Author Archives: shanedar

Although Colorado doesn’t actually border Texas, with our proximity and the beauty of our mountains, we tend to have a lot of Texans about. The behavior of a few on the interstate near my house leads me to think I understand them all: Texans drive way too fast in trucks that are way too big. (The kind you either need to be Pecos Bill or have a small step ladder to climb in to!)

Of course not all Texans are like this. Some have RV’s instead of trucks!*

We do the same things to Muslims: Noticing, and assuming we understand, the behavior of a few, we decide all Muslims are a certain way. Do you see any of these in your thinking or that of those you go to church with?

• Muslims are angry with Americans.
• Muslims want to take over the world, either by violence or birth rate.
• Muslims want to keep to themselves and not integrate. 
• Muslims are religiously and culturally backward. 
• Muslims oppress women, abuse kids, and give way too much credence to old, white haired guys. 

When we allow broad assumptions such as these to roam unexamined in our minds, we limit the connection we might have with Muslims.

Two things will get us on track to thinking about Muslims the way God does:

1. Identify and scrutinize our underlying suppositions. Sometimes all it takes is a little math to realize our thinking is corrupt. Other times, deep, cultural understanding is required to undo stereotypes.
2. Get to know specific Muslims. Optimally, in person, but online and in books will also help. Real stories of real Muslims will illuminate false assumptions and exceptional situations. 

Following the Baltimore Islamic Society account on Instagram would be a good way to start. 

*My apologies to readers from Texas. I’m only kidding. . . mostly.

Can you think of something in your life that you might do, a generally good thing, but you don’t do it because you believe things about yourself that hinder you? 

For me: I’d like Muslim Connect to go from it’s current 3400 subscribers to ten thousand. But I don’t ask for podcast gigs because I think I’d be a boring guest and I don’t write a book because I doubt I have sufficient “expert” status to do so. 

These ideas are known in some circles as “limiting beliefs.” A limiting belief is a state of mind or belief about yourself that restricts you in some way. 

I suppose this could have a little pop psychology feel to it, but it bears, sometimes heavily, on our interaction with Muslims and our efforts to encourage others as well to love them. 

Do any of these ideas ring a bell?

• I don’t have what it takes to talk to Muslims. . . 
• I can’t answer their questions or concerns about the Bible. . . 
• I can’t find any to talk to. . .
• I don’t have the time to cultivate relationships with Muslims. . .
• Christians don’t even like me, why would Muslims?

What are some other limiting beliefs about yourself that keep you from befriending Muslims?

Of course identifying and tackling these beliefs takes serious introspection, vulnerability and humility. For starters, consider this 3-B approach: 

What does the Bible say about your limiting belief? Name it and you’ll find verses speaking directly to it. And in general, all but one of the main characters pulled some bone-headed moves and God still used them.

What do your buds say when you share a limiting belief? (There’s the vulnerability!)

And finally, set a budget: Decide to spend a certain amount of time, attention and money identifying and slaughtering a couple of your limiting beliefs. (I’m going to figure out if I really am a boring podcast guest!)

Be sure to catch next week’s Muslim Connect when we’ll look at things we think about Muslims that hinder our connection.

Our church’s two year preaching trek through Luke will end this November just a week before Advent begins. Odd timing, eh? It means my wife and I are wondering about Jesus’s resurrection these days and that has us wondering what Muslims think about it and the death that necessarily must precede “rising from the dead.” 

Many Christians will be surprised to discover that Muslims, like Christians, think Jesus is alive. While we believe he returned to life after an effective Roman execution, Muslims believe he didn’t die in the first place. 

In a comforting example that we’re not the only ones who build spurious convictions on scant, and often tricky, verses of scripture, the main Quranic evidence that Jesus didn’t die comes from a single verse that might not be saying that after all. 

That they said (in boast), ‘We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah’; – but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not. Q4:157

Scholars believe this verse, when looked at in the context of surrounding text, intends to comment primarily on the short falling of Jews, rather than the reality or nature of Jesus’s death.

