Longing for Community: Church, Ummah, or Somewhere in Between?
Ebook
Church, Immah, or Somewhere in Between?
Understanding the strength and unity of the ummah— the worldwide Muslim community—and its role in an individual’s identity is essential in comprehending the struggles that Muslims undergo as they turn to faith in Jesus Christ. It has been a place of security, acceptance, protection, and identity; turning away from it entails great sacrifice. Where, then, will Muslims who choose to follow Jesus find their longing for community fulfilled: ummah, church, or somewhere in between?
Longing for Community compiles the research and reflection of twenty missiologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and linguists- among them Muslims who have become believers in Jesus Christ - presented at the second Coming to Faith Consultation in February 2010. The contributors explore multiple levels and hybrid nature of social identity, pointing to the need to free our discussions from single-dimensional scales, which are far from adequate to describe the complex nature of conversion and lived-out faith. Beyond the issue of identity, the contributors offer important lessons from mission history, explore liturgy as an appropriate vehicle for teaching, discuss appropriate means of communication, and point to both the need and contextually appropriate possibilities of greater involvement of women in training and ministry.
Contributors
Introduction: Transformed in Christ
David Greenlee
Section 1: Understanding the Complexity of Conversion
Chapter 1- Fuzzy Thinking and the Conversion Process
David Radford
Chapter 2- Relationships, Emotion, Doctrine, Intellect – and All That Follows
Kathryn Kraft
Chapter 3- Refusing to Choose: Multiple Belonging among Arab Followers of Christ
Jens Barnett
Chapter 4- Living a Pun: Cultural Hybridity among Arab Followers of Christ
Jens Barnett
Chapter 5- Conversion in the Light of Identity Theories
Tim Green
Chapter 6- Identity Choices at the Border Zone
Tim Green
Section 2: Culture, Community, and Coming to Faith in Christ
Chapter 7- The Ummah and the Christian Community
Sufyan Baig
Chapter 8- Patronage, Salvation, and Being Joined with Jesus: Socio-anthropological Insights from South Asia
Colin Edwards
Chapter 9- “Us” or “Me”? Modernization and Social Networks among China’s Urban Hui
Enoch J. Kim
Chapter 10- Knowing but Not Confessing: Attitudes of Youth in Baku Who Have Heard the Good News
Russell Eleazar
Chapter 11- Sharing the Truth with Courtesy and Respect for All Cultures
Rick Brown
Chapter 12- Getting to the Source of Guilt, Fear, and Shame: Innocence, Security, and Honor in the Muslim Context
L.R. Burke
Chapter 13- Areas of Change in the Conversion Processes of East African Muslims
Reinhold Straehler
Section 3: Lessons to Foster Fruit and Growth
Chapter 14- Fruitfulness for the Perspective of the Fruit and the Farmer
J. Dudley Woodberry
Chapter 15- Mission: Imitation in Christ
Jean-Marie Gaudeul
Chapter 16- Nestorians, Conversion, and Mission on the Early Silk Road
Jihan Paik
Chapter 17- The Anotoc Story, Continued: Group Dynamics within an Insider Movement
John Kim
Chapter 18- The “Disconnect” in the Discipleship of South Asian Women: Socio-cultural and Religious Barriers among Muslim Background Believers
Karen Scott
Chapter 19- Women’s Gatherings and Leadership
Mary Davidson
Chapter 20- Liturgy to Focus Mind and Heart: Fostering Spiritual Growth among Muslim Seekers
Ruth Nicholls
Chapter 21- Against Winds and Waves: The Countercultural Movement of a Turk and the Turkish Protestant Church
James Bultema
Chapter 22- Concluding Reflections
David Smith
Endnotes
Index
An excellent presentation of how to achieve a proper balance between sociological and spiritual realities within the challenge of outreach to Muslims. The concept of “Ummah” (community) is explored and suggestions made on how to integrate believers into a new grouping that preserves biblical integrity while not denounc-ing Muslim culture and life. A valuable resource for practitioners on the front lines.
-Phil Parshall, SIM, Missionary at Large
In the present day, sharing the Gospel to Muslims (or to anyone else) is different than the “mission compound” methodologies. I highly recommend this book to be read by readers who are striving to share Christ to anyone, especially to Muslims. It is also a thoughtful reading for general Christ followers (Christians) who are interested in understanding the issues in a mission field context. This book will encourage all of us to pray for those who are involved every day in helping people to understand the Injil.
-K. Rajendran, World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission; Global Roundtable
The chapters of this book introduce us to a new way of “bridging” the gap that many make us believe exists between civilizations. We will discover through these pages some explanations to the difficulties a Muslim faces in accepting a “new identity” and how sometimes in spite of our human efforts in “discipling” the new converts, God surprises us in dealing with the Muslim person through keeping their cultural Muslim identity while at the same time being faithful to Jesus in the inner “ego.” I found the book very thought provoking in the very issues that many missionaries are facing in the field. Our cultural ways as Latinos or Westerners are sometimes obtrusive of how God sometimes deals in His way with them. We need to be open to the manifold wisdom of God manifested in the East. To miracles, dreams, visions, and allowing the Holy Spirit to apply the revelation of the Scriptures in different homiletical categories that we have learned in Systematic Theology.
-Pablo Carrillo, Founder, PM Internacional
- Title: Longing for Community: Church, Ummah, or Somewhere in Between?
- Author: David Greenlee
- Publisher: William Carey Library
- Print Publication Date: 2013
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781645080824, 9780878085330, 0878085335, 164508082X
- Resource ID: LLS:9781645080824
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-06-27T01:13:52Z
David Greenlee was raised of missionary parents in South America. He has served with OM since 1977, currently in the role of Director of International Ministry Services. Married with three adult children, he holds a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Trinity International University, Deerfield, Illinois, USA. David's publications include One Cross, One Way, Many Journeys: Thinking Again about Conversion and the edited From the Straight Path to the Narrow Way: Journeys of Faith.