Chrislam: Ten Reasons To Say ‘No’
If Christ is who he claims to be, and is the only way to reconciliation with God, then we can expect that plenty of counterfeits and deceptive substitutes will come along to derail us from Christ and his mission. Of course Jesus warned about exactly that: many deceivers, phonies and false Christs would come on the scene leading people astray.
Thus for two thousand years now Christianity has faced all sorts of attacks and all sorts of attempts to subvert it from within or without. The challenges are never ending, and new ploys are continuously being utilised to render null and void the Christian faith.
One of the newer and more insidious attempts is what is known as Chrislam. As the name implies, this is a deliberate blending or mingling of Christianity and Islam. While some gullible Christians might think this is a neat idea, it is in fact bad news. Indeed, here are ten reasons why no biblical Christian should even consider heading down this path.
One. The Bible repeatedly warns against any form of religious syncretism and the dangers it poses to God’s people. Chrislam is pure religious syncretism. No matter how much its proponents may go on about retaining one’s distinctives, at the end of the day this is all about playing down any such distinctions. It is a lowest-common denominator approach where the uniqueness of Christianity is especially watered down.
Whenever such religious syncretism took place in the Old Testament for example, Yahweh made his displeasure crystal clear. Indeed, the prophets warned time and again against such compromise and confusion. The New Testament also clearly warns against any such wholesale blending of Christian and non-Christian worldviews.
Two. The Bible frequently attests to the demonic basis or underpinning of idolatrous beliefs and non-Christian religions. Passages such as Deut. 32:16-17; Psalm 106: 34-41; Acts 26:17-18; 1 Cor. 10:19-21; 1 Thess. 1:9; 1 Tim. 4:1; 1 John. 4:1; Rev. 9:20 all make it clear that these are not just false religions, but are systems undergirded by deceiving spirits intent on leading God’s people away from the one true God. This is not something to be toying with.
Three. These are two fully incompatible belief systems. The differences between Christianity and Islam far outweigh any similarities. The very centre of the Christian message is denied outright by Muslims. Christianity is Christ and what he did on the cross.
Christianity teaches that God became man, lived among us, and then died on the cross for our sins and rose again. Islam utterly repudiates the notion that Jesus is God, or even God’s son, and directly condemns the idea that he died and rose again on the cross. When you rip the very heart of the Christian message out like this, you no longer have Christianity.
Four. As such, this attempt at interfaith dialogue simply compromises the Christian gospel. It waters it down so much that there is nothing recognisable left. When the very core teachings of Christianity are scuttled or downplayed simply in the interests of ‘getting along’ or ‘reducing tensions’, then it is a counterproductive effort.
The early disciples spoke about – and relished in – the “offence of the cross”. They knew that their core message was an offensive one and an alienating one, but it was a message they nonetheless were compelled to preach. Better to lose some friends along the way than to compromise the truth of the gospel.
Five. These attempts at reconciliation and dialogue are almost always simply one-way traffic. While Christians are expected to abandon or neuter their hard and exclusive doctrines, there is rarely a similar effort made by Muslims to tone down or renounce some of their dangerous and/or offensive beliefs.
Why in the world any Christian would be willing to play such a one-sided game is beyond me. Why should we surrender on all our key beliefs and practices, while the corresponding response from the other side is just not forthcoming?
Six. All this really does is further legitimise and elevate Islam. It is simply another strategy to promote Islam in the West and in the process demean Christianity. Indeed, Muslims are on a mission, and any good Muslim wants to see all Westerners submit to Allah and the West come under sharia law.
Devout Muslims are on a mission to make this a reality. They are working overtime in the West to accomplish these goals. Yet most Christians are asleep at the wheel, ignorant of this assault on their faith, and unwilling to share their own faith just as actively as Muslims are.
Seven. There is no counterpart to this in Muslim-majority countries; indeed, the very attempt would be unheard of, not even dreamed of. Can you imagine a Christian leader being allowed to enter a mosque and proclaim the deity and saving work of Christ?
Would such an interfaith setup ever take place in downtown Mecca or in suburban Riyadh? Would a Christian pastor be allowed to freely proclaim the virtues of Christianity in Iran or Saudi Arabia or Syria? Somehow I just don’t think so.
Eight. Indeed, this lopsided endeavour really just further promotes dhimmitude. Christians are already second-class citizens in Muslim countries, and this will in effect make them dhimmis in their own countries. Muslims bent on subverting the West know exactly how all this plays into their hands.
