This past few weeks there has (as I understand it) been a special class on understanding Islam. Some of the students became concerned when guest speaker Dr Kim B Gustafson kept saying things that sounded like Allah and God were the same God. They pressed it, involved the faculty, and the good Dr was asked to leave.
This has resulted in some ruffled feathers, as I understand it, and requests to pray for the school. I beg you folks who don't understand why this is done, please take the time to get your head around this issue because it is important. It may not come into focus as fast as you'd like. But it really is an essential issue.
I did about 20 seconds of googling Kim Gustafson's name. Google popped up a suggestion for me right away "kim gustafson common ground" (no quotes). The first hit was this one:
False Prophets Continue to Seek
“Common Ground” About allah
Well hmm... that doesn't sound good.
I followed the links to the original CitizenLink (Focus on the Family) articles:
links to the Christian Response to the original Muslim document: "A Common Word Between Us and You"
And yes, Kim B. Gustafson is listed among the 'prominent' group.
Looking at the other signatories, they list them by 'prominent' people first, then just the ordinary joes below that. Of the prominent people, the only names I recognize are theologically liberal (Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Scot Mcknight, Richard Cizik, David Yonggi Cho, Richard Mouw) to ultraliberal. (Brian Mclaren, Tony Jones, Jim Wallis, Robert Schuller).
As a side note, when something obviously unbiblical like this comes up, it is a GREAT opportunity to look at names of the organizations represented, if you want to see which ones might be dangerously lacking in discernment. I would find it odd if an organization allowed an individual to indicate the organization he/she belonged to, without the organization giving at least tacit approval. It is not 100 percent, but it's something that at the very least should raise your radar and prompt you to do further research if you are involved with that organization.
Back to the main point: there is not one name that I recognize for sound doctrine on that list (no, Rick Warren and Bill Hybels do not teach sound doctrine). No Sproul, Piper, Macarthur. Citizen Link, who was issuing the warnings about this attempt to bridge the unbridgeable between Christians and Muslims, is a magazine put out by Focus on the Family. They made a great call on this one and raised the alarm.
Not even Ergun Caner or his brother Emir, both prominent former Muslims now converted to Christianity, show up on that list. THEY know Allah and God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ are not the same.
If you then go to the ordinary joe list as well, you see lots of UCC and PCUSA pastors, Episcopal pastors, UMC pastors, "spiritual directors" (where is THAT office in the Bible?), at least one CODE PINK organizer...
The interesting thing is look at Malaysia, where they are torching churches over the idea of using Allah as a generic name for our God and their God. Building bridges? I don't think so. Stick with the truth. Respect Muslims by understanding that we don't have common ground with them, even less common ground than Paul had with the Judaizers who he said were preaching a different gospel and counted "accursed."
back to googling for Kim Gustafson:
Skimming down, past other similar results about this "Muslims and Christians together" document, I found a page where Mr Gustafson was mentioned as a member of the faculty.
The Master's institute huh? Well I know that isn't John Macarthur's The Master's Seminary. I remembered that TMI was a Lutheran Renewal (Charismatic, as I recalled) school. Their beliefs statement was rather bare, and I found that they do not emphasize the Holy Spirit working THROUGH THE WORD ALONE.
I found the list of their other faculty members and was alarmed to see Greg Boyd's name listed there. Any school that has Boyd on staff is in trouble theologically. Plus they list two female 'pastors' on their faculty (another woman is not listed as a pastor, but an author). And Dave Householder, whose written reprimand against the ELCA was ... rather wordy and less than forceful. We saw the issues coming in the ELCA in the late 70's early 80's and Householder can't summon a forceful rebuke even in 2009? He has spent far too long in the carbon monoxide polluted ELCA trying to change it, I guess. Sorry, the authority of Scripture by which you might hope to correct a church left the ELCA 20 to 30 years ago.
In addition, TMI offers:
"Holy Spirit led transformation
At MI, we cooperate in this Holy Spirit-led transformation by creating a nurturing atmosphere with a personal mentor for each student and a unique small group experience. Our prayer is that each student will grow in Christian maturity through their mentoring and small group relationships, personal time and examination with the Lord, exploring and practicing spiritual disciplines, Scripture reading, and reading of selected books"
At MI, we cooperate in this Holy Spirit-led transformation by creating a nurturing atmosphere with a personal mentor for each student and a unique small group experience. Our prayer is that each student will grow in Christian maturity through their mentoring and small group relationships, personal time and examination with the Lord, exploring and practicing spiritual disciplines, Scripture reading, and reading of selected books"
How about reading the Bible? These people offer lip-service to the authority of Scripture and yet in practice they deny it because charismatics emphasize the Holy Spirit's work outside of the Word -- and part of this is 'spiritual disciplines' which bring you closer to God somehow. Sorry, there is nothing WE DO that brings us closer to God. Christ has won full access to the throne of Grace for all who believe. "IT IS FINISHED." And there is no sanctification, outside of the ordinary means of reading and understanding Scripture, through which the Holy Spirit works. Rituals and silence and other psychological manipulative techniques (that amount to self-hypnosis) are at best worthless and at worst, spiritually and mentally perilous.
Now how does spiritual formation figure into the Muslim/Christian bridge building aspect?
I have heard testimony from people who used to participate in these "disciplines" and "lectio divina" and in "going into the silence" that it causes you to feel 'at one' with everyone and everything. In essence, it builds a spirit of ecumenicism (specifically a pantheistic or panentheistic ecumenicism). Hmmm!
What I am also concerned about however, is how easily I found this information. It took me all of 20 seconds to have my flag raised, and maybe ten minutes of rather basic searches to finally decide I would not want this guy speaking at my church or Christian organization. So who dropped the ball at AFLBS, just as the ball was dropped when planning the trip to the National Youth Worker's (mystical spiritual formation) Convention?
