"Islam per se is not necessarily the greatest challenge facing Christians today, but rather how Christians choose to respond to Islam."
John Azumah, "Christian Response to Islam: A Struggle for the Soul of Christianity.
On June 4th, I sensed in my spirit a change in the Christian mission landscape regarding Islam. It was one of the reasons I announced the following day that I was stopping my blog for a while. One of my main fears was being too vocal and saying something or naming people that I would later regret. During the last 6 weeks, I have talked with a lot of people around Europe who are also sensing a new landscape for mission and pondering on the ramifications. I am also reading the Koran and making plans for some visits to the Middle East, North Africa and neighboring countries to Europe. I feel we have turned a corner and our response to Islam will be one of the defining factors in Christianity in the 21st Century.
A few weeks ago, I was in a Turkish cafe in Berlin and the owner asked if any Americans were in our group. I said yes and pointed to my American wife. He immediately picked up a copy of Obama's speech in Cairo from June 4th, translated into Turkish for his cafe patrons to read, and handed it over.
Obama's speech is significant. It may have been one of those acts that have opened up a new way of relating with Muslims. Time will tell how important that really is. I suggest reading it. Text is here.
