In his doctoral thesis "Simple and complex at the same time: conversion processes and their assessment" („Einfach und komplex zugleich: Konversionsprozesse und ihre Beurteilung“) Reinhold Strähler has described four fascinating ways in which Muslims find Jesus. When you tell stories to Muslims, you also have a goal in mind. That's why I think it's important to think about how Muslims, for example, can find Jesus and which stories fit in with this.
I have quoted the four ways here.
1. intellectual path: Miriam's path
As the daughter of a highly educated and respected family in Iraq, all paths were open to Miriam. Her career path from university to an academic career was a given, just as Islam was a natural part of her life and defined her identity. During her school years, a religious campaign began in which Islam was emphasised more strongly and the entire Koran was covered in class. Her family had little contact with Christians. As an educated and cosmopolitan family, they did have an Arabic Bible at home, but Miriam found the language difficult and the content incomprehensible.
When Miriam was 24 years old, her family moved to Germany and a new phase in her life began. She was fascinated by the completely different society and the associated freedoms and opportunities. The western image of women particularly appealed to her. She continued her studies and moved away from home, which is actually unthinkable for an unmarried woman from the Orient. But experiencing the great freedoms also showed her the challenges involved. It was not easy to keep her head above water with various jobs. The advance of the ‘Islamic State’ in her home country was a great burden for her. She needed people with whom she could talk about her longing for peace.
A German acquaintance criticised Muhammad, which made Miriam angry and even led her to defend suicide bombers. She got to know Korean Christians in her student hall of residence and attended their church services for eight years. She understood little of the content, as the topics discussed there were not geared towards people with a Muslim background. In an Arabic Bible that she received, she felt lost without guidance. She was bothered by the language, but read it again and again. At the time, she was watching Christian TV programmes with their religious and comparative religious debates. But at some point she had enough of it because her faith was always being attacked and ridiculed.
Miriam was looking for God, but didn't know where to look or who to pray to. She read a lot and followed many debates. At some point, she was so exhausted that she cried out to Jesus and asked for a sign. That night she had a dream in which she was on a sinking ship, but not sinking herself. She woke up terrified and deeply comforted at the same time. She prayed and thanked Jesus for saving her. After this dramatic experience, she received a Bible in a more comprehensible Arabic translation and began to understand more and more about the Christian faith. Through a German pastor, she came into contact with an Arabic church and was baptised there in 2017
2nd way of changing attitudes: Abdi's story
Abdi wuchs in einer dörflichen Umgebung in Kenia auf, die stark vom Islam geprägt ist und wo Christen als verachtete Minderheit gelten. Als Kind und Jugendlicher hatte er deshalb keine klare Vorstellung über den christlichen Glauben. »Wir kannten nur die eine Seite der Medaille«, erklärt er zu seiner Situation damals. Nach Beendigung der Sekundarstufe zog Abdi nach Nairobi, da seine Schwester schon in der Hauptstadt lebte. Durch sie kam er in Kontakt mit ausländischen Christen. Abdi war gerne mit ihnen zusammen, beim gemeinsamen Fußballspiel, bei Mahlzeiten und den Gesprächen über religiöse Themen. Nach und nach realisierte Abdi, dass die Bibel wertvolle Wahrheiten enthält, und er begann, diesen zu vertrauen.
Abdi had been brought up as a strict Muslim. He was not always enthusiastic about the religious rites, but he liked the communal aspect of Islam. For his own people, the Christian faith did not exist; they saw Christians as lost people. But when Abdi met such people in Nairobi, his attitude towards Christians changed dramatically. The love he experienced from them overwhelmed him. ‘The love that these Christians have for each other and even for members of other religions is what sparked my interest.’ This love made him realise that there was ‘another side to the coin’. For about two years, Abdi was in contact with these Christians, observed their lives and learnt a lot from them about the teachings of the Bible. Then he was ready to decide to follow Jesus Christ himself.
