“reaching islam made simple” review

F

Well, this review is similar to my previous one of Stephen Dickie’s book: “Islam, God’s Forgotten Blessing” F.

This sermon does show refinement in the presentation of the message – that is, it doesn’t talk about the Qur’an as being a book from God, or about Allah being the same god as the Christian God, and in general, the tone is much better. The same error tho, about Islam being “good” and that we are all “God-Brothers” and the troubling scriptural twisting that somehow Ishmael’s line got the blessings of God is present.

Specific things regarding this sermon:
Right up front Stephen Dickie says the most egregious error of the sermon, the “block-buster” which seems to fail to awaken any reaction in the audience. He says near the beginning that after 9/11 he got interested in studying about Islam, and that it took him around 3 months to get up the courage to put what he thot was “satanic” material about Islam on his computer. He chuckles, and then says: “Islam…. is not satanic.” Now, with this blatant error out of the way quickly, and the audience not reacting, he then goes on mostly a true path for the rest of the sermon.

“I will never let a Muslim call me a Christian”. WOW. And no response from the audience, or from us listening today? How can us Seventh-day Adventists be promoting this kind of material with a pure conscience? How will we feel when the eyes of CHRIST are piercing us thru and thru when he gazes at us from that glorious cloudy chariot? “Um, oh, yes, i’m a Christian now?!”

“Tell them (Muslims) that you don’t eat pork in the first 45 seconds.” This seems like very good advice, as it opens a good wedge for the reception of the gospel.

He says when he reads Deut 21:15-17 to a Muslim, he changes the word “hated” to “unloved”, because he got badly verbally beaten up by a Muslim once! He uses these texts to try and prove that Ishmael must have received a double portion, and the right of the first-born is his!!! He says that God gave the land to Abraham’s descendants, and Ishmael’s line got twice as much as the Jews – plus all the oil! He says that they were never “cut off”, so i wonder what his position is on the Jews, who definitely WERE God’s chosen nation for over 1,000 years, until they killed him on the cross.

This fundamental misunderstanding about what is the “firstborn” derails everything that Brother Dickie is trying to produce – a reason why the Muslims are our “elder brother” and that we are all one family. Of course i recognize that they are humans, and we are all made in the image of God, but they are no more in favor with God than the Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, or even Satanists.

The following paragraph is from: lionlamb.net

Abraham received a covenant from God to become the father of many, to establish a special heritage and blessing for the people of God. However, Abraham’s firstborn, Ishmael, did not receive the blessing. Instead, Isaac, the son born through Sarah received the blessing. Isaac’s firstborn son, Esau, did not receive the blessing. Instead, Jacob received the blessing. Jacob’s firstborn son, Reuben, did not receive the blessing. Instead, Joseph received the blessing. Joseph’s firstborn son, Manasses, did not receive the blessing. Instead, Ephraim received the blessing from the hand of Jacob. And still further, when the tribes were numbered, the Levites were declared to be the firstborn of Israel.

That should be super-obvious to any SDA who has read their Bible. And of course, Galatians 4:28-31 should be enough by itself to put this whole matter to rest, and save us all from even considering the strange idea that has Ishmael as being the receiver of the blessing:

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

Steve Wohlberg and a few others have joined up with Stephen Dickie in promoting this new view, as this teaching tries to fit in Muslims with the 5th Trumpet of Revelation 9. Br. Dickie says that Islam was identified as the 5th Trumpet in the 1843 and 1850 charts, but not in chapter 18 of the Great Controversy. (he says he has “good ideas of what happened”) “I’m a historicist” is openly avowed. He uses the early Adventist pioneers’ position on that to support his belief.

He continues later: “Who was the one who persecuted Hagar? It was Sarai (figurative church). It was the SDA of the day that did the persecuting of ____ Islam.” – I don’t believe that.

“I like what your Qur’an says about Jesus”. Not me! It says that he was “no other than a messenger, like those who came before him”!!!

An African pastor who has brought “32,000 souls to Christ and over 80% were Muslim” gives a little talk saying about Muslims that they are our “God-brothers”. Stephen Dickie himself says: “When i talk to Muslims, i say {Look, i’m your younger brother.}” What error!

He continues by mentioning that Hagar and Ishmael were left with the bread of life, and the water of salvation. (?) He even suggests strongly that the Three Wise Men who came to worship baby Jesus were Ishmaelites.

But noticeably, again, there is total suppression of all Bible texts proving that Isaac is the son of promise, the quotes from William Miller and other early Adventist pioneers about the Muslims being “infidels” are all conveniently unmentioned, and the one quote i’ve found from Ellen White referring directly to the Muslims (Mahommedans) is also left out of his talk.

To remedy that, here is a quote from William Miller:

Mahomet promulgated a religion which evidently came from the bottomless pit; for it fostered all the wicked passions of the human heart, such as war, murder, slavery, and lust. (WM)

And an inspired quote from Ellen White in The Home Missionary: 1892-09-01 “Ye Are My Witnesses”:

The Saviour has said, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” He says again, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” Mohammedanism has its converts in many lands, and its advocates deny the divinity of Christ. Shall this faith be propagated, and the advocates of truth fail to manifest intense zeal to overthrow the error, and teach men of the pre-existence of the only Saviour of the world? O how we need men who will search and believe the word of God, who will present Jesus to the world in his divine and human nature, declaring with power and in demonstration of the Spirit, that “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” O how we need believers who will now present Christ in life and character, who will hold him up before the world as the brightness of the Father’s glory, proclaiming that God is love!