In an earlier stage of my life I was part of a pleasantly audacious band of believers who tested this supposition: If you send a dozen young Americans to an unreached city, task them with asking a bunch of intentional questions for three months, you can actually end up with solid cultural insights.
Turns out it was also great fun and left a permanent mark on my psyche. I enjoy asking people questions. In fact, I prefer to be the questioner. (I understand that part of the reason for that is the asker is both less vulnerable and more powerful. We all have shadows, don’t we?)
I strongly believe Christians would do well to ask a million questions to a bunch of Muslims. It’s possible we understand less than we assume we do. And Jesus is our model here. Seems like he was always asking questions.
I expect this question theme to carry Muslim Connect forward for a few weeks. Here are the starting fundamentals.
Cultivate Curiosity
We serve a God who is great, wise and beautiful beyond our comprehension. We live on a planet filled with wonders whose depth we’ll never plumb. We share the planet with people who interact in ways both fascinating and infuriating. Let’s give ourselves to wonder, not complaint.
Question Everyone
Each of us has something to learn from each of us. The very image of God is stamped on every human. I believe I can grow by interacting with any of the others.
Share Yourself
Reflect the vulnerability of the person you’re talking to and maybe even take it a bit deeper. This will help you avoid the “interrogator” effect that sometimes plagued me and my pals when we were learning about Muslims in cities around the globe.
As we explore this theme, I’ll be praying God opens doors for us all to practice what I’m preaching. Got a favorite question to ask new Muslim friends? Share it with me for upcoming emails in this series. Thank you.