Palestinian Christian to speak on Islam

Western Christians cannot comprehend the tension in the Middle East because they don't understand Muslim theology or history, says a Palestinian-born pastor.

The Rev. Nabil Nour was born in Nazareth, Israel, and now lives in Armour, S.D. He is spending two weeks at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis to complete his doctorate, and will speak from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. The meeting is part of an area Lutheran convocation. The public is invited to attend.

Nour is friends with St. Andrew's pastor, the Rev. Paul Short. The two met at a conference several years ago, and Short and his wife became Nour's guests on a tour of Israel.

Short expects a large crowd because of the meeting's topic, and the timeliness since the events of Sept. 11. The terrorist attacks and the increasing violence in Israel are likely to be addressed during Nour's talk.

His meeting will begin with a presentation about Muslims, who they are and the history of Islam. He will then take a 45-minute break to answer questions from the audience before concluding with a presentation about how to evangelize Muslims.

Short said Muslims should be respected as fellow citizens of this country and not shown prejudice because of their nationality or beliefs, but "a concern Nabil has is that people just assume that we are worshipping the same God but with different names."

Explaining tension

Muslims and Christians have very different theologies, Nour said, and those differences must be addressed. Nour said he is often asked why there is such great tension in the Middle East and why there is such hatred between Muslims and Americans.

People want to know "why they would want to destroy this country, and how do we as Christians reach out in the loving arms of Christ to the Muslims."

But to understand the temperament of the Middle East, and the Arab community, Westerners must understand the theology of the Old Testament, Nour said. The conflict today began because of a movement to seek "the promised land."

At the heart of the matter is a broken promise, or covenant. Palestinians and Arabs were living in harmony for the most part until the Zionist movement of the early 1900s began.

The aim to begin a Jewish homeland, and the establishment of Israel, displaced hundreds of Arabs who lost their land in the West Bank territory. "We are seeing the second generations of hatred to Zionism," Nour said.

No guarantees

Muslims don't believe in a guarantee for salvation, unless it is willed by God, or Allah. And one of the ways to guarantee salvation is through martyrdom.

"They are seeking hope in a false God," Nour said. "We need to convey the message of God's grace to them."

But Westerners must understand the history before they can befriend Muslims in their community, he said.

Since coming to the United States at age 16, Nour has found a life in Jesus Christ. Though he swam in the Sea of Galilee and was born in Nazareth, he said he didn't have a personal relationship with God until he left Israel.

Christians must remember that Muslims are not any better or worse than they.

"We are just as much a sinner saved by grace," he said.

The best way to begin to evangelize among the Muslim community is to befriend them and stop thinking of them as enemies "but as people whom Christ died for." Offer them hospitality, he said. "Show them that you really care."

Nour continues to return to Israel, though he hasn't been able to get home recently because of the violence. His parents and other relatives still live in Haifa, Israel, which is about 20 miles south of Nazareth.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

573-335-6611, extension 126