Curriculum offers Texas Baptists help in forming relationships with Muslims

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April 30, 2006
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AUSTIN?By the year 2050 one-half of the world’s population under the age of 21 will be followers of Islam, according to United Nations statistics. For those who think the Islamic half of the population will be on the other side of the world, think again.

In Texas, the statistics are also on the rise. Although exact figures are unclear, the website turntoislam.com estimates there are 400,000 Muslims living in the Lone Star state.

The Islamic Society of Greater Houston counts around 50,000 members. The Islamic Center of El Paso estimates there are 3,000 Muslims in the El Paso region. A similar Austin group states the Muslim community in central Texas has “doubled in the past years with a current estimate of over 10,000.” In Collin County, which includes the north Dallas suburbs of Plano, Frisco, and McKinney, the Islamic Center serves more than 7,500 in the area.

What do these statistics mean for Texas Baptists? According to one Texas couple, opportunities for sharing Christ with Muslims are as close as your backdoor.

During a session of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Acts 1:8 SENT Conference, April 21-22 in Austin, churches learned of one ministry option for reaching Muslims in their own communities.

Sam and Sarah* worked among Islamic communities across Africa and Spain and know first-hand the challenges in sharing about Christ with Muslims.

Because Islamic culture and faith are interwoven, leading someone to Christ could take many years, Sam said. “It took five years of having conversations about [Jesus] to lead my friend to the Lord. Don’t be disappointed, it could take time.”

Despite these difficulties, Sam and Sarah found success using the “Little Camel” method, a tool adapted from the International Mission Board’s “Camel” training curriculum that uses the Quran as a springboard to the Bible. The Camel method poses key questions to Muslims to help them analyze their faith and introduce them to Isa, the Arabic word for Jesus used in the Quran.

“Many relationships with Muslims have been developed because they want to know about Isa. It’s been conveniently left out of their [Islamic] school’s curriculum. Then you can come in and provide that information,” Sam said.

The method uses a particular passage in the Quran, Surah 3:42-55, concerning Jesus’ immaculate conception “to open the door with a Muslim to share the good news of salvation in Jesus.”

“If attention is given to the verses in the Quran that deal with truths about Jesus, then you and your new Muslim friend can enter into a dialogue,” Sam said. “Is truth any less true if it is found somewhere other than the Bible? When the Quran says that Jesus was born of a virgin without an earthly father, is it any less true than when the Bible says the same thing?”

According to the IMB website, evangelists and church planters have used the Quran as a bridge to draw Muslims to Christ for years. Though admitting the training is considered controversial and somewhat complicated for Christians with no familiarity of the Quran, a product summary on the IMB website describes the material as “highly effective” in engaging Muslims for Christ.

“Camel Training settles the issue of using the Quran as an evangelistic tool, and the Camel Method makes it easy to speak to a Muslim about Jesus’ holiness, power and position.”

For Sam and Sarah, the en