Indeed, they see such endeavours – readily gobbled up by undiscerning Christians – as further signs of Western and Christian weakness. They know that gullible Christians will see this as an opportunity to be friends and achieve peace, but Muslims will see it as yet a further stepping stone on the way to complete Islamic subjugation of the infidel West.
Nine. What Christian churches desperately need to do is not allow in all this misinformation by Islamist propagandists, but start teaching the basics of the Christian faith. This may be the most theologically illiterate generation of Christians ever.
Most Christians are so starved of any sound biblical teaching that they would be sitting ducks for any Islamic indoctrination campaign waged in their churches. They instead need to be taught again the basic doctrines of Christianity so they can discern and withstand this and other assaults on their faith.
Ten. If people of different faiths want to discuss matters on an informal basis there is nothing wrong with that. They can do it in plenty of places. But a Christian church should never be used for such an endeavour. The Christian church is the place where the people of God are shepherded and discipled.
It is not the place where they should be exposed to false faiths and deceptive opponents of Christianity. No Muslim would allow this to take place on their own home turf, and Christians need to wise up and also be as careful and discerning. Letting wolves into God’s flock is a recipe for suicide, not for religious harmony.
Plenty of other reasons could be provided as to why we need to resist the attempts to implement Chrislam like the plague. It does absolutely nothing of value for the Christian church and the spread of the Christian gospel. But it does everything for promoting Islam, dismantling the free West, and rendering ineffective the Christian church.
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You are so right and yet I wonder about the wisdom of not engaging with Islam.
There are so many areas of common values with the more enlightened branches of Islam.
We Christians have had the benefit of the triumph of science over ignorance and the ameliorating effect of the end of the divine right of kings and the start of democratic societies. We know now that discerning absolute truth is a gift bestowed by God on His Church only in the area of faith and morals. We have moved far beyond the previous attempts at temporal power by the curia and the imposition of venal ignorance founded in ancient Greek philosophy over the knowledge of scientific endeavour.
God be praised for His infinite wisdom in allowing our Christian leaders (let’s be clear – our Roman Catholic leaders) the grace to see the error of past ways.
Islam remains theocratic and unreconstructed in the way of Dark Ages Christianity. It too will move to a more mature outlook prodded by economic progress, the march of science and the rise of an educated middle class in Muslim countries.
We can work with Muslims to retain our fundamental Judeo-Christian value system which corresponds closely with Muslim values in so many areas.
We should do so. While respecting our fundamental differences on matters of faith, we need to engage in the common area of morals.
Chrislam is an abomination. We must accept their right to their faith while praying for the conversion of all to becoming followers of Christ.
God bless you and the great work you do.
Giuseppe De Simone
Thanks Giuseppe
Yes there is a place for working and interacting with Muslims, as I said in my article. We certainly should seek to win them for the gospel. And there is a place for co-belligerency, as I have written elsewhere. For example, on some battles over family issues we can work with Muslim against those who would destroy family. This happens often. But here we are talking about theological union, or spiritual unification. That should not be attempted according to biblical Christianity.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
I distinguish between what I call Inter-faith-ism and Multi-faith-ism. The first is about relations and co-operation etc. with other faiths, the latter is about attempting to make a blend of different faiths (syncretism), or a new religion based on a combination of two (or more); it is almost always Christians of the “liberal” kind who attempt the latter. I consider the first of these good but the second very bad.
Johnh Thomas, UK
There is a three-way struggle for domination in the world, between Christianity, Islam, and secularism. This makes things rather more complex that a simple two-way struggle, and there can be temporary alliances of two against one.
Sometimes Islam can be a powerful ally of Christianity against the forces of secularism, as at the 1995 Beijing Women’s Conference, but such an alliance must be taken up with great care.
Lance Eccles
Good article Bill. Can I suggest a point number 11 that might make this endeavour difficult (although you allude to it).
The sticking point of trying to do this would seem to be that either Jesus was not who he claimed to be, thus rendering Christianity irrelevant, or Jesus was who he said he was and so Muhammad is a false prophet and therefore illegitimate.
Seems like a bit of a stumbling block as far as I can see.
Although of course you are right. This is just stupid stunt where christians are expected to give all the ground. But that is to be expected.
Jason Rennie
Having read that word “Chrislam” a few times I get stirred so much for The Truth. Don’t we know anymore what it means to be a separated people? The only example of Muslims we can follow is their zeal to be separated.
As you said Bill, it is about spiritual unification, which will tilt the scales towards Islam eventually. And they are laughing.
Sadly our ministers have become tired and are looking so much for superficial success in their own little (or big) churches, that priorities have become messed up.
