Clues to Africa, Islam, and the Gospel: Insights for New Workers
Ebook
Observe, Connect, and Thrive in Africa.
Everyone loves simple answers, but making disciples in Africa requires more than a formula. New workers, in particular, need to know about African Muslim culture to successfully introduce people to Christ. This book prepares the Christian worker to use good reflection questions and observation as tools to engage fruitfully with African Muslims. These simple practices empower workers to operate from a more informed perspective.
Drawing on decades of engagement in Africa, Colin Bearup has compiled a thoughtful collection of questions, insights, and narratives to guide the reader into a deeper appreciation o the nuances of African Islamic worldviews. A winsome and practical book of hard-won wisdom, Clues to Africa, Islam, and the Gospel is destined to become a go-to resource for those working on the continent.
The next generation of gospel workers in Africa no longer needs to suffer through years and sometimes decades of ineffectiveness. Stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before and incorporate these tactics and strategies to build toward a successful ministry.
Acknowledgements
1. The Invitation
2. Islam Plus Africa or Africa Plus Islam?
3. What Does History Tell Us and What Does It Tell Them?
4. The African Incarnation of Islam
5. “Of Course, There Aren’t Any Real Muslims Here.”
6. Beyond Greetings and Table Manners
7. Context, High and Low
8. Guilt, Shame, Fear, and the Gospel
9. What Are Friends For?
10. “We Preach Christ Crucified” (1 Cor 1:23)
11. An Appropriate Message
12. “Doing Church” in Muslim Africa and Proximate Peoples
This is by no means a definitive study of Islam in Africa. Yet despite its brevity, or perhaps because of it, Colin Bearup's little book deserves to be widely circulated and read by North American Christians and missionaries who on this continent imbibe a media-and-politics-driven view of Islam that is dread-driven, factually distorted, and deeply antithetical to the nonnegotiable mandate of our Lord to love neighbors and welcome strangers—including Muslims. Colin Bearup is to be congratulated for writing both knowledgeably and accessibly on this important subject.
-Jonathan Bonk
Readers will discover here a treasure trove of insights into how to relate well to and share the gospel with African Muslims. This is above all a practical manual for understanding how Islam affects the everyday life of its African followers and learning how to be a credible witness among them for Christ. Colin Bearup has written a must-read primer for every Christian worker serving God among African Muslims.
-Dr. Richard Hibbert, director of the Centre for Cross-Cultural Mission, Sydney Missionary & Bible Collegeauthor of Walking Together on the Jesus Road: Discipling in Intercultural Contexts
This book is an essential read and study guide for any contemplating church-planting ministry in Africa, especially where there are Muslim communities. It is erudite, easy to grasp, challenging, and insightful, with short chapters based on acute observation and years of practical ministry in Africa and digs deep into the quirks of theology and culture we unwittingly carry with us into a Muslim African context. This is an essential eye-opener for any considering church-planting ministry in Africa.
-Patrick Johnstone, WEC Internationalauthor emeritus, Operation World
I didn't expect to read anything more than a rehash of what has already been written in the last three decades by many focused on Muslims—the ultimate challenge to the Lordship of Christ Jesus. However, to my delight, I discovered that C. J. Bearup has some very significant insights that penetrate the “Gordian knot” regarding disciple-making among African Muslims that lasts. The best recommendation I can make is this: After over fifty years of focus on the Great Commission among Muslims, I would truly like to sit and learn from this man.
-Dr. Greg Livingstone, founder, Frontiers
- Title: Clues to Africa, Islam, and the Gospel: Insights for New Workers
- Author: Colin Bearup
- Publisher: William Carey Publishing
- Print Publication Date: 2020
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781645082552, 9781645082521, 1645082520, 1645082555
- Resource ID: LLS:9781645082552
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-08-02T00:50:44Z
Colin Bearup has served with WEC International among Muslims in Africa and in the UK for forty years. He is a guest lecturer at Cornerstone Bible College for Mission Training in the Netherlands, at the Nazarene Theological College's Manchester Centre for the Study of Christianity and Islam in the UK, and the Sydney Mission and Bible College in Australia. His previous publications include Keys: Unlocking the Gospel for Muslims, Clues to Africa Islam and the Gospel, and Inviting Muslims to Church.