Of course this verse is a linchpin of a broader Islamic argument about the essential nature of God and Jesus:

• God is one and has no son. Therefore Jesus is not the son of God.
• Jesus is a messenger of God and God would not allow him to suffer the shame of defeat by his enemies.
• Jesus is coming back some day, so that means he’s alive and didn’t die. 

But what if the linchpin is a little shaky?

This week will close out my semi-annual giving campaign. If you’ve considered donating, now’s the time! Muslim Connect is free, but if you’ve found value in it, please consider sending a gift. Simply click here, find the “Staff” drop down and select “Shane Bennett.” Thank you very much. 

I’m guessing you’d answer “No” to the question in the subject line. I sure wouldn’t, but when some ding-dong burns a Quran, you can almost bet money someone’s going to die. (And double or nothing says that someone will have had nothing to do with the burning!) 

Ever wonder why this is? 

The whole answer is more than my brain can apprehend and would certainly take up more than 300 words, so here’s a part of the deal:

Most Muslims think of the Quran differently than most Christians do the Bible. (I say “most” because “Muslims” and “Christians” cover a whole bunch of different kinds of people.) 

In an article on Zondervan Academic, Jeremy Bouma shares some of the late Nabeel Qureshi’s thoughts about how we think differently about our holy books. 

The Quran Is Viewed as the Eternal Word of Allah
“As Qureshi explains, ‘[The Quran] is the closest thing to God incarnate [within Islam]… Its place in Islamic theology is that of Jesus in Christian theology’”

The Quran Is Understood as God’s Literal Words
“‘Since Muslims believe the Quran is an eternal expression of Allah, they do not think that the Quran was written by men in any sense. It is the very speech of Allah, inscribed on a heavenly tablet, from which it was read by Gabriel and dictated to Muhammad. Muhammad had nothing to do with shaping the text; he only relayed it.’”

The Quran Is the Why of Islam
“Perhaps the most critical difference between the Quran and the Bible, writes Qureshi, is that the Quran is ‘the basis of why Muslims believe in Islam.’ The Quran is Islam’s why in part because of its purported literary excellence, numerous prophecies, scientific knowledge, mathematical marvels, and perfect preservation.”

“‘Unlike the Quran, the primary use of the Bible is to serve as the basis of what Christians believe, not why they believe.’”

For Christians, our why is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. That’s also why we love Muslims and why we hope, pray and work so that they’ll meet him in a real way. 

Special Request: A couple of times a year I invite Muslim Connect readers to partner in the cost of producing, sending and growing the email. Muslim Connect is free, but if you’ve found value in it, please consider sending a gift. Simply click here, find the “Staff” drop down and select “Shane Bennett.” Thank you very much. 

Have you ever had occasion to tell someone about your commitment to Muslims? It can be awkward, no? I met a fascinating couple recently. As we chatted, I asked what they did. Both were scientists. When they asked me, I said I was a pastor and a writer, that I helped Christians figure out how to act like Jesus toward Muslims. They responded, with eyebrows raised so high they could have doubled as sun visors, “That’s interesting!”

It can be difficult to befriend, defend and contend for people who follow a faith that differs from ours in such key ways and whose adherents, no matter the minuscule percentage they represent, do reprehensible things. 

Why do we care about Muslims?

I think about Jesus cleansing the temple, the “bomb in the barnyard,” a catalytic action that would see Jesus dead just a week later. Such a crazy event on the face of it, but when you dig deeper, even more provocative. Jesus quotes Isaiah and Jeremiah: “. . .my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of thieves.” Assuming most of his listeners would know the contexts of these quotes, the implications are stunning. 

