more of the elephant parade

 

haile selassie the mahdi?

Recently I've "met" someone online who is a Muslim / Rasta / Ethiopian Orthodox Christian. (I'm not sure if that does justice to exactly how he identifies).  But he did put forward the interesting notion that Haile Selassie was the Mahdi. He was basing his views on statements from Ibn al-Arabi, and hadith about an Abyssinian being prophecies to destroy the Kaaba along with other sources. 

I don't agree with that position, but I wonder if it we could view him as a sort of antitype to Ashama, the Negus of the first Hijra. 

RESPECT!: An Islamic Tribute to HIM Haile Selassie & My Abyssinian (“Rasta”) Brethren

the camel (part three)

I don't know if it is in response to this blog or other reasons but Ryan of Remnant Rendezvous is getting more open about his Christian commitments. He still starts many of his videos with "Asalam-alaikum" and some of the people commenting on his channel still seem to be under the impression that he is Muslim.  But he is being being more upfront about his Christian (specifically Seventh Day Adventist) beliefs, especially when it comes to eschatology. In one comment he says plainly (to a Christian): 

"I wouldn’t ask you to convert. I also hold the Bible and Jesus in the highest regard. Islam is really just means submission to God. The modern religion called Islam is a different thing entirely. I consider myself primarily a Torah observant follower of Yeshua."

(In other words, he is not primarily a Quran observant follower of Muhammad [saaws])

And in another video  Muhammad & Ellen White Compared he affirms that Ellen G. White, one of the founding figures of Seventh Day Adventism, is a prophet. 

What does Ellen G. White actually have to say about say about Islam or Muslims in particular?:

The Saviour has said, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” He says again, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” Mohammedanism has its converts in many lands, and its advocates deny the divinity of Christ. Shall this faith be propagated, and the advocates of truth fail to manifest intense zeal to overthrow the error, and teach men of the pre-existence of the only Saviour of the world? O how we need men who will search and believe the word of God, who will present Jesus to the world in his divine and human nature, declaring with power and in demonstration of the Spirit, that “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” O how we need believers who will now present Christ in life and character, who will hold him up before the world as the brightness of the Father’s glory, proclaiming that God is love! (The Home Missionary, September 1892).

In other words, if Ellen G. White is really accepted as a truth-speaking prophet then Islam is ultimately an error. (And that seems to  ultimately be Ryan's view).

When I've asked him about it, Ryan generally denies having anything to do with the Camel method which we've described before. But it seems like the Adventist movement has its own ways to try to evangelize Muslims. (See Ministry Magazine: Relating to Muslims: An Adventist view )

At least one Adventist approach is called "Faith Development in Context".

To be fair, the contextualization approach described in the article linked to above does not come off quite as dishonest as the Camel method. But it does match pretty well with what I've seen Ryan doing on his page. There are multiple steps to the method, and I've seen Ryan use many of them, especially Step 5. Move from Qur'an to Torah, Zaboor, Injil.

The end goal of this approach is one of several states:

Most of those who become favor able to Christianity and Adventism will fall into one of three possible configurations: (1) "Muslim Adventist," which provides for Muslim forms of worship and uses some redemptive analogies but maintains a basic Adventist identity in the context of being a follower of the faith of Abraham; (2) "Adventist Muslim," which maintains a basic Muslim cultural and spiritual (vs. "religious") identity such as "Hanif," while espousing Adventist beliefs—truly God's people in context; (3) Remain a secret believer.

At the end of the day, Ryan is still very much a Christian who is trying to evangelize Muslims.

In addition to "the Camel Method" and the "Faith Development in Context" approach, another label often used to describe these sorts of efforts is "contextualization" (basically trying to restate Christian beliefs in a Muslim context). Some Christians have even come up with a classification scheme to describe different kinds of communities along a continuum. Using this classification scheme, Ryan seems to be taking a C5 approach. 

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF EACH CHRIST-CENTERED COMMUNITY DESCRIBED IN THE SPECTRUM

C1

Missionaries establish a church that is basically identical to wherever they are from. Services are conducted in the language of the missionaries. They call themselves “Christians” and have very little cultural connection to the region where they plant the church.

C2

The same as C1, except the services are conducted in the language of the region.

C3

They have incorporated many non-religious cultural forms of the region into their community, such as dress, art, etc. They still reject any purely Islamic religious elements. They may meet in a traditional church building or in a more religiously neutral location. They call themselves “Christians” but try to have a more contextualized presence in the region.

C4

They are similar to C3, but they incorporate some Islamic religious elements into their community – like avoiding pork, praying in a more Islamic style, using Islamic dress and employing Islamic terminology. They call themselves “Followers of Isa” or something similar. Their meetings are usually not held in traditional church buildings. They are not considered to be Muslims by the Muslim community.

C5

They retain their legal and social identity within their Muslim community. They reject or reinterpret any part of Islamic practices and doctrine that contradict the Bible. They may or may not attend the mosque regularly, and they actively are involved in sharing their faith in Jesus with other Muslims. They may call themselves Muslims who follow Isa al-Masih, or just Muslims. They may be viewed by their community as Muslims that are a little unorthodox.

C6

They keep their faith secret because of an extreme threat of persecution, suffering or legal retaliation. They may worship secretly in small groups. They do not normally share their faith openly and have a 100% Muslim identity.

Here is a short excerpt of Jay Smith talking about the C5 and C6 approach:

Planet Grenada:

the camel (part two)

"if the camel once gets his nose in the tent, his body will soon follow."

there is something about mary (part two)

Surah 3: The Family of 'Imran

35. Behold! a woman of 'Imran said: "O my Lord! I do dedicate unto Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service: So accept this of me: For Thou hearest and knowest all things."

36. When she was delivered, she said: "O my Lord! Behold! I am delivered of a female child!"- and Allah knew best what she brought forth- "And no wise is the male Like the female. I have named her Mary, and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from the Evil One, the Rejected."

37. Right graciously did her Lord accept her: He made her grow in purity and beauty [...]

42. Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee- chosen thee above the women of all nations.

43. "O Mary! worship Thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down."

44. This is part of the tidings of the things unseen, which We reveal unto thee (O Messenger.) by inspiration: Thou wast not with them when they cast lots with arrows, as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mary: Nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point).

45. Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah.

46. "He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. And he shall be (of the company) of the righteous."

47. She said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" He said: "Even so: Allah createth what He willeth: When He hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it, 'Be,' and it is!

 

"The Blind Men and the Elephant" by Laura Winge