He is very sharp and a real piece of work. He is fairly knowledgable of Islam and has made a quick study of Christianity. After 4-5 weeks of attending nearly every one of our meetings he began saying, “Jesus is Lord.” I had a long and painful conversation with him one Sunday night. He would have “prayed a prayer” that night had I encouraged him to. He said, “I am willing to accept that Jesus is God’s Son and that for you, He is a Savior and God. I am willing to say that He is Lord.” But as we talked further, it became apparent that his thinking was more syncretistic than enlightened by the Word of God. As lights began to go off in his mind, he started asking questions of me:
“So, you say if I do not trust Jesus and become His follower, I will not go to paradise?”
“Yes.”
“You are saying, then, that Jesus is the only way to God?”
“Yes.”
“I know that, for you Jesus is God, but not for me because I am Muslim.”
“Jesus is the true God for every person, regardless of ethnicity, religious background or nationality.”
“But Christianity is for Americans. Islam is for Tajiks. Are you saying that I must become a Christian in order for God to take me into paradise?”
“Yes.”
“I think Christianity is a true relgion. I have respect for it. Do you think Islam is a true religion?”
“I have respect for many things in Islam–its belief that there is only one God and that He is great, for instance. But I do not believe that Islam will lead you to the true God.”
“So you think Islam is a false religion?”
“Yes.”
“Then what do you think of the Prophet Mohommed?”
“I do not believe that he is a true prophet.”
“You call him a false prophet?”
“Yes.”
“Your words are disastrous. They are war! All Muslims will hate you for this. I can never come back to your church. You have disrespected me today. The cup is broken. It cannot be repaired.”