Does Anybody Know???

Blogs are a great way of disseminating information.  Blogs can also serve as an important means of gathering information from diverse places.

One of the elders at Christ Reformed asked me a great question which I thought I would pass along to you.

"Are there any Reformed churches with outreach ministries, or parachurch organizations specifically devoted to witnessing to Muslims in America?  Are there any Reformed groups devoted to apologetic issues raised by Muslims here in America (such as groups like CAIR)?"

If you know of any, please leave your answer in the comments section below.  It would be great to learn of people out there laboring in this very important mission field.

Comments

[Mark]

I've heard that the ARP (Associate Reformed Presbyterian) denomination seems to have some sort of a presence in Muslim outreach.

Besides what I've heard second hand, I haven't seen much on the web besides the fact that their world missions site seems to have links to quite a few programs geared toward Farsi-speaking Muslims (Iranian). I'm not sure the links themselves are part of the ARP, though.

http://www.worldwitness.org/links.asp

[Alex Chediak]

Kim,

Bethlehem Baptist Chuch in Minneapolis just had a converted Muslim visiting last weekend. He has a web-based ministry whose URL I cannot recall. I do not know if he is distinctly reformed. Hope this is better than no comment.... -:)

Nice blog!
Alex

["lee n. field"]

Not devoted, but James White (aomin.org)has done quite a bit lately WRT Islam.

[walt]

That's probably the best question anyone's asked. We'd better start witnessing, or risk having our lampstand removed. Like Sam Solomon said, if we don't use our freedoms to witness to Muslims and others, God will just take them away from us.

[PT2]

Angel House is a para-church organization in the Detroit, MI area. I don't know much about them, but I know our church had a worker from there speak to many of the adults.

www.angelhouse.org

[Keith Conley]

the PCA has a ministry called 'churches without walls' headed up by PCA TE Anees Zaka. He will be at the seminary in January to teach a course. I for one will be there even though I have already filled up that requirement for my Masters.

[Keith Conley]

There's also Middle Eastern Reformed Fellowship with a more CRC or maybe RCA focus.

[Jeff Downs]

I know you are looking for something specific, due to a question being asked. But, I think a better question is, is there any reformed body that has a "parachurch" ministry devoted to cults, the occult and world religions? I know of none.

The only denomination that has something like this is the SBC. This is sad.

I'd love to be a part of putting something together for the PCA or anyother (solid) reformed denomination.

[Ivan]

I'd look to James R. White, a Reformed Baptist who only a few months ago conducted a serious debate with a Muslim.

By the way, he is also debating Bishop John Shelby Spong in Orlando very soon, and I plan on attending. The debate question will be "Does God prohibit Homosexaulity in the Scriptures?"

You might also look into the Apologetics Resource Center in Birmingham, AL.
Here, I will provide a link:
http://www.arcapologetics.org/

You might also try Third Millennium Ministries. Dr Richard Pratt Prof of RTS for many years is the leader of this organization.

Thanks

[PastorTA]

CARM.org is also a Reformed parachurch ministry. The founder of CARM (Christian Apologetics Research Ministries) is a man named Matt Slick, who was formerly a PCA minister until he was rather unceremoniously forced out because of his views on the continuation of the sign gifts. (He and i have gone round and round about it, but his presbytery apparently would not allow him an exception on this issue.) But regardless of his views on the gifts, he is quite sound in his Reformed Theology in other respects. www.CARM.org

[Ryan Guyer]

Westminster Seminary California is having a Witness to Muslims class from Jan.30th-Feb.2nd from 10:15am-1:15pm. The presuppositional approach will be emphasized and students will be encouraged to visit local mosques.

The class is taught by Dr. Anees Zaka, founder of the Biblical Institute for Islamic Studies.

[John Cerny]

Middle East Resources - Bassam Madany

http://www.levant.info/

[walt]

Ryan,

Can you post a link for that talk?

[Steve Goddard]

John Leonard, Prof. of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary spent 10 years as a missionary in France with a great deal of outreach to muslims (Mission to the World and Arab World Ministries). He might be a good contact for specific things happening in this area.

[Ryan Guyer]

Sure thing Walt,

The Course is listed as PT642

http://www.wscal.edu/academics/coursedescriptions/practicaltheol.php

You can get more info by emailing Brian Mills the admissions guy at Westminster Seminary California
bmills@wscal.edu

[Wes Bredenhof]

In the latest Christian Renewal, Tony Zekveld writes, "It's also encouraging to see, for example, one of our Reformed churches now being involved in her missionary task to the 800,000 Muslims in Toronto..." Not sure which church that might be, but you might contact Tony to find out.

[walt]

Ryan,

It's 1 unit, so $325 total, right?

[zrim]

just a question for possible discussion:

how is something like "a ministry for muslims" the same or different from the "meet them where they are at" ethic in contemporary american evangelicalism when it comes to evangelizing your run-of-the-mill unbeliever?

i wonder if the former is just a glorified version of the latter?

if anyone takes interest in this question, i am sure to take some level of fire for the suggestion that an unbeliever is an unbeliever is an unbeliever. for my part, i am getting more and more convinced that even confessional reformed types adopt or retain an evangelical ethic by compartentalizing evangelism in ways that almost seem scientific, almost like there is a way to engage this type of unbeliever as opposed to that one. but at the same time, don't get me wrong: polemics and apologetics are valid categories, to be sure.

but my main point of interest here is just to wonder out loud about what i have called a compartmentalizing of evangelism.

zrim