Paul Derengowski, ThM
The other day a Muslim by the name of Abu Jaffar attempted to sway me to his way of thinking in a Facebook post about the commonalities between Christianity and Islam.
It all started when I asked him why he was preaching his Islamic message in a forum that was designed for argumentation and debate.
Muslims regularly do this, not in an effort to really argue, debate, or discuss anything, but simply to extend their dawah to those they hope will be convinced of its integrity and veracity.
When I asked him what he thought were the commonalities between Christianity and Islam is when he started to address me as his “brother.”
Let me just say that I only have one brother, his last name is the same as mine, and it is not of Arabic derivation.
Most Arabic names that I am aware do not end in “ski.”
As for all of my Christian brothers (and sisters), I rarely address them as such, nor do they address me in kind.
If I need to address them in a direct, personal way, I usually do it by stating their name or position, such as Scott, Belinda, or Pastor so-and-so.
I recognize them as brothers and sister only because of our spiritual relationship fostered by the regenerative decision made by God the Father who bore us into His family.
Anyone else outside that “born again” experience is not my brother, either relatively or spiritually. It is as simply as that.
So, when I responded to Abu’s rather flimsy effort at producing a short list of commonalities between Christianity and Islam, I told him that I was not his brother and to not address me as such.
That is when the camel dung hit the fan, as Abu became irate and indignant.
How could I possibly not be his brother? What kind of Jesus was I following that would object to such hostility? “F*ck off!”
Yes, he wrote “F*ck off!” and then proceeded to abandon and delete the thread he started.
It was somewhat, although not totally, a surprise; his belligerency getting the best of him.
Other Muslims in the past have done the same, as well as other non-Muslim and non-Christian individuals from groups like the Mormons.
They all love misusing biblical terminology to try to appear either godly or Christian; that is, until the veneer is stripped away with a simple statement or question.
Of course, there will be some Christians naive or stupid enough to let the Muslim get away with the misuse or abuse, and unfortunately for them, it will not be long until the Muslim has that individual bowing toward Mecca at the local mosque.
Nevertheless, the Bible makes it perfectly clear who are brothers and sisters, and it has nothing to do with commonality between them and those outside of Christ.
The Muslims reject the biblical identity of Jesus, who is God incarnate and God’s Son, and what he achieved on the cross to pay the sin debt of humanity and purchase its redemption.
That being the case, the Muslim cannot be my brother any more than I can be a Texas Ranger baseball player just because I put on a Texas Ranger baseball cap.
There is more to the term “brother” in both relative and spiritual senses than merely being created by the same God.
In other words, just because we are created does not mean we are related.
And when the Muslim comes unscrewed and tells me to “F*ck off!” because I reject his abuse of the term, then that is pretty clear evidence that his father and mine are not the same, nor are our spiritual siblings.
