Taken from
http://stephentong.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=278
A good read....have read his book b4....this guy was quite
devastated when his wife died of sickness....but still remain
strong in the faith.
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Should Christians Convert Others?
by Tan Soo-Inn, 25 Jul 2003
http://graceatwork.org/view.php3?Id=174
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It was quite jarring to walk into bookstores in Malaysia to be
confronted with the cover of the June, 30th issue of TIME magazine.
The headline screamed: "Should Christians Convert Muslims?" Fact
is, there are state laws in Malaysia that penalizes anyone caught
"enticing" a Muslim to leave his or her faith. Therefore the issue
of how Christians should reach the Muslim community for Christ is
one that is hardly discussed in public in Malaysia.
My first response to the headline was "I would frame the question
differently." The Scriptures teach quite clearly that conversion is
the work of the Holy Spirit i.e. God's own Spirit (John 16:8-11).
A Christian may share
the truths of the gospel, she may appeal to people to embrace the
truth of the gospel, but he cannot convert
anyone.
Indeed the church of
Christ has often gotten into trouble when she crosses the boundary
and tries to do the work of the Holy Spirit, "helping" people to
convert through the use of military or governmental powers, or
enticing people to Christ through the giving of aid in times of
need.
(I quickly need to qualify that Christians are called to show
compassion to all in need, giving with a free hand, giving
unconditionally. This indirectly reveals the heart of Christ. But
we cannot ever imply that to receive help, one must first embrace
Christianity.)
No, we cannot
convert anyone. Nevertheless, there are certain
truths in the Scriptures that are clear. Two of them are:
1. Jesus is the only solution to the root problem of humankind -
sin. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved." Acts
4:12 NRSV
2. Followers of Jesus are called to bring this message to all races
and communities. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have
commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of
the age." Matthew 28:19-20
The irony is that Islam and Christianity share a number of things
in common. One of them is a common adherence to the concept of
objective and absolute truth. Standing against the post modern mood
of many truths for many people, Islam and Christianity would say
that if Islam or Christianity were true, then other answers to the
fundamental questions of humankind --- "where did we come from",
"why are we what we are", "what is the ultimate solution for
humankind's problems"---are wrong.
The temptation for Christians and Muslims alike, is to jettison our
commitment to absolute truth. We are told to "play nice" and live
and let live. Any position that takes truth as absolute will lead
to fanaticism and violence. After all, the modern world is a
pluralistic world of many faiths. Let every faith community do
their own thing but don't try to "convert" others. This position is
appealing because there many conflicts around the world that appear
to be rooted in religious differences.
Unfortunately any backing away from a commitment to absolute truth
undercuts the very basis of the truth of the Christian gospel. If
Christianity is not true for all it is not true at all. Why should
God come as man and to die on the cross if there was any other way?
I am always amused when I hear people say that all religions are
essentially the same. Such people betray the fact that they have
not studied religions with any degree of depth.
Of course no one wants intercommunal violence. What this means for
Christians is that we must take a long hard look at how we share
the gospel. I am particularly partial to Leslie Newbigin's
suggestion that the lives of Christians must be so different that
we arouse the curiosity of those outside the faith. (See for
example his "The Gospel In A Pluralist Society.") And when they ask why we are
different, then we answer with the gospel. For example, I recall
the enemies of Christ having to acknowledge "how they love one
another" when they looked at the early Christian communities. I
wonder if they would say the same today.
The whole question of Christian-Muslim relationships is a big and
complex one. I speak to those within the Christian community. We
follow a crucified Christ and have been specifically warned that
his followers would suffer the same fate (2 Timothy 3:12).
Suffering is intertwined deep in the Christian DNA. We must never
kill for Christ (Matthew 26:47-56). But we must always be ready to
suffer and die for Him.
Before we even think of such heroic possibilities, we must first
ask: What is the quality of our life in Christ? Do Christians and
churches reflect so jarringly the love and holiness of God that
people pause to look and ask questions? Or are we qualitatively no
different from those who do not follow Christ? If there is no real
difference, then there really is nothing for people to "convert" to
is there?
Your brother, Soo-Inn Tan
