Islam, Infidels, and Summit Ministries

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am a huge fan of Summit Leadership Camps sponsored by Summit.org.  My oldest daughter first attended Summit in Tennessee 17 years ago and, since that time, most of my children have either attended the camp one or more times, and/or staffed at the camp.  This year my son, Matt, is attending Summit for the second time and I have had the privilege of being able to attend some of the lectures.   Just how amazing is this camp?   Amazing enough that Matt was willing to contribute $500 of his own money towards the tuition in order to sit in lectures morning, afternoon and evening for more than ten days.  Enough said!

Before I tell you about today's speaker let me tell you about a book I'm reading.  A friend of mine suggested I read a certain book that she had recently read, but as soon as she realized I ordered the book she had misgivings and began apologizing and second guessing the wisdom of her suggestion.  Her backpedaling actually made me even more interested in the book and I assured her that I would not be upset with her for recommending it.  The book is entitled Infidel and it's the true story of a girl, Ayann Hirsi Ali, who was born in Somalia and raised in a strict Muslim family. She eventually escapes a forced marriage, seeks asylum in the Netherlands and is disowned by her Muslim family.  Although I haven't finished reading this book, it is very interesting and, if I am correct, by the end of this story Ayann will have completely turned her back on God.  Even though I had studied a little bit about Muslims, I had no idea how loyal Muslim family members are to each other, their clans, and their country.  On the other hand, the mistreatment, at least in this girl's story, of children, women and unbelievers is horrific.  When I saw that there were three lectures today on Islam I made a point to attend.

The speaker today was Dr. Nabeel Qureshi.  He was raised a devout Muslim, but became a Christian when he was in college.   His story is riveting.  One comment he made was difficult to hear.  He talked about how few Muslims in America ever have contact with Christians.  He even told of a foreign student who came to American with two suitcases filled with gifts for families who invited him over.  When he returned to his country after he completed his education, his two suitcases were still filled with gifts.   No one had invited him into their home.   In America we have so many foreigners come here, that we can befriend and share our faith as "foreign" missionaries without ever having to step outside of our own country.

Dr. Qureshi also shared that as a child he was not only taught to be a devout Muslim, but he was also taught apologetics so he could defend his faith, answering Christians who tried to tell him that Jesus was God. He could quote more scripture than the Christians who were willing to talk to him.   It wasn't until he formed a friendship with a Christian named David Wood that his beliefs were really challenged.  They say that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care and, in this story, this is so true.  David and Nabeel became good friends and they were friends for quite a while before Dr. Qureshi came to the realization that Islam offered neither an assurance of salvation nor the possibility of having a true relationship with God. Here is a short version of his testimony:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oait1A5K1k4.

The first lecture today was Dr. Qureshi's testimony.  The second lecture was an explanation of what Islam teaches as compared to Christianity, including information on the veracity (or lack thereof) of sources for each belief system.  During the third lecture Dr. Qureshi discussed the fact that Jesus' death and resurrection is pivotal to a Christian's beliefs and then he shared true stories of conversions that are taking place all over the world.  The students were listening intently and wanted to hear more.  I could have easily listened to him for several more hours.  Now that I'm home I can't wait to finish this blog, get back to the book, thank my friend for recommending it, and hope that you have been encouraged to delve deeper into these issues and to consider making new friends!!