Perhaps our church services should become more like study groups where greater commitment for real study should be required. Wishful thinking?
Thanks Bill for your courage.
Evangeline Rykes
I think, Giuseppe, the take home point is “But a Christian church should never be used for such an endeavour.” I see nothing wrong with co-hosting a debate on “Christ and Islam”, or a rally for some shared political issue, or the like. And I get the impression that Bill would agree.
But we should not host such things at a church, or as part of church. Church (whether building or assembly) is exclusively for the proclamation of God, and should not be used to give “enemies of the gospel”* a platform, even a shared one. There are plenty of secular buildings around that could host such a gathering.
*Caveat: Please do not take “enemies of the gospel” as exhortation to violence. Christ commands us to love our enemies, and Paul urges us to live peaceably among a fallen world. Yet we also must understand the stark reality of being “in” the Kingdom and being “out”.
Andrew White
What a pity we do not know exactly which churches are participating in this madness – if we did then we should all send letters to their pastoral team pointing out to them the error of their ways in going down this path. Perhaps it might stir up the doctrinal truth that appears to have settled out of sight and mind in the deepest depths of their souls!
Steve Davis
Exactly right. God will not share his glory with another.
Another concerning development is the way evangelical leaders are embracing religious syncretism with the god of evolution, dethroning Christ as Creator and disbelieving the Word of God.
Tas Walker
Where are our academics are going?
Adam, where are you?
Iscast—how we became human
Tas Walker
Giuseppe says: “Islam remains theocratic and unreconstructed in the way of Dark Ages Christianity. It too will move to a more mature outlook prodded by economic progress, the march of science and the rise of an educated middle class in Muslim countries.”
I this really so, or is it wishful thinking?
If there was a Dark Age of Christianity; wasn’t that because Christianity neglected its roots? So doesn’t ‘reconstructing Christianity’ mean returning to the word of God and the example and teaching of Jesus?
Similarly, doesn’t ‘reconstructing’ Islam mean moving back to Islam’s roots – the ‘anti-Christ’ example and teaching of Muhammad? Or is reconstructing Islam supposed to mean ignoring its roots?
The whole key is: Which example do we consider best?
Peter Newland
While pondering this piece about Chrislam I recalled reading about a mediaeval Moslem mystic, probably mad, who foolishly claimed that he was Christ returned. The local caliph punished him by having him crucified up side down. I think that in Moslem countries modern Chrislamists would be quickly dealt with.
John Snowden
Have just heard Fr. Mitch Pacwa SJ on EWTN stating that the words God and Jesus Christ can no longer be used in military funerals.
Who then are Christians supposed to pray to? Its a bit like ‘well you can worship in Church but you cannot take about your faith outside the Church”.
God help us and America.
Madge Fahy
Bill, I have not heard you mention the name David Pawson on this site. He is probably one of the most humble and insightful preachers of the modern times and he is still with us.
He wrote a book called” Islam, a challenge for Christians and has a disk set of the same name. What I find most helpful about it is that rather than teaching where Islam is wrong, he teaches why Christianity is right. I have not learnt so much bout my own faith, other than from my reading of scripture than from this mans teaching. He points out that unless we have a solid grasp on the reality, relationship and righteousness of the God of the Christian faith, the church can not stand against this onslaught. By the way, I have just sent a copy of this page to his representative in Australia. I thought they should know about you as much as you should know about them.
Many blessings
Ursula Bennett
Thank you for this article. I read a couple of weeks ago about a Church which had invited the local Imam to attend their services and read passages from the Koran – all in the name of “friendship”. Of course, we do need to show our love for Muslim people, but the best way of doing that is to tell them about Jesus.
Joan Davidson
Madge mentioned that Fr Mitch Pacwa stated that God and Jesus Christ can not be mentioned at military Funerals. I hope no one thought that Fr Pacwa had instituted the ban. I know Madge didn’t mean that. That Satanic regulation was a product of the presidency of B. Hussein Obama and the ACLU, an organization every bit as dangerous as Obama. Concerning contact with Muslims, I prefer to keep away from them, unless one showed a desire to embrace Christianity. Some people look on Islam as a religion. Petrol and water and oil are all products used in cars. How well do they fare when mixed in the one container? Also those in our community, who are forever trying to impress Muslims, by cutting them some slack with our philosophy, suggesting that the vast majority of them are not sympathetic with the terrorists are fooling no-one. The Muslims would despise those people as weak and presumably being over nice with the Muslims in the hope that the Muslims will eat them last.
Frank Bellet, Petrie Q
Yes quite right Frank.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch