What we need is total conversion. Muslims who see the real differences between Christian scriptures (especially those about Christ) and the Quran will have a better chance at believing, especially if bolstered by our personal testimony about what Christ has done for us.

We should never soft-pedal Jesus; we should always testify to who He really is. He is the Jewish Messiah, Emmanuel ("God with us'), the Only Begotten Son, the only Savior, the King of kings and Lord of lords to whom "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess." (Romans 14:11) Hearing the full truth of Christ (transfigured, crucified, resurrected, and ascended to the right hand of God) will cause them either to believe or to become even more hostile. That is always what happens when the full Gospel is preached.

What should a loving person do if they see people running straight for the abyss, like lemmings toward the cliff? Be tolerant of their right to go to hell and talk nice about Mohammed? If we are lovingly straight-forward about Jesus Christ, what is the worst that can happen? Like Stephen, we may go to heaven earlier, and be forever in the Martyr's Club. Christians are to be courageous in our witness and "anxious for nothing." Radical Islam supports their version of martyrdom if one of their adherents suicides in order to kill "infidels" (which means anyone who does not accept Islam). Christianity is not into killing, but it does support spreading the Gospel of Christ even if it results in our own death.

We are called Christians for a good reason. We are not Deists or Theists or Pantheists or Yahwehists, or Spiritualists (even though we believe in the Trinity). Not only is Christianity all about Jesus Christ, everything is about Jesus Christ. Hear Paul's testimony: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." (Colossians 1:15-20, see also the prologue to the gospel of John)

The identity of Jesus is problematic to Muslims because the scriptures reveal no higher authority on earth and most certainly no higher human authority. They are offended when we quote Jesus: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14: 6) Or, "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:1-3)

We also have the testimony of God speaking at Jesus' baptism and at the Transfiguration, not to mention some of the last words of Jesus following His resurrection: 16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28: 16-20)

Mohammed could not have been a true prophet because he did not glorify Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Lord. He could not have had the Holy Spirit (which is what makes a person a prophet) because, as Jesus taught, "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me." (John 15:26) It is through the Apostles and today through the Church that the Spirit testifies about Jesus Christ. But Islam elevates Mohammed and his view of God (as Allah) to the highest place. It glorifies the writings of Mohammed rather than Jesus Christ and His words.

As Jesus taught, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. (Matt 6:24, see also Luke 16:13) You must choose. One Master claims to be the Son of God, claims that knowledge of Him leads to eternal life. The other....well, he just wants his followers to take over the world, by force if necessary. Which message is from the one true God and which is from the devil?

Bottom line: God loves Muslims and does not want them going to hell. But they need to hear the unvarnished truth. No equivocating with Muslims, please.

----Dr. Atkinson is a member of Trinity Anglican Church in Douglasville, GA, where he is a teacher and lector. His training includes a PhD in clinical psychology and an MA in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is a licensed psychologist with a practice in the Atlanta area and is a clinical supervisor with Richmont Graduate University, training Christian counselors.