By Eric Barger
Chrislam, which purports to join Islam and Christianity into one harmonious, synthesized religion, is fast becoming a rallying point in some American church circles. Under the leadership of something called "Faith Shared," two organizations, Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First, spearheaded an event loosely called "Chrislam Sunday" on June 26, 2011. It was celebrated by dozens of churches nationwide as joint Christian-Muslim services were held in various Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist, Catholic, Lutheran, Congregational, Baptist and other denominations and groups.
Make note that we know of no mosques used for a Chrislam service. The fact is that no imam is about to bring a Bible into a mosque and suggest that our God is their god. For the Muslim cleric, the only acceptable agreement that both religions are somehow equals is if doing so presents the perceived image of a kinder, gentler, politically correct Islam and if doing so furthers the cause of Islam. It isn't peculiar that Muslim leaders would endorse Chrislam Sunday, claim that both religions are on equal footing, or partake in the charade of dialog indulged in by the Yale Divinity School and assorted foolish Christians over the past four years. The Muslim practice of deception of the infidel (that's everyone outside of Islam) knows no boundaries. This is called "Kitman" and "Taqiyya." Kitman, or half truths meant to mislead an infidel, and Taqiyya, which is complete deception of unbelievers, are acceptable tactics - as long as Islam is the winner in the end.
Chrislam Fact Check
Though Chrislam supporters correctly suggest that both Islam and Christianity have Abrahamic roots and that both religions teach morals, ethics and monotheism, the
similarities quickly disintegrate with a careful study of either the Bible or the Qur'an. An examination of the deities worshiped by the two religions immediately brings into question how any thoughtful, biblically-minded Christian could ascertain Chrislam's chief edict - that we all worship the same God.
As I close my live seminar teaching on Chrislam these days, I list these facts, which I spend the better part of the previous hour documenting.
* Allah is NOT Jehovah
* The Jesus of Islam is NOT the Jesus of the Bible
* The Bible does NOT harmonize with the Qur'an
* Salvation by faith is NOT available through Islam
* Chrislam is neither Christian nor Muslim
* Movements like these only gain ground because Christians either do not know their Bibles or because they are unwilling to resist heresy for fear of being ridiculed and labeled as politically incorrect, hate mongers, or narrow and bigoted.
As more Bible believers in the West become aware of Chrislam, we are waking to the fact that some of those whom we've accepted as our leaders have been busy formulating and selling a different gospel and making alliances at the cost of the Bible, our Christ, and our God. Tonight, as I was researching for this article, I ran across someone with whom I wasn't familiar, a writer and researcher named Bill Muehlenberg. Muehlenberg, from "CultureWatch," is a staunch opponent of Chrislam and in a blog entry, "Chrislam: Ten Reasons To Say 'No,'" he lists many of the same reasons to reject Chrislam that I do. One of those is that anytime Christians enter into dialogs like these it's always at the cost of divine and absolute truth. Muehlenberg says, "This attempt at interfaith dialogue simply compromises the Christian gospel. It waters it down so much that there is nothing recognizable 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." He's completely right.
It isn't shocking that the root of Chrislam is accepted among liberals, socialists, one-worlders, Emergents, and others who appear to be Christian in name only. When Robert Schuller, Jim Wallis, and Brian McLaren added their names to the list of those who signed "Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to a Common Word Between Us and You" (the Yale Divinity School's 2008 Muslim-Christian dialog initiative), few were surprised. However, it is mystifying how at least the notion that Islam's Allah is Jehovah God by another name has gained ground in Evangelical circles.
When men such as Bill Hybels of Willow Creek, NAE President Leith Anderson and Fuller Seminary head Richard Mouw signed the Yale document, informed Bible believers, who understood the implications, began to speak up. Another signer was Rick Warren, who in recent days has strongly denied any alignment with the Chrislam movement; yet his name curiously remains on the Yale paper. Warren may not be ready to participate in joint services with Muslims but, as one of the original Yale signatores, he indicated over three years ago his agreement with the basic premise of "Loving God and Neighbor Together" - that the two religions serve the same God - the very crux of Chrislam.
Islam rejects both the deity of Christ (Sura 5:17) and His death on the Cross (Sura 4:157-158). What is there to discuss? Still not convinced? One of the best refutations of Chrislam comes right from the Qur'an itself.
"O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His apostles. Say not "Trinity": desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah. Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth" (Sura 4:171, emphasis added).
How much clearer can it be? There is no spiritual foundation for this dialog. There is no common ground. Their Allah had no son. Their god is NOT our God! If the countless admonitions given to us in the Bible weren't enough, let this passage from the Qur'an forever stand as a roadblock in the way of any sneaky Muslim mullah or slippery Christian leader who seeks to equate Jehovah with the false god of Muhammad. I know some will think I'm being too hard or counterproductive. However, Bible believers are pledged to the Gospel and not to what's politically correct. Frankly, I have no time to show respect to a religion that has damned the soul of every individual who has followed its demonic teachings for the past 1300 years. How odd that, at a time when more Muslims are being saved than ever before in history, this assortment of foolish American Christians have taken it upon themselves to try to merge with Islam. Whether they honestly see it as noble, charitable, or conciliatory, their mistake will undoubtedly be at the cost of souls and a further weakened Church. This, while Muslims are fleeing into the arms of Jesus and rejecting Islam in places where doing so could cost them not only their family, friends, and career but also their lives.
For an in-depth look at Chrislam and to understand the failure of many Church leaders to see the peril it represents, request Eric Barger's new DVD "The Deception of Chrislam" recorded at Jan Markell's "Understanding The Times" Conference this October.
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