Among many other promises, God says through the prophets, “I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord,” and “I will be merciful . . .only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows. . . .” (Is. 56.6, Jer. 7.5,6)

That’s part of why we love Muslims: We long for them to not be exploited, for cheap, fear-mongering headlines, for political pawns, for bogeymen de jour. We long rather for them to commit themselves to the Lord, to receive the good blessings of a great God through Jesus. 

May the same Jesus who cleared the Temple, clear our consciences to see Muslims, to love them with the same love he has.

A couple of times a year I invite Muslim Connect readers to partner in the cost of producing, sending and growing the email. Muslim Connect is free, but if you’ve found value in it, please ask God if he’ll give you grace to send a gift. Simply click here, find the “Staff” drop down and select “Shane Bennett.” Thank you very much. 

School starts for my three young, summer-drunk kiddos in just under two weeks. I could tell you the number of days (and hours!), but I don’t want you to think I’m counting down! 

I am wondering though about who the new kids will be and how my kids might or might not reach out and befriend them. In a broader sense, I’m aching for a new kid who is also Muslim, possibly the only kid in class with a brown face, an odd name and an aversion to pepperoni pizza. Who will connect with her?

Here are five practical ideas to share with your kids, a niece or nephew or a youth group

1. Find the new kids and say hello! Hard for most, impossible for some, this is the starting point: “I’m going to care more about others than myself for a minute. I’m going to take the first relational risk.”
2. Ask the new kid to sit with you at lunch. Acceptance and a place to belong are gifts that actually give what a new pair of Chuck’s only promises. 
3. Connect on social media. If your kids aren’t on social media yet, good for you! Hold steady. If they are, see if any of the new kid’s spaces overlap theirs. 
4. Get their parent’s phone number. Play dates don’t happen without parent connections. 
5. Invite them over for Roblox. Or music. Or Bluey. Or homework. Doesn’t matter so much what. Just opening your home is magic. And be sure to have some halal snacks! 

As my “Little Middle” wisely pointed out: Kids do this, particularly if the new kid is Muslim, at risk of their own social standing. They’re in good company. Jesus took such risks as well. He’ll also walk with them right up to the new kid. He has a fondness for both outsiders and young disciples.

A couple of times a year I invite Muslim Connect readers to partner in the cost of producing, sending and growing the email. Muslim Connect is free, but if you’ve found value in it, please ask God if he’ll give you grace to send a gift. Simply click here, find the “Staff” drop down and select “Shane Bennett.” Thank you very much. 

Even though I drive a 98 Ford pick up (or maybe because!), I’m seriously jonesing for an electric car lately. Not a Tesla, I think they’re a little too bougie for me. More like a Chevy Bolt or something small from Hyundai/Kia. 

In classic Baader-Meinhof fashion I now see EVs everywhere, probably due in small part to there actually being more, but mostly because I notice them.

In an effort to “frequency bias” us all regarding unreached peoples, I want to share a list from mobilizer extraordinaire, and friend of Muslim Connect, Neal Pirolo’s book, Internationals Who Live Among Us. (Which you should totally buy!)

Neal says we find these groups in most of our towns and cities:
Students
Visitors
Business people 
Illegal aliens 
Refugees
Ethnic communities

If you’re not crazy pressed for time, go back over the list and ask yourself, “Where are these people in my town? Where might I cross paths with some of them this week?”

Each of us could learn so much from people in each of these groups. Neal goes on to remind us that it’s also strategic to reach out to them for the following reasons:
They are close at hand. They have moved into our neighborhood.
They represent a segment of our population with dramatic growth.
Reaching them does not cost the “mega-bucks” of going to another country.
Doing so is good training for those who will go to another country.
Often little effort yields a great harvest.
Many are are open to the Gospel.
Because Jesus said “I was a stranger and you invited me in. . . .”

Sometimes it’s just nice to hear some good news, don’t you think? Stuff like, “the cute girl likes you!” Or, “Jesus didn’t stay dead.” And, “They’re filming a fourth season of The Chosen!”

Here are three bits of good news to warm your heart, stir your mind and wring just a tiny bit of dopamine out of your hypothalamus. 