3. Mystical path: Vahid's story
Vahid is an electrical engineer and - like his wife Elham - comes from a wealthy middle-class family in Iran. Belief in God played no role for him. Rather, he had a critical attitude towards Islamic demands. Two and a half weeks after his wedding in 2013, his father died. As a result, Vahid became depressed and afraid of death, and his appetite for life dwindled. He fell into a deep crisis and felt like he was sinking into a swamp. In October 2016, an Iranian friend who lives in the USA visited the couple. She is a Christian. Vahid took her up on her offer to pray for him. During the prayer, Vahid experienced a sudden sense of relief and felt healed afterwards.
This profound emotional experience led to a cognitive examination of the Christian faith. The couple began to read the Bible together and search for information on the Internet. During a visit to France, they attended a Christian church service for the first time in their lives. On their return to Iran in March 2017, they came across a television program on the Christian channel Sat-7. At the end of the program, the speaker encouraged the listeners to entrust their lives to Jesus Christ and turn to him in faith. The couple did this with a prayer. During another visit to Germany in June 2017, they were baptized in a Persian church.
4 The solution-seeking path: Julia's story
Julia grew up in Iran in a liberal, cosmopolitan family. Her father only read the Koran at the request of his devout mother, and stopped reading it after her death. Julia's parents had a happy and rather unusual marriage before the Islamic revolution. Her mother was westernized in her dress and behavior. Julia's father commuted back and forth between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula as part of his work. He had American work colleagues there, some of whom were Christians. He learnt a lot about the Christian faith from them and eventually described himself as a Christian, but without ever officially converting to the Christian faith and being baptized. At home, he told his family a lot about what he had learnt about the Christian faith. Julia grew up with the example of her freedom-loving mother and free-thinking father and adopted their attitude, including their love of the Christian faith.
After graduating, Julia also went to work on the Arabian Peninsula. Three years later, she married out of necessity. Her father was in debt at the time and an acquaintance from Iran offered him a large bride wealth if Julia would marry his son. Julia agreed to the marriage for her father's sake. It soon became apparent that her husband was violent. He began to beat Julia. His family had a very conservative and restrictive attitude towards women's rights and so Julia was forced to wear a veil, even in the presence of her brothers-in-law, although this is actually unusual in Islam. Her husband became more and more suspicious and increasingly harassed his wife. Life became a living hell for her. The children, who had been born in the meantime, were also beaten by their father for the slightest neglect. At the same time, her husband had affairs with other women.
Her husband's religious fanaticism and his violence caused Julia to hate Islam. She began to search for Christian content on the internet. She was particularly fascinated by Jesus‘ miracles, his love for his enemies and his humility, such as the way he washed his disciples’ feet. She longed for an alternative to the narrowness of her life, to the violence and hypocrisy of people who pretended to be pious but behaved completely differently. Gradually, she became convinced that the Christian faith was the right path for her. She went to the family court twice, but only experienced rejection there. So Julia made plans to escape.
The opportunity arose when she visited her sister, who lived in Germany. After some pleading, her husband agreed to a visit. Once in Germany, Julia took the opportunity to go to the police with her children and apply for asylum. Her husband was furious, but as Julia had not told her sister, she was unable to help find Julia. While she was still in the initial reception centre in Heidelberg, Julia sought contact with a Christian church. She was later baptised in an Arabic-speaking church in Stuttgart.
Which paths do you know? Do you know any other ways? What could such paths look like for secular Germans? Why don't you write down different spiritual paths and send them to me via the Contact. Under Training you will find all the information you need to register for a training course
Challenge: Read the following stories and try to find out which one generally describes your ethnic group.
Think generously and be aware that there will be many exceptions.
Non-reader1: The story of Ali and Aigul
Ali used to be a farmer, but now he lives in the city and works as a laborer on a daily basis. He and his wife Aigul have two boys and a girl. Ali never went to school. Until recently, he didn't even get beyond the market, which is a three-hour walk from his farm. He sees writing in the city, but it has no meaning for him unless the color or appearance helps him find his way. Ali entertains his children with funny stories about his everyday work. But as soon as he has finished speaking, the story "disappears". It is gone forever, unless he repeats it. So the children ask him: "Tell it again!" and tell it to their friends the next day. Aigul also listens so that she can tell her neighbor something new over tea. They both use Whatsapp, but only for voice messages. Ali and Aigul learn through stories, anecdotes, proverbs, songs and practical experiences.
