Every time I think I’ve heard it all, along comes information that makes me want to jump into bed, cover my head and wait for Jesus to get me outta here! Dear Reader, allow me to share an insidious, blasphemous form of political correctness masquerading as Christian missions. Ready? It’s called, Chrislam. This teaching is being taken by “Christian missionaries” to Muslim countries and is, basically, a mixture of Christianity and Islam. It is another form of Islam and is a perversion of the gospel of Christ. Stop laughing! I’m completely serious!
The long admired and respected Wycliffe Bible Translators, along with the Summer Institute of Linguistics and Frontiers, are producing Bibles that remove or modify terms they’ve decided are offensive to Muslims, thus creating a Muslim-friendly Bible. Let me say it again. A Muslim-friendly Bible. This entails removing any references to God as “Father.” Jesus as “Son” or the “Son of God.” After all, we wouldn’t want to upset or confuse the little darlings!
God is called “Allah” and Jesus, instead of being the “Son of God” is now the “Messiah of God” which is consistent with the Koran’s Isa al-Masih (Jesus the Messiah), which only refers to the human dimension of Jesus. These organizations are insistent that replacing such terms as “Father” with “Lord” or “Master” best conveys the inspired meaning of the text. Whose inspiration are they relying on? Lucifer’s?
The indigenous believers and pastors strongly disagree with and reject the introduction of these translations into their congregations because it gives fuel to the common Muslim belief that Christians are liars who change their Bibles to deceive Muslims, thus undermining trust in the Christian community. Turkish pastor, Fikret Bocek, states these new translations are, “an all-American idea with absolutely no respect for the sacredness of Scripture, or even the growing Turkish church.”
This disgusting methodology of biblical translation is born from a postmodern literary view. Wikipedia defines postmodernism as ideology that, “Fundamentally seeks to challenge the traditional practices and intellectual pillars of Western civilization. It says many, if not all, apparent realities are only social constructs and are, therefore, subject to change.”
Ah, the groovy decade of the 1960s with its hippies and acid trips, rears its ugly head and is now infesting the Holy Word of God. The brilliant idea of Muslim-friendly Bibles was conceived by a New Age type of world evangelism called the Insider Movement.
The Insider Movement is defined as “popular movements to Christ that bypass both formal and explicit expression of Christian religion.” Huh? They stay outside of Christianity and within the original faith system of the convert.
According to a 2006 article, “ Movements: An Evangelical Assessment” by Basil Grafas, “Some insiders, like the Emergent Church movement and Openness Theism try to insinuate that received church doctrines such as the Trinity along with creeds and confessions are the corrupt seed of biblical Hebrew faith mixing with Greek philosophy. It is a poisonous cocktail consisting of bad theology mixed with bad history. It is a denial of the standards for faith and life laid down by the Bible, the essence of which contradicts every other faith system.”
A proponent of “Messianic Muslims” (pardon me while I gag!), John Travis, states that these are Christ-centered communities who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. The converts remain legally and socially within the Islamic community and aspects of Islam that are incompatible with the Bible are rejected or, if possible, reinterpreted.
Believers can remain active in the mosque and they can call themselves Muslim without admitting any relationship with Christ. They perform the salat, though the prayer’s content may change. They affirm the shahada (Muslim creed), which emphasizes Mohammed as the prophet and may go on the ritual pilgrimage to Mecca. They also continue to consult the Koran. Sounds like trying to mix oil and water to me.
Insiders justify their heretical views by quoting 1 Corinthians 7:20, which says, “Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.” To them, this means new converts need to stay within their community’s religious and social situation and not separate themselves out as Christians. Of course, this verse is taken out of context because it is speaking of domestic circumstances but, hey, it sounds good and kind of fits, right?
They also conveniently ignore the bazillion commands in the Word to shun idol worship. Their argument that Islam does not worship idols is completely lame and untrue. Islam does not worship the triune God and denies the deity of Jesus. They worship the moon god, Allah and praying the salat is a binding act of loyal, exclusive worship of this god.
For them to term themselves a Muslim Christian or Messianic Muslim is a laughable oxymoron. Islam is an anti-Christian religion and life view. Can’t have it both ways folks, no matter how pretty and inoffensive it might sound!
Supporters of the Insiders claim this method of sharing the gospel is bearing great fruit but one former Insider who defected, reports the claims of converts are greatly exaggerated so the wealthy American missionary organizations will continue giving funds. Many of these ‘converts’ are, in reality, Muslims who will say and do whatever it takes to feed their families with the money they are offered by pro Insider Movement ministries. How can the Insiders talk about them in terms of missionary success??
I’m all for evangelizing the Muslim world. Heaven knows they walk in darkness and are fantastically deceived, being convinced that the way to the God they sincerely seek is through the demonically inspired “revelations” of a murdering, thieving, child molesting, gold digging fool; revelations which can never be corroborated because there were no witnesses to the visitations Mohammed supposedly received. Unless they are shown the truth of the gospel, they are lost forever. How can these Insiders not know they are actually contributing to the deceit and eventual death of these people?
Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. was founded in 1942 by William Townsend, a missionary to the Cakehiquel Indians in Guatemala. The Indians he ministered to, “expressed concern and surprise that God did not speak their language.” Townsend decided then and there that his mission in life was to make sure every person would be able to read God’s Word in their own language, a wonderful goal, to be sure.
Their core values state, “Regarding the translation of the familial titles of God, we affirm fidelity in Scripture translations using terms that accurately express the familial relationship by which God has chosen to describe Himself as Father in relationship to the Son in the original languages.” Uh…did they change their mind or just lose it?
Charles Haddon Spurgeon of England is thought to be one of the greatest preachers of modern times. In his September 1888 publication of “The Sword and the Trowel” he warned against those would want to alter and pervert the Word of God. He said that, “Every motive that could move men to alter the Word of God has been fully delineated in various portions of the Bible. It shows that God was aware from the first, of the reception that would be given to His truth…”
He preached that the desire to alter the Word of God was human, dangerous, sinful, weak, pharisaic, and accursed. “Thus all down the ages God has warned men against this crime. He is a jealous God, and has determined to visit with the direst punishment, all who dare to alter His completed and full revelation.”
In Galatians 1: 8-9, Paul emphatically warns, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, [hear that Mohammad?] preach ANY other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Could this be any clearer?
God has no problem getting things correct the first time, so there has never been a need to add to or take away from his Word. No need for some other “prophet” to come along and claim to be the newest update and the last word on what God meant for man to know. Sorry, Mormons, you’re outta luck with that baloney too.
In 2011, Forbes magazine named Orlando based Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. the third most well funded religious charity based on private support in the USA. In response to these errant translations, many within the evangelical missions as well as many former Muslim converts and native Christians from countries where these ‘translations’ are being used are outraged.
After numerous appeals have been rejected, a petition has been launched to call for the end of distribution of these misleading and heretical works. You can sign the petition at http://www.change.org/petitions/lost-in-translation-keep-father-son-in-the-bible. Please let your voice be heard! Perhaps it’s time Wycliffe lost its funding!
These satanically inspired “Bibles” are leading those who are hungry for God straight to hell with the help of the Emergent Church and the Insider Movement. They and their teachings belong exactly where all other movements belong…right in the toilet!