebears who’ve gone full bore in this. Ascetics who lived in caves, ate little, wore scraps and never kissed nobody. In the process some went crazy, but others met God in ways I can’t imagine. 

Islam doesn’t really celebrate or remember Muslims who’ve done this, though I imagine there must have been some. They do have an ascetic concept called Zuhd. As you’d guess, understanding of Zuhd varies enormously, but one writer captures it like this, “The actual definition of Zuhd is to detach one’s heart from this world.”

“Zuhd means to focus on the next life, but without neglecting one’s portion of this world. . . .Zuhd is necessary for attaining contentment and inner peace.”

If this takes your mind back to Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, good for you. “Seek first the Kingdom. . . .” and, well, you know the rest! 

Maybe a key thing this Christmas is to not just merrily rattle down the tracks of our culture. Let’s at least sit up and poke our heads out the window once in a while and look around. Maybe grab the stop cord and slow the whole train down. Remember we serve a Savior who on the one hand made wine out of water, but on the other was himself the very bread of life. 

When’s the last time you turned in a paper for a class? Me: Just before lunch today! My wife and I, along with a couple other guys at church, are taking a course called Gateway that focuses on the Evangelical Free Church’s core doctrines. Today’s paper was about the Bible. 

It got us thinking about how Muslims and Christians think differently about the Quran and the Bible. 

Of course we both think our scriptures came from God. But how they got from God to us is different. Muslims believe the content of the Quran was given to Muhammad in a series of revelations from Allah through the angel Gabriel. 

The Bible on the other hand was God-breathed or inspired, meaning the Holy Spirit guided the Biblical writers to ensure what they wrote was the word of God while allowing for their individual personalities and writing styles.

The Quranic revelations reportedly came over the course of 23 years. While the Bible took, depending on how you look at it, between 250 and 1500 years! Along with the lengthy time line, we have a variety of authors, from many cultures, writing in a variety of genres and languages. 

Unlike the linguistic variety of the Bible authors, Muslims believe that God spoke the Quran only in Arabic. As a result, the Quran carries the most authority when it’s in Arabic. In contrast, thanks to God’s work through a vast cadre of dedicated and skilled workers, the whole Bible has been reliably translated into around 700 languages and the New Testament into 1500! 

Both Christians and Muslims believe God speaks to them through their holy books, guiding them to right living. Many Muslims further believe that the actual physical Quran has spiritual power and most give a great deal of respect to the actual book. 

Jesus shows up in both books: As a talking baby and a revered prophet in the Quran and as The Way, the Truth, and the Life in the Bible. 

I have so many questions for you! (My answers in parentheses)

Are you going to vote? (Yes, once) Have you voted yet? (Nope) Who are you going to vote for? (Not sure yet) Who’s going to win? (Only God knows, and He’s not telling me!)

[If you’ve no concern for the upcoming U.S. election, please forgive this national-centric Muslim Connect.]

Since you’re a part of the Muslim Connect tribe, I can make three somewhat educated guesses about you: 1. You wish there were fewer abortions in our country. 2. You’re more concerned about immigrants as people than “immigration” as a political issue. 3. You’d like the Muslims you know and those you don’t, both here and abroad, to suffer less. 

If those guesses are even ballpark accurate, you may be wrestling with this election. If you are, guess what: You’re on the struggle bus with many Muslim Americans! 

• Polls show Muslims not voting Democrat in the numbers they did in the previous election. 

• The mayor of Hamtramck, MI, the country’s only Muslim-majority city endorsed Trump! 

• This Reddit discussion shows some of the angst, the variety of perspectives and challenges Muslim voters face in next week’s election. 

Do you sense the challenge Muslims face? “If I vote for Harris, am I abandoning my brothers and sisters in Gaza and Lebanon?” “If I vote for Trump, am I asking for Travel Ban 2.0?” If I vote for Jill Stein, am I just wasting my time?” (These, of course, are just a sampling of the perplexing issues.)

It’s gut wrenching, isn’t it? May God give us all wisdom. And may Christ have mercy on us all. 

My election prediction? Whether we walk through the valley of the shadow of death or sit at a table in the presence of our enemies, God will continue his kingdom building work. Christ will have mercy on us all. 

We got a dog. I wish you would have warned me! The dog is super cute and tons of fun, but ridiculously food-motivated. He’s lately taken to harvesting melons, peppers and tomatoes from our garden for himself! 

He reminds me of how food-motivated I can be. It’s possible I leaned into Muslim ministry rather than focusing on Hindus or Buddhists in part because I liked their food better! While that’s probably not the best reason, I stand by the validity of my choice. Here’s a rundown of my favorite foods from some of the Muslim places I’ve been:

Jordan: Shawarma and Kanafe

India: Boiled egg Biryani (Mock me, if you must!)

Turkey: Corba (soup) for breakfast and Adana Kebab

Morocco: Mint tea

Kazakstan: Beshbarmak

Holland: Turkish bread and Lahmacun

Malaysia: Satay

England: Samosas

Tunisia: Dates

France: Doner kebab

Sicily: Domeda

Got a favorite food from the Muslim world you’d care to share with me? I’ll drool with you!

