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Dr. Matt Bennett unpacks sin, forgiveness and atonement – comparing the Biblical and Quranic views.
In a conversation between Muslims and Christians, the same word can communicate very different ideas.
Those unexplored differences can become obvious in how the afterlife is described. How is the Quran’s Paradise understood in comparison to the Bible’s description of Heaven?
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:6 key questions for Christians to understand a Quranic view compared to the Biblical view, including the meanings of sin and forgivenessHow Quranic concepts may have impacted Arabic-speakers whether or not the community is MuslimHow Christians can offer better explanations and increase understanding when talking about sin and forgiveness with Muslim friends
ABOUT THE GUEST: Dr. Matthew Bennett is an Assistant Professor at Cedarville University in Missions and Theology.
Prior to joining Cedarville, he and his family lived in North Africa for 7 years. Along with ministry experience in a Muslim context, Matthew has over 17 years of experience in intercultural ministry.
Matthew is the author of three books and is anticipating the release of a new book, Hope for American Evangelicals: A Missionary Perspective on Restoring Our Broken House (2023).
His book, The Qur'an and the Christian (2022), offers clear, practical applications for people who have a heart to share the gospel with friends. His academic credentials include:
Ph.D. in Missiology, Southeastern Baptist Theological SeminaryM.Div. in International Church Planting, Southeastern Baptist Theological SeminaryM.A. in Intercultural Studies, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
SCRIPTURE RELATED TO EPISODE:The Book of HebrewsGenesis 1:27 - All Humanity Created in God’s Image Genesis 3:7-9; God walks in Garden of Eden Isaiah 7:14; God with UsIsaiah 9:6; A Child Is BornIsaiah 53:4-6; Substitutionary Death of MessiahLeviticus 16:1-22; Day of Atonement RitualsRevelation 21:1-8; God Dwells with People
RELATED LINKS:Narratives in Conflict: Atonement in Hebrews and the...

Rachel Pieh Jones discusses four common questions about Christmas from Muslims in her community and she offers ways American Christian families can grow closer to Jesus by learning from the global Christian community.
Rachel offers tips for families about how to make new Christmas traditions, all while she sheds light on her family's experiences celebrating Christmas where Christians make up less than 1% of the country, Djibouti.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:Four Questions that Muslims and Other Non-Christians May Have about ChristmasAbout Finding Commