Evangelism and the gospel of peace

by Gordon Nickel

Getting to know people of other faiths gives Christians a chance to see more of the beauty and depth of the gospel. That certainly has been my experience during the past 10 years of encounter with Islam. One of the areas in which my appreciation has grown is in learning what the New Testament writers had in mind when they used the expression "the gospel of peace". As I have worked under the Mennonite Brethren churches to reach out to Muslims with the good news of Jesus Christ, I have been delighted to find the peace teaching of the New Testament a great asset in the proclamation of the gospel.

At the heart of the gospel is a story of peacemaking. Paul writes, "For [Christ] Himself is our peace, who has made [Jew and Gentile] one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility" (Ephesians 2:14). The access to this peace is "through the blood of Christ" (verse 13), "in His flesh" (v.15), "through the cross" (v.16) and "through Him" (v.18). In this and other New Testament texts, the point of reconciliation for people of diverse ethnic backgrounds and religious commitments is the cross of Christ.

This means that whenever we proclaim the gospel, we proclaim peace. It also means that we can't claim to represent the meaning-filled peace of the New Testament when we leave out the person of Jesus. It follows that an essential part of interaction with Muslims, Buddhists, atheists and other non-Christians will be passing on the good news about Jesus Christ. Sometimes the setting itself draws it out of us. The Muslim world, for example, is an environment in which people are continually confessing their faith verbally and publicly. The context thus invites us to confess our faith in Jesus as well. And from the gospel side, says Paul, Christ's love compels us to let people know how they can be reconciled to God through Christ (II Corinthians 5).

The example of Jesus

The behaviour of Christ is a point of attraction for the good news we proclaim. When I began to study the biography of Muhammad at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, I was struck by the contrast between that story, for example in Ibn Ishaq's Sirah, and the story of Jesus as presented in the Gospels. On a purely literary level, it is hard not to notice how the Gospels focus on the death of Christ, while the Sirah focusses on war, raids, intrigue, political manoeuvering, assassinations and conquest.

About the same time, I began to read Kenneth Cragg's Muhammad and the Christian and Jesus and the Muslim, which analyze a watershed moment of decision which faced both Muhammad and Jesus. The moment faced Jesus when the devil tempted Him with "the kingdoms of this world". It faced Muhammad when he had not seen much success as a preacher in Mecca and was offered political power in Medina. Jesus resisted the temptation of a shortcut to accomplishing God's will, while Muhammad accepted it. Cragg traces how these two basic decisions reflect the view of God in the respective faiths.

In a Muslim setting, the words and behaviour of Jesus regarding loving enemies, making peace and not returning evil for evil shine out brightly--and draw attention to the Light of the World Himself.

Following the example of Jesus

The behaviour of Christ is also the standard for our lifestyle among non-Christians. Our lives should radiate the "meekness and gentleness of Christ", as Paul urged in II Corinthians 10. It is interesting to note that this meekness and gentleness accomplish what no physical force can do, and that is to "make captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (v.5). Our lifestyle should imitate the friendliness of Jesus--His easy, natural way of relating to women, children and men. Following Jesus means making good friendships with non-Christians. Communicating our respect to these friends and showing integrity in our relationships are essential parts of good friendships.

In the past, relationships between Christians and Muslims have been spoiled by Muslim conquest, European crusade and colonial expansion, and, more recently, fighting over oil. Today we need a new way to build up trust. With Paul, we will be careful to renounce secret and shameful ways. We will not use deception, nor will we distort the Word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every person's conscience in the sight of God (II Corinthians 4:2).

It's a great experience to see the attraction which the character of Christ has for many Muslims. Cragg bemoans the fact that this is missing from the portrait of Isa (Jesus) in the Qur'an. But he notes how the character of Christ has made it through nevertheless in apocryphal stories and legends. Muslims are not our enemies, but if they should consider themselves to be so, then our duty is to love, forgive, pray for and bless them (Matthew 5:44).

Confessing Jesus freely

Interfaith conversation can sometimes degenerate into a sort of polemic which seeks to win the debate rather than to speak "with gentleness and respect" (I Peter 3:15). But the New Testament directs us to speak of our faith in ways worthy of our message. We will not use insults, tricks or pressure, nor will we try to embarrass our partners in the conversation. Rather, we will listen with patience and sincerity, then confess Jesus simply and clearly.

On the other hand, the way in which Jesus conversed with the most devout and religious people of His day suggests that there is no value in affirming nonsense, nor in being merely silent when falsehoods about God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ are spoken. The gospel we proclaim is not a matter of our own opinion. We have no right to act as if the good news of Jesus is on the same level as myriad other faith statements. It is a message which we receive by grace and pass on "as of first importance".

Making a martyr witness

Today in many Muslim countries, Christians are experiencing persecution in various ways. These include harsh living conditions under Shariah or Islamic law, armed attacks by violent Muslim groups, victimization under blasphemy laws, imprisonment and assassination of Christian leaders, and harassment and killing of converts. We have many firsthand reports of this suffering from Sudan, Iran, Egypt and Pakistan. What response would match the gospel of peace? When opponents of the gospel mistreat the messenger for bearing witness to Christ, or decide to kill the convert, the peace teaching of the New Testament requires a martyr witness. According to Revelation 12:11, the martyr witness of Christians is an essential part of Satan's defeat. Their weapon? "They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."

Here again we are called to follow the example of Christ, who suffered for us without retaliating, thereby bringing us freedom and healing (I Peter 2:21-24). Jesus' suffering and the suffering of His disciples "for doing good" have always been a powerful witness to the love of God.

Of course, the disciple-maker has no right to ask of the convert what she is not herself willing to suffer. But the pattern for first-century converts was clear, as was the experience of the first Anabaptists and, more recently, the Mennonite church in Ethiopia. All these situations recommend an open confession of loyalty to Jesus and a willingness to bear the consequences with patience.

Taking the good news of Jesus Christ into challenging situations is one of the greatest adventures this life has to offer. Missionary life opens the missionary's eyes to the depths of the gospel of peace, and can bring great joy when message and method match. The peace teaching of the New Testament is a tremendous asset for us as we bear witness to Christ in a violent world. Indeed, missionaries of various church backgrounds who encounter Islam, come away from the experience affirming the beauty of peace.

Gordon Nickel is missions instructor at Bethany Bible Institute in Hepburn, Sask. and a consultant with MB Missions/Services. This article was first presented as a paper at the Mennonite Central Committee-sponsored "Peace Theology and Relating to People of Other Faiths" conference in Grantham, Pa. in June, 1994. It was later published in The Conrad Grebel Review.

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