Non-reader 2: The story of Baris and Büschra
Baris is a former soldier who now works in the city and runs a small business. He and his wife Büschra have two daughters and one son. Before he joined the army, he went to business school. But when he finished school, he stopped reading. Büschra worked in a sewing shop before she became pregnant. They are both very proud of their older daughter, who is top of her class at school. But they are both secretly ashamed that they can't help her with her homework. At the age of eleven, she already reads and understands what she reads better than her parents, especially if it's a subject they don't know much about. Like some of his friends, Baris buys the newspaper and sits in the teahouse reading it. But he mainly gets news from his friends and forms his opinions by talking to his friends and listening to the radio. Büschra likes to meet with neighbors and relatives. Printed information has little influence on their values or behavior. They both use Whatsapp for short messages. They also both like to watch videos on YouTube. Their lives are based on what they learn through stories, discussions, anecdotes, proverbs, songs, videos and practical experiences.
Non-reader 3 Cem and Canan
Cem and Canan both grew up in the city and both finished school. After leaving school, Cem trained in a commercial profession and then did his military service in a special unit. Canan worked as an employee until the birth of her first child. She wrote Cem a detailed letter every week while he was in the military. And he wrote her a detailed letter in return. Canan likes to read. She mostly reads novels that she borrows from friends or the library. But her favorite entertainment is television and the radio. Canan helps her older daughter with her schoolwork and makes sure that all her homework is done on time. But when Canan or Cem need information for themselves, they don't look it up in the library, even though they are capable of doing so. Instead, they find someone to tell them or show them. Despite their education, they still believe that people are the best source of information. Canan understands a little when someone explains something with the help of sketches, points, lists, tables, diagrams, or steps, but she finds this kind of information difficult to remember and difficult to pass on to other people. Canan prefers oral information to printed information. She learns best and easiest through stories, anecdotes, proverbs, songs, practical experiences and intensive discussions.
Readers: Demir and Deniz
Demir is a 26-year-old university student majoring in mathematics. He hopes to get a job at a teacher training college. He likes to read and buys books on subjects he is interested in, even if they are not needed for his classes. His wife Deniz is like Demir. She also does a lot of research on the computer to learn and acquire knowledge beyond mathematics. They both like to learn new things. Demir also likes it when the text has a lot of pictures. He picked up this preference on the Internet. That's why he groans when he sees textbooks with long chapters, long paragraphs and no illustrations! Both prefer to use outlines, lists, tables, and diagrams to learn new things or share them with others. Both enjoy a good movie.
Based on your understanding of oral and written communication, your group would be categorized as one of these examples:
On my journey of discovery into the world of orality, I was very challenged by the following article from 2002:
SOUTHERN SUDAN (BP)--Eighteen men and women graduated with a certificate from Southwestern B.-Theological Seminary recently, without ever opening a book or writing a single paper.
Deep in the heart of southern Sudan, a Bible school teaches local church leaders without the use of textbooks, notebooks or pencils. The only tools students need are ears for listening, eyes for seeing and a voice for telling. International Mission Board missionaries and a Kenya missionary teach everything orally
"The highest level among the students is grade five," says Tom Ogalo, Kenyan missionary. "Many people in this area cannot read. Reading is also not the way they gather information. Their history is passed down orally from generation to generation. So it just makes sense for us to start doing theological education orally. Educating Christians in a society that does not read is a serious challenge for missionaries. The Southwestern B. Missionary in Fort Worth, Texas, is working with the IMB to find ways to equip oral learners with biblical truths. Many missionaries around the world use the chronological Bible study introduced by New Tribes Mission. This concept teaches by telling Bible stories in chronological order. Each story is repeated several times and each story relates to the next. This method is used for evangelism and discipleship.
