Why are people converting to Islam? The answer may surprise you.
By Dr. Carl Ellis
The following is adapted from an interview with Dr. Carl Ellis on Crescent Project's Podcast (Listen to Part 1 of the Interview).
Carl is a theologian and minister with a deep passion for Black converts to Islam and those in groups like the Nation of Islam. Dr. Ellis has decades of experience discipling “the unchurchables” – those who wouldn’t normally set foot in a traditional Christian church.
What draws people to the Nation of Islam or to orthodox Islam? In my experience, I’ve found three reasons why people convert:
Attraction to the standards within the teaching, and the content of the doctrine and theology – in other words, being drawn to the propositional substance of a religion.
A specific situation the convert finds themself in. When I was involved in prison ministry, I knew a number of guys who converted to Islam because Muslims were the only ones who stuck together and defended each other. They'd rather be in the Islamic group than to be subject to molestation. Or perhaps a tornado had hit the convert’s house, and Muslims came along and helped them. It could be any number of circumstances, but the common thread is that a specific situation drove the conversion.
The goals and desires of the convert. I’ve asked many Muslims how they came to Islam, and it’s common for them to say, “Because I want to be righteous.” (To which I’ll respond, “That's a great goal! I feel the same way. Jesus said, ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.’”)
When I’m interacting with Muslims, I try to find out where they are in terms of this “triad of reasons” – was it doctrinal, circumstantial, or a personal goal? And in order to find that out, I ask them to tell me their story – to tell me how they came to be a Muslim.
In my experience talking with Muslims, 99% of conversions were because of a situation they were in, or because of some personal goal, or both. Very seldom was it because of the theology or the doctrine of Islam.
“In my experience, very seldom do people convert to Islam because of theology or doctrine.”
When Christians interact with people from other worldviews, they are often taught how to refute doctrine. But a focus on doctrine usually misses the mark.
Let’s say that I became a Muslim because I really wanted to be righteous, and somebody comes along and starts shooting down my doctrine. I'm going to take it as if they're attacking my motivation – my desire to be a more righteous person. This creates defensiveness and shuts down spiritual conversations, rather than opening them. There is a better way.
Here are four things to keep in mind when interacting with converts to Islam – or anyone drawn to a false worldview.
1. You have more in common with Muslims than you think. Find that common ground.
As Muslims share their story, I'm listening for their reasons. I'm also listening for their core concerns, their life-controlling and life-defining values and issues. And as I hear them come up, I make a mental note of them.
After listening closely, I respond. I try to share how the Bible addresses their concerns and motivations. When they have a motivation that is biblical, such as the desire to be righteous, that becomes a point of connection. I’ll say, “That's great! That's a beautiful thing; I want to be righteous too. That's what I long for in my heart.”
Now we're connecting; the desire to be righteous is something we share. And then we begin to exchange notes. We’ll discuss things we've learned about our desire to be righteous, which creates a wide-open conversation. It allows me to say, “Here's what I found about righteousness, and this is what Jesus says about it.”
If you can articulate the other person’s views, and if you have something to share, such as a common motivation, it dramatically lowers the barriers between you and your Muslim (or Hindu, or Atheist) friend.
2. Remember your friend doesn’t need a “knocked down” conversion experience.
We need to listen carefully and find connection with our Muslim friends. We also need to avoid putting too much emphasis on the conversion experience. Let me unpack what I mean by that.
Saul, of course, had a conversion experience on the road to Damascus. He's on his way, he gets knocked down, and the Lord confronts him. Paul, if he had an iPhone, could type in a note on his calendar: “I met Jesus today.” That’s Paul’s experience.
On the other hand, if you asked Timothy, “How did you come to Christ?”, he wouldn’t have the same dramatic point-in-time conversion story. His conversion was progressive, because he was raised in the spiritual nurture and discipline of the Lord by his grandmother.
So what’s the point? We shouldn’t be holding out for a particular conversion experience. Instead, we should be looking for faith: does the person really believe in Jesus? Have they yielded themselves to Jesus as Lord and Savior?
“We shouldn’t be holding out for a particular conversion experience. We should be looking for faith.”
Christians often put an emphasis on a conversion experience, rather than on discipleship. The Bible puts the emphasis on discipleship. As a matter of fact, when Jesus gave us the great commission, he said, “make disciples of all people.” We can't make converts. Only God can do that; and God can convert somebody gradually, or in a dramatic moment. I’ll take either one, as long as there is faith!
My approach to Muslims, or anybody else, is that of discipleship. I try to discover their level of spiritual maturity, and then teach them the principles of the kingdom of God, from the simplest to the more complex. I always start with where they are, and then I move up from there. That's what Jesus did with his disciples.
We think of discipleship as something that starts after somebody gets saved. No, discipleship starts when you encounter the person; you disciple them to the faith, and then you disciple them in the faith.
3. Let Samson (and God’s Word) do the heavy lifting.
When I ask a disciple to tell me their stories, I have a database of biblical stories in my head. They’ll tell me about something going on in their life, and I’ll say, for example, “You remind me of Samson.” Then I paraphrase the story of Samson using their own language: “Samson had this thing for women across the tracks. And one day he got angry, he did some urban vandalism, then he did some rural vandalism…” and I’ll go on paraphrasing the account.
“I introduce them to the Bible, but I’m not putting pressure on them to convert.”
They’ll often respond, “Wait, where is that story?” And I’ll show them in the Bible. Now they're reading the Bible and they’re saying, “Wow. That is like me!” They're connecting with the scripture, the Word of God. And of course, once they start doing that, you’ve created a “slippery slope” into further exploration!
I introduce them to the Bible, but I’m not putting pressure on them to convert. I really can't do that anyway. The Word of God does all that. We should let the Word of God do the heavy lifting!
4. Don’t rush. You’re not on the clock.
Finally, don’t be in a hurry. I used to believe that God had a stopwatch in his hand. When it got to zero, he would call out, “Okay, Gabriel, come on and blow your horn. Time’s up.” But that’s not how it works. God is not subject to time, time is subject to him.
All we can do is serve God and serve these folks, and let the Word of God do the heavy lifting. All we can do is disciple. Of course we’re concerned about them coming to Christ. We should be. But we’re not the ones who make that happen. God is the one who brings transformation to the lives of our friends, and he does it in his time.
This article is from Part 2 of Dr. Ellis’ interview on Crescent Project Radio.