Drugs in the Streets
Under pressure from John Green, his legion of fans and others, Johnson and Johnson took steps to forego enforcing a secondary patent on their anti-tuberculosis drug bedaquiline. Estimates indicate that generic forms of the drug will help six million people over the next four years. Some of the most burdened TB countries are Muslim majority.

Bozos at the Door
Maybe you remember I went to Cote d’Ivoire in February, funded in part by the kind and generous Muslim Connect tribe. We connected with a guy who’s deploying workers to unreached areas of the country. My church began partnering with one of them, a guy from Togo named Edem and his family.

This report dropped in last last week: “[Muslim] Bozo people. . . line up at Edem’s door for prayers. He seems to be a new person they consult for prayers, for protection. This is an access to share the gospel.” Bozo people are currently unengaged, but maybe not for long!

Me in the Pulpit
My senior pastor for the past decade and preaching partner for a chunk of that time is taking a district superintendent role in the Northwest. I’ve agreed to step in as interim, with the possibility of assuming the role.

His departure is sad, but good. I’m hoping my taking over will be good for the body, even while I likely learn, “Dang, this isn’t as easy as he made it look!”

I’d appreciate prayers for this new responsibility and am open to whatever advice the Lord might nudge you to share with me. Thanks.

PS: I’ll continue to write Muslim Connect. Here’s hoping that’s good news!

The verse of the day for July 4th in the U.S. was Galatians 5.13. Low hanging fruit, don’t you think? 

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

Definitely good fruit, low hanging or not. 

While Paul was most certainly not thinking about the U.S.A.’s Declaration of Independence when he wrote that, we do value and enjoy a hearty measure of freedom in my home country. Maybe our political freedom is a cousin of the freedom we enjoy in Christ. 

If so, let me say I’m happy to be an American, to have the freedom to follow my conscience. I’m likewise happy to be a Christian: To know I can eat bacon and I don’t have to offer a sheep to a priest to pay for last week’s sins. 

But what does Paul mean when he goes on to say, “Don’t use your freedom to indulge the flesh?” Well, for me, for starters, “Don’t eat all the bacon. Don’t watch all the movies. And don’t act like those who disagree with me are evil, malevolent and hell-bent on destroying all things holy and me.” 

They’re not, you know. 

People who disagree with us about Muslims (or disagree with me about a lot of other stuff) are mostly doing their best, following their understanding, trying to do the right thing. I indulge my flesh when I nurture the deadly duo feelings of personal attack and superiority to those who think differently from me, both believers and not. 

If I’m going to serve them humbly in love, those feelings are going to have to die. Free and dead. It’s the only way to live.

Are you having a happy Wednesday? I hope so. Today is a holiday: Two of my favorite people return from a week in Guatemala tonight and I’m a happy camper! 

Of course it’s also a big day for Muslims: Eid al-Adha. 

1. It’s the second biggest celebration on the Muslim calendar after Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan. 
2. It falls toward the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that is currently underway. A record-breaking crowd of 2 million were expected to take part in the Hajj this year. 
3. Eid al-Adha commemorates Abraham’sdevotion to God and willingness to sacrifice (in the Muslim mind) Ishmael.
4. A key part of the celebration involves families killing a lamb, goat or cow. The family keeps one third of the meat, gives a third to extended family and the final third to people in need. (I think this may be a good model for our family’s Christmas budget. The percentages! Not gutting a goat!)
5. The Abe and Isaac storyhas a cartload of meaning for us too, doesn’t it? We see in it a foreshadowing of Jesus’s sacrifice, through which, in the words of Paul, “God was pleased. . . to reconcile to himself all things. . . .”

Would you join me in praying today that many Muslims would be given insight into the mystery of reconciliation within the sacrifice? Ask God to open doors and hearts so our sisters and brothers serving among Muslims would have the honor of adding fresh joy and hope to the happy holiday.