There's a lot of misinformation that has been circulating about Insider Movements, but this ideology can be clearly traced historically to Western sources, and it's something that has almost completely been rejected by national believers.
As a Lebanese Christian who does ministry among Muslims, I urge any readers to take a hard look at Insider Movements and realize that they are syncretistic, deceptive, and are not of God.
In my experience, when Muslims come to Christ, they overwhelmingly want to leave Islam behind and gain a new identity in Christ. This doesn't mean that they have to lose their witness among their families, but it does mean that they must gain a new identity, and give Christ the glory for their changed lives - if they remain in Islam, that glory goes to Islam.
Fortunately, this is something that they naturally want to do, but unfortunately many Western workers convince them to return to Islam. This is a sad thing, and requires them to repent for leaving Islam - again giving glory to Islam and reinforcing the stereotype of "once a Muslim, always a Muslim".
I pray that Westerners would begin to listen to the nationals, who are crying out against the Insider Movement ideology. The nationals understand their own culture, and how to be Christians in it.
For some good perspectives on Insider Movements, I would recommend this report on a conference on this topic: http://biblicalmissiology.org/2011/10/03/insider-movements-a-critical-assessment-iii-2011-atlanta-ga/
Posted in: To Be or Not To Be ... an Insider
There's a lot of misinformation that has been circulating about Insider Movements, but this ideology can be clearly traced historically to Western sources, and it's something that has almost completely been rejected by national believers.
As a Lebanese Christian who does ministry among Muslims, I urge any readers to take a hard look at Insider Movements and realize that they are syncretistic, deceptive, and are not of God.
In my experience, when Muslims come to Christ, they overwhelmingly want to leave Islam behind and gain a new identity in Christ. This doesn't mean that they have to lose their witness among their families, but it does mean that they must gain a new identity, and give Christ the glory for their changed lives - if they remain in Islam, that glory goes to Islam.
Fortunately, this is something that they naturally want to do, but unfortunately many Western workers convince them to return to Islam. This is a sad thing, and requires them to repent for leaving Islam - again giving glory to Islam and reinforcing the stereotype of "once a Muslim, always a Muslim".
I pray that Westerners would begin to listen to the nationals, who are crying out against the Insider Movement ideology. The nationals understand their own culture, and how to be Christians in it.
For some good perspectives on Insider Movements, I would recommend this report on a conference on this topic: http://biblicalmissiology.org/2011/10/03/insider-movements-a-critical-assessment-iii-2011-atlanta-ga/