Someone at Frontiers must share my (our?) malady because they recently released a 30-day series of prayer emails called Taste and See. Sign up here and a single, short email will begin dropping into your box each day. They feature a brief, food-oriented vignette from the Muslim world along with a “Hope for the Day” scripture and a couple of specific prayer requests. 

What a great idea. The first two emails feature dates and shawarma! I’m sold. 

Please join me in signing up and praying through this prayer guide. If you’ve got some other foodies in your life, maybe share this with them and encourage them to jump on board as well. 

You know what’s the most annoying thing on Sunday morning at my church? No, not my preaching. It’s the noise made by people opening the hard candies we place in bowls in the middle of each table! Can you hear it in your head right now?! 

(I’m on a quest to find, or personally develop, quiet church candies. Let me know if you want to partner in this endeavor.)

Pondering this while a guest spoke last Sunday morning, I was reminded that things are a little tougher in a Muslim gathering. Did you know if you pass gas during salat (scheduled, collective prayers) you have to start over?! (“Khalid, why are you back to work late again from prayer time?” “Well, sir. . . .”)

Speaking of salat, have you ever wondered what actually happens at Friday prayers? This Muslim weekly gathering is the most analogous to Christians’ Sunday morning services. As with anything when describing Muslims, there are a lot of them! Expect variety and differences. Here’s a general run down:

• Muslims gather on Friday because it’s deemed holy in the Quran and elsewhere.
• A call to prayer (adman) is given between noon and three and men gather at the mosque, washing before entering the prayer area. Friday prayers are compulsory for men, ok for women. 
• A sermon (Khutba) of around 30 minutes is delivered. It’s frowned upon to talk, read and eat (including candy) during the talk. In some situations, a pause for personal prayer is taken in the middle of the talk. 
• According to a Hadith, the sermon should be shorter, so the prayer afterward can be longer. (I know someone who could stand to learn that! You?)
• The topics of the sermons usually revolve around spiritual reminders, current events, social issues, and family.
• Immediately following the sermon, worshipers participate in two brief rounds of corporate prayer. 

I’m not planning to switch up my order of service, but I am asking God to remind me when Fridays arrive to pray for fresh Jesus life for Muslims going to the mosque to do their best to please God and get their sins forgiven. 

Hey, want a job? Someone needs to write a biography of Dudley Woodberry! Are you the one?! That guy’s life has been amazing! 

In case his name doesn’t ring a bell, Dr. Woodberry has loved Jesus and Muslims with more passion, variety and intellect than maybe any other American in the last two centuries. Here’s a super quick overview:

• Born in China in 1934 to missionary parents.

• Held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese army while a child!

• Studied at Union College in New York, Fuller Theological Seminary, the American University of Beirut, and Harvard University.

• Has lived in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and exotic Grand Rapids. (And probably visited the rest of the places!)

• Has written and taught extensively and now at 90 years old is mentoring students in his role as Dean Emeritus and Senior Professor of Islamic Studies at Fuller Seminary!

Through all of this, Dr. Woodberry has projected a kind and peaceful demeanor, quick to listen, slow to speak, relying on and winsomely sharing Jesus. 

One of my favorite things he has written was an article for Christianity Today about why Muslims follow Jesus. He said the top five reasons are:

1. the lifestyle of Christians
2. the power of God in answered prayers and healing, [including] deliverance from demonic power
3. dissatisfaction with the type of Islam they had experienced
4. spiritual truth in the Bible
5. the Bible’s teaching about the love of God

You and I would do well to emulate Dr. Woodberry as we interact with Muslims. Of his list of five, number one is up to each of us; number two just might be mediated through us; three is increasingly the situation in many places today; and four and five can be shared by us. Are you in?

Questions are the best, aren’t they? Sometimes I think I like them better than answers. My early, post-college training largely had to do with asking good questions in really cool places. Even today, I love asking questions and am impressed when people are good at it. 

Today I’ve got a question for you and a recommendation. 

If you could sit down over coffee or tea with a chill, smart, English-speaking Muslim from anywhere in the world, where would you want them to be from and what are some of the questions you liked to ask?

For me today, I’d like to chat with a Persian Muslim from Isfahan. I’d ask how things were going and if he thought his life might be better if the Clerics were no longer running the show. 

If you’re intrigued by the question, please share with the rest of the tribe 

Now, here’s the recommendation: 

My friend James White recently released a charming, little book called “Answering 15 Honest Questions from Muslims.” As I write, it’s free for Kindle Unlimited and only 99 cents to buy on Kindle. 

Here are some of the questions: 

1. How can Isa be the Son of Allah?
2. How can Allah condescend to take on human form?
3. Have the Tawrat, Zabur and Injil been corrupted and changed so that we do not have the original Holy Book?
4. Do Christians worship three gods (Allah, Isa & Miriam)?
6. Does eating pork and drinking wine make Christians unclean?

James has lived among Muslims forever and probably forgotten more about them than I’ll ever know. Here’s an idea: Grab the Kindle version for $.99 and see if you like it. If you do, the paperback might be a good Christmas gift for a Muslim friend or a blessing for the Muslims you invite over for Thanksgiving!