With the continued rise of violent Islamic extremism around the world, many today are calling for a Reformation of Islam such as happened with Christianity in the 16th century. Commenting on the call of Egypt’s president for a theological “revolution” within Islam, Mayor
Rudi Giuliani, in an interview on Fox News, concurred saying that Islam needs a Reformation
such as Christianity experienced. Others within Islam, such as Dr. Zudhi Jasser, are also calling for a
Reformation within Islam that will deal with the radical extremism. Can it happen?
The Critical
Importance of Origins
The Christian
Reformation was needed because, with the 4th century (supposed) conversion of Constantine and the
merging of Christianity with the political state, the peaceful church of Jesus
and the New Testament had been transformed into the imperial church of the
Middle Ages that relied on political and military force to advance and maintain
its cause. The Reformation occurred when there was a movement within the church to return to its founder, Jesus Christ, and its founding document, the New Testament. This is why there are no beheadings today by Baptists, Methodists or even Catholics. Not a smidgeon of justification for such acts can be found with Jesus and the New Testament.
Jesus was a man of peace who taught love for God and one's
neighbor. But never mistake this for weakness, for it was in the midst of much
civil and religious war and strife that Jesus boldly confronted the
powers-that-be with His radical message of faith in God and peace and nonviolence toward people. It was Jesus
who told His followers;
But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever
slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him. If anyone wants to sue
you and take away your tunic, give him your cloak also. And whoever compels you
to go one mile, go with him two
(Matthew 5:39-41).
With the Reformation and its return to Jesus and the New
Testament, there was a disentangling of the Christian faith from the political
ambition and the use of force that had begun with Constantine. The power of the
Reformation and its return to Christian origins produced new churches that renounced
the use of political and physical force. The power of the Reformation and its
emphasis on Christian origins also led to the Catholic Church giving up the use
of force in matters of conscience and faith.
America Founded on Reformation Values
America was founded on Reformation principles of religious liberty and freedom of conscience. This is what the First Amendment to the Constitution
is all about. “Congress shall make no law concerning the establishment of
religion, nor hindering the free exercise thereof.” This is merely stating that
the new nation will not have an official state church, as in medieval Europe, that seeks to control the minds and speech of its
populace.
This is the context of Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of
separation” comment to a group of Baptists concerning the First Amendment. The “wall,”
in Jefferson’s thinking, was unidirectional designed to keep the state out of
the church, while at the same time protecting everyone’s right of religious freedom.
He used this terminology to assure the Baptists that they could freely practice
their faith in the new nation without government interference.
These are the values on which this nation was founded. These
are not Islamic values. These are not even Roman Catholic values. These are Reformation
values! These are Christian values based on the teachings of Jesus and the New
Testament. Woe to America if she ever forgets the values on which her freedoms
are based.
The Challenge for Islam
The problem Islam faces in seeking a Reformation is that its
founder, Mohammed, unlike Jesus, was a man of war who spread his teachings and
influence with violence and the sword. A return within Islam to its founder and
origins will thus have a very different outcome than what occurred with the
Christian Reformation. In fact, returning to Islam’s founder and origins seems to lead people to becoming even more radicalized, and we get Al Qaeda, ISIS and Boko Haram.
This does not mean that all Christians today are nice people
or that all Muslims are bad people. Not at all! But here is the big difference:
Christians are continually confronted with Jesus and His amazing example of
sacrificial love, and His command to love
one another as I have loved you (John 14:34). Even though they fall short
of the standard, Christians are continually being pulled towards it by the example and words of Jesus
Himself. In contrast, Muslims have no such example to follow, unless they too
turn to Jesus!
A Jesus Reformation in Islam?
In the Bible school where I once served on faculty, a
student from Ethiopia brought a video of a mosque in Cairo showing that the crescent
on top had been replaced with a cross. The imam had experienced a supernatural
encounter with Jesus, but instead of becoming a Baptist, Methodist or Catholic,
he remained where he was and began preaching Jesus and the meaning of the cross
to his Muslim congregation.
He could do this because there is an opening, be it a slight
one, in that the Quran recognizes Jesus as a prophet. Yes, Christians know
Jesus is much more than a prophet, but this could be the opening needed to
preach Jesus within Islam.
Christians recognize Jesus as God incarnate. The New
Testament, however, also presents Jesus as the human archetype—the universal
human being. This is what Paul was referring to when he referred to Jesus as
the second man and the last Adam (I Corinthians 15:45-47). God has
set Jesus as the universal example of what a human being ought to be. This is
clearly stated in Romans 8:29 where Paul says that God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son.
Jesus is the Answer
Presenting Jesus as the ultimate role model seems to offer the best hope for President
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Dr. Jasser and others seeing the “revolution” or
“reformation” they are calling for. If Muslim leaders will encourage their followers to learn
all they can about Jesus, even by going to the New Testament, and then call on them to follow His words and example, I see every reason to believe that a powerful Jesus reformation would emerge in Islam that would root out the extremists and bring Muslim nations into the modern world.
As I write, I am reminded of the words of the song written
by Andre Crouch who went home to be with Jesus a few days ago. He wrote;
Jesus is
the answer, for the world today.
Above Him there’s no other, Jesus is the way.
Yes, Jesus is the answer, for the world today,
Above Him there’s no other Jesus is the way.
Will you pray for a Jesus Reformation in Islam?
Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian and Bible teacher. He is also the founder of the "Revive America" Project whose goal is to see Spiritual awakening and reformation in America by revisiting the nation's Christian past. His latest book, Pursing Power: How the Quest for Apostolic Authority & Control Has Damaged and Divided the Church, is available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html.
No comments:
Post a Comment