Lausanne World Pulse – Contextualizing Western Workers—Gifts from the Muslim World

June 2007

By Don Heckman

Two significant treasures await the Western worker with this “gift of the story.” First, we do not have to be experts in Islam to tell stories to Muslims. No need to tell them the fifteen things that they need to change to become a Christian. Instead, stories allow the teller to let the receiver hear and decipher without imposing the pressure of interpretation.

Second, by telling stories as Jesus did, we do not have to serve as the go-between for Muslims to constantly interpret God to them. We do not want to become a mediator between Muslims and God because we know that “there is one God and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Becoming the mediator can run the risk of supplanting the role of Jesus. Also, we could become the “bookshelf of answers” that keeps the Muslim background believer from taking their questions directly to the word of God. Dependency is not the same as discipleship.

Conclusion
I continue to encourage the contextualization of our methods, our ministry and our message to Muslims. My finding, however, is that the contextualization of the Western missionary is the acute need. Contextualized workers may not wear all the robes or know all the rites of their Muslim friends. Yet they are learners, having taken on the gifts of community, the gifts of shame and honor, the gifts of holiness and defilement and the gifts of oral communication. I am taking a bottom up approach that says, “Yes, I am Western, but Muslims can see that my Western heart is assimilating an Eastern worldview in light of God’s word. Rather than a top down, sophisticated, culturally correct approach to the presentation of a contextualized gospel, let us get the word out that we need hundreds and thousands of unassuming workers with unstudied talent. We need Western and non-Western workers who are willing to be dramatically changed and strongly contextualized in their biblical thinking.

Don Heckman and his wife Evey work with Muslims in North Africa and Southeastern France. Previously, he was involved with planting disciple training centers with YWAM. He also planted a bilingual French/English church, a Tamil church for Sri Lankans and two French churches. He is the author of Christ Loves My Muslim Friend. He can be reached at [email protected].

Comments on this article

An excellent article. Might I suggest that those who read it pass it on to any and all fellow Christians who are beginning to live these experiences/adventures. Thanks Don!

Qawii :: 15 Jul 2007

I believe the article is very well done. As Don has spent time at our church, I see that his heart and mind is very consistent with this message. I can see that he is all about the furtherance of God’s Kingdom, not his own kingdom.

Rod :: 27 Jun 2007