"As the good news successfully spread in oral cultures through this method, missionaries were faced with the task and challenge of how to equip these new believers in the churches they planted." Said Grant Lovejoy, professor at the seminary. "We found that many of these oral learners were not qualified to attend local seminaries. Some of them couldn't even benefit from distance learning theological courses because of their oral culture." Says Lovejoy. "The whole approach is designed to equip people whose ways of learning and communicating are oral. The training does not use lectures, notes, textbooks, workbooks or any of the other learning activities normally associated with Western education. The curriculum and methodology of instruction are designed specifically for people who will be living and working in cultures where reading and writing are rarely practiced. The certificate from Southwestern Baptist Seminary helps bring credibility and standards to those who complete the Oral Bible School. Ogalo and IMB missionary Tom Reed learned this traditional method of teaching from the South Sudanese.
After the class has gathered in the courtyard of the largest mud house in the village, the lesson begins with a review of the last lesson. They talk about various aspects of the story, its meaning and its application in everyday life before moving on to the next lesson. Ogalo then tells a story from the letters of St. Paul. "This school requires a lot of memorization." Ogalo explains. "If you tell the story wrong, the students will learn it wrong and they will tell it wrong to their church members." After the story, Ogalo and Reed ask questions and begin a discussion about theology and church leadership. Reed guides the students to answer questions through the richness of the stories they have already learned. Each student has learned more than 200 Bible stories. Students are given oral tests every week and a comprehensive oral exam every three months. They learn evangelism, discipleship, church planting and leadership, counseling and ethical issues in the light of the Bible.
"It's all about repetition. These people have to repeat every single thing, it's not possible for them to read or refresh their memory," Reed explains. "That's why we have a lot of culturally appropriate exercises. In each lesson, students develop a drama and a song to illustrate the biblical truths." Students often do four or five songs per story. People from distant villages walk to the school every Friday night to learn the new songs for the week. While they stay up until the early morning, they sing the new songs and go over old songs as well.
Ogalo smiles as he hears the songs being practiced and notes how much the village has changed in the last three years.
"When we first got here, no one came to this village or even lived here. There was no water," he said. "Now there is a borehole and this is the gathering spot for people. Not just because of the borehole, but because of the seminary. God's Word is spreading and people are embracing the stories."
One student said that when he returns to his village to tell the stories he learns in school, the response is better than ever. "They tell me it is the first time they have understood the Bible and what it means to be a Christian," he said.
Most of the students in the program are pastors in their home villages. The school's guidelines require them to plant new churches. Students tell the stories and lead discussions, they perform a drama and teach new songs and dances. Reed says the response from the villagers has been amazing. "We go so far into the bush that people wear leaves as clothes. It's amazing to see how people respond to the students' sermons and songs. This oral way of preaching is a way of reaching people who are traditionally Bushmen on the African continent. "
www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=13996, published here with permission
Where do migrants in Germany come from? If you look at the statistics, you realize that many of the migrants' countries of origin are classic mission countries, i.e. countries with unreached ethnic groups. Turkey leads the way with roughly 1.5 million people. As a rule of thumb, the same number includes people with German citizenship, but from this country of origin. It is important to note that this rule of thumb only applies to people from countries of origin who have been living in Germany for several decades. This excludes Ukraine. This means that around 3 million people with a Turkish background live in Germany. Syria (900,000), Poland (almost 900,000), Italy (650,000), Afghanistan (380,000), Greece (360,000), Russia (290,000), Kosovo (280,000), Serbia (260,000) and Bosnia (230,000) would also fall into this category of classic mission countries. Note: The figures in brackets only describe the citizenship.
How many of these people can speak German really well? How many of these people read regularly in German? Certainly not the majority. That's why oral stories and appealing videos are a good way to tell the Good News to everyone, including the many migrants in Germany. After all, migrants' countries of origin are often classic mission countries. If you want to know more about how to share the Good News in simple German, click on Training.
Constraints: There is no generally recognized definition for classic mission countries. This is more of a personal assessment. I follow Joshua Project's definition of Unreached. Unreached counts as: Less than 2 % evangelicals.
According to Wikipedia there are around 16.4 million people living in Germany who were not born here. As a reminder, Germany currently has 84 million people. That means that roughly one in five people came to Germany from another country. Incidentally, that is the second highest number in the world. And many of them speak German as a foreign language, sometimes better, sometimes worse. Many will find it difficult to read in German. On the other hand, we Christians have a mission to bring the Good News to all people. That's why I love telling "Bible stories" in simple German. More about this in my training courses at Training.
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