Pioneers UK & Ireland Blog

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Part One - Theological Barriers to the Gospel  |  Part Two - The Perception of Christians  |  Part Three - Why Do Muslims Come to Christ?

Why don’t Muslims become Christians? What stumbling blocks and barriers stand in their way?Although every Muslim person will have their own reasons, there are queries and concerns that are common to many from this background. We can consider these to help us to think more intentionally about how we share the gospel, and how we pray for our Muslim friends and neighbours. This last point is crucial, because without the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives, none of these barriers will be broken down.

We rejoice that God is drawing many Muslim people to himself from across the Arab world and beyond. But despite this, there are billions of people who remain unconvinced of the Christian message and reject Jesus’ identity. So why don’t Muslims come to faith in Jesus? What is it that presents a barrier to the gospel? Where are the stumbling blocks? These questions are what this series aims to answer, or at least to begin answering!

In part one, we briefly look at three theological barriers – points where Christian beliefs are so contrasting with the Islamic worldview that it is hard for Muslims to accept them.

Islam’s belief in the corruption of the Bible

Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the perfectly preserved word of God, eternally existing in heaven and given word-for-word to the prophet Muhammad, then recorded and compiled by his early followers. It is held to be unchanged from that time.

The Qur’an mentions previous books given by Allah to humanity, including the Torah, Psalms and Gospel. It even ascribes authority to these books. This is an issue for Muslims, since although there are some similarities, it is clear that the Bible disagrees fundamentally with the Qur’an on key beliefs. In answer to this, it is taught in Islam that the Bible has been corrupted and the true versions lost, and that the Qur’an is, by contrast, perfectly preserved and accurately summarises what was previously taught.

The issue with this objection is that the evidence shows that the Bible is remarkably well preserved. There exists an amazing number of ancient manuscripts, some of which go back to just a few decades after the original texts were written, with complete copies of the Bible from the fourth century. This is hundreds of years before the birth of Muhammad.

Even when minor textual variants are seen between biblical manuscripts, these do not affect key Christian doctrines that Islam rejects. It is clear that the Qur’an’s claim is one from ideology, not evidence.

The divinity of Christ and the Trinity

The most significant contradiction between Islam and Christianity is the identity of Jesus Christ. Even though Jesus is a very highly revered prophet in Islam, the belief that Jesus is divine is rejected in the strongest terms. As in Christianity, idolatry, known as Shirk in Islam, is a severe sin.

These are not easy concepts for someone from a Muslim background to accept, but we can show that these doctrines are found and supported by the Bible. Unpacking the Bible’s support of the incarnation and the Trinity requires us to be good students of Scripture and of doctrine. If we don’t know why we believe what we do, how will we explain it to others?

The cross

Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 1 that the cross seems like foolishness to those that reject its message. For Muslims this is certainly true, as they claim that Jesus never died on the cross, but that it was only made to appear that way. Why is Jesus’ crucifixion a problem for Islam?

Perhaps one answer is that the Islam is concerned about protecting the honour of its prophets; the Qur’an’s depictions of figures of the faith are much more sympathetic than the Bible, often omitting their sins and failures. In a similar way, Jesus’ death is perceived as a disgrace that God would not have allowed to occur. The Qur’an is ambiguous as to how this happened, so Muslims often claim that He was swapped for another person, or that He ‘swooned’ and woke up later. Likewise, Jesus’ death is not seen to have been necessary for the forgiveness of sins.

This claim is an issue in a couple of ways. Firstly, it suggests that God deliberately deceived those witnessing the crucifixion, including the followers of Jesus. The Church was founded then on this supposedly false belief. Another problem is the belief that Jesus’ death was unnecessary. From a Christian perspective, this does not adequately address the severity of sin or the holiness of God. No amount of works would ever be enough to bring salvation, only the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.

For more specific answers to many of these questions, have a look at Answering Common Questions from Muslims.

In this article, we’re looking at common barriers and stumbling blocks that stand in the way of Muslim people coming to faith. Moving on from theological barriers, some of the biggest stumbling blocks for Muslims are not found in Christianity itself, but in the perception of how Christians are said to live. Challenging these perceptions is an important way to remove stumbling blocks.

A lack of reverence for God

Islam has very visible respect for Allah. This is particularly noticeable in the postures used in prayer – bowing and kneeling – and in the frequent use of honorific titles, such as ‘The Most Merciful’ and ‘The Most Compassionate’.

Allah is generally considered to be distant, mysterious and extremely holy. Likewise, physical copies of the Qur’an are treated with a huge amount of respect. In comparison, Christians can seem over-familiar, especially in certain styles of worship or service. Partially this is a theological issue: we believe that God is relational and has chosen to take on our humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. Many Christians also tend to have more emphasis on God’s grace than on strict morality. However, much is also down to the perceived attitudes of Christians rather than what we actually believe.

It is important in our interactions with Muslims that we are deliberate about how we speak about God and to him. We should emphasise that he is holy and our position as adopted children is only through Christ. We should also be mindful of what we communicate in how we handle the Bible. For example, placing it on the floor sends an unhelpful message, even if in reality we have the upmost respect for the words it contains.

Prejudice towards Muslims or Islamic countries

The most important way we can challenge this perception of prejudice is to show genuine love for our Muslim friends and neighbours. We have an important role to challenge society’s false perceptions. Regardless of our personal views on geopolitics, many of the issues surrounding the West’s interactions with Muslim nations are highly complex and should be addressed with sensitivity, grace, and humility.

Immorality of “Christians” and “Christian” nations

A significant stumbling block for Muslims is the perception that Christians are immoral people, reinforced by the actions and media of supposedly Christian nations. The assumption can be that westerners are representative of Christian morality. Additionally, Islam can often be legalistic, which can comparatively make Christians appear to compromise on sin. This is reinforced by the fact that many Christians drink alcohol and eat pork, both forbidden in Islam.

It is important for our Muslim friends to understand the difference between those who are culturally Christian and those who have an active faith. It is likewise important to note that western media is not representative of the morality of Christians. The Bible is uncompromising on sin and though we may not live up to the morality we aspire to, Christians are those who live in the world, but we are not of it.

Final comments

There are many other potential reasons why Muslims are not attracted to Christianity or prevented from taking a step of faith. Sometimes the fear of persecution is a major barrier, or the pressure of friends, family and community. There may be many other factors at play that we are completely unaware of.

When seeking to break down barriers it is a good principle to ask questions, rather than assume we know what our Muslim friends believe. Above all, we must pray that Christ would reveal himself to them and soften hard hearts.

Over the last couple of articles, we’ve considered some of the common barriers and stumbling blocks to the gospel. These can be helpful to think about but it’s also important for us to understand why Muslims come to Christ.

Reasons for hope

In 2007 a report was compiled from Fuller Theological Seminary of 750 believers from a Muslim background from 30 countries which looked at the reasons they had chosen to put their faith in Christ.¹ These were the top five reasons given:

The lifestyle of Christians

The moral example of Christians was a powerful witness to their Muslim friends and colleagues of the work of Christ in them. This should be a challenge to us. Our integrity, honesty, and righteousness (or lack of) will be noted by those around us. May our light shine before them, that they may praise our Father in heaven.

Answered prayer and miracles

Praying in the name of Jesus is powerful. When Muslims witness answered prayers, they see this power at work. Furthermore, it is a common testimony that Jesus appears to Muslims in dreams and visions – often as a man dressed in white. This was even reported by Lilias Trotter (a 19^th century missionary in Algeria and one of our founders) in her diaries. May this prompt us to eagerly pray for Muslims to encounter Christ.

Dissatisfaction with Islam

Whether in a particularly strict form of Islam, an extreme interpretation, or a more moderate version, those from a Muslim background often begin their journey to Christ by being dissatisfied with the type of Islam they had received. It is our joy as Christians to introduce them to a better way.

Spiritual truth in the Bible

Even though the Bible is believed by Muslims to have been corrupted, some come to recognise the truth that it contains. Whether prompted by curiosity, or a desire to read the ‘previous’ books given by God, reading the Bible is a vital step. Let us invite our Muslim friends to read it with us and uncover its truth.

The love of Jesus

Jesus’ actions and teachings can be deeply attractive to those from a Muslim background. Islam has a very high view of Isa al-Masih, seeing him as a very important prophet. So, even when beginning with a distorted presentation of Jesus, Muslims may be drawn to him. May we pray that his true identity as Lord and Saviour will be seen.

Summing up

Throughout this short series, we’ve looked at a range of potential stumbling blocks, barriers, and concerns that may prevent Muslims from coming to Jesus. There are often no easy answers to these, but as this list shows, and as we have seen countless times, none of them are insurmountable. We pray that this introduction may inspire you to share the good news of Christ with the Muslim people in your neighbourhood, or further afield.

For some starting points of how to reach out to Muslims locally, take a look at Reaching Muslims Locally, written by some of our UK mission workers.

¹  See p242ff. How Shall They Hear? by E.M. Hicham, referencing https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/october/42.80.html