Urbana Interaction Paper: Muslim Followers of Jesus

This seminar was largely addressing the Insider Movement that is occurring in many Islamic contexts. In short, the Insider Movement is the movement of many Muslims to become Jesus followers while still remaining culturally Muslim. These Muslims have both accepted Jesus as saviour and have found a way to continue to be legally and culturally Muslim. Rather than presenting a lot of fact or figures on the movement, the presenters instead gave a background as to why it can be so important to remain culturally Muslim, used dramas as demonstrations as to how this process works, and explained what keeps this movement biblical.

This movement stretches me by making me reassess what it means to be a Christian, to be a Muslim, and to be a follower of Christ, as well as what is essential to being saved. It makes me ask questions which I cannot readily answer and am still processing. These questions are regarding things like whether one must reject the Quran, whether rejection of the name “Christian” means rejection of salvation, and whether the Trinity is an essential doctrine to salvation (this particular question was not addressed by them, but comes out of my experience with a Muslim friend). My inclination is to answer these questions in the negative, but it is definitely spiritually stretching. My inclination is affirmed by the distinctly biblical qualities of the movement: rejection of certain Islamic beliefs about Jesus (that He didn’t actually die on the cross, that He cannot save, that salvation is through works, and that the Bible has been corrupted), reinterpretation of the purposes of prayer and fasting, and diminishing the roles of Muhammad and the Quran compared to Jesus and the Bible. Despite my questions, I am really excited about this movement and the possibilities it has for bring Muslims to Christ.

This was one of my favourite seminars at Urbana because I know comparably very little about the Insider Movement, though I had heard of it before, and will most likely be working with these communities a great deal in my future ministry. Ultimately, I think, it is not up to me to be able to decide whether or not the Insider Movement is a “Christian” movement, but it is up to God who is able to break down all imaginable boundaries. My job is to simply help others encounter and experience Jesus so that they can be drawn closer to Him.