Hot issues in Missions and Muslim Outreach Today

1.   On the Common Word and Yale Evangelical Response to the “Common Word”. 

Evangelicals and the Common Word.  Panel discussion between  6 people – John Piper and Al Mohler for the Biblical case against signing “The Evangelical Response (Yale Response) to the Comon Word”  vs. 2 other Evangelicals who agree with “The Evangelical Response to the Common Word”;  and 2 Muslims for “The Common Word”.

For more background, see under # 3 for John Piper’s original response when the Common Word document first came out and Evangelicals signed a response called, “Loving God and Neighbor”.

Joseph Cumming (one of  the writers of the Yale Response spoke, along with C. Donald Smedly) Defending  the Yale Response

Two Muslims spoke –  Caner Dagli (born in  USA, but parents are from  Circassian/Turk background)

Caner Dagli at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs

and

Joseph Lumbard  (American convert to Islam) 

Two Evangelicals – John  Piper and Al Mohler – who voiced their concerns and disagreements to both the “Yale Response” and the “Common Word” of the Muslim scholars.

Question and Answer  time was very interesting.  Piper and Mohler both do a great job of voicing their profound disagreements in a godly manner.  A great example of “speaking the truth in love” ( Ephesians 4:15) and what I like to call, “the balance of Apologetics and Agape love”.  (see I Peter 3:15; Jude 3, 21)

2.  On the Insider’s Movement (also known as C-5 church planting/ “common ground” / “Jesus in the Qur’an Seminar” and similar methods) conference by I2 ministries.

Book by i2 ministries:

Chrislam:  A Critique of the Insider’s Movement and C-5 contextualization approach to Muslims

This is a very good biblical, theological and missiological critique of the “Insider’s Movement” or C-5 level church-planting, or also known as “Common Ground” strategies or methods.

3.  John Piper’s original excellent response and concern and “deep disappointment” over the Evangelicals who crafted and signed the “Yale Response” to the “Common Word”.  (Piper’s response was in January 2008; the “Common Word” of the Muslim scholars was sent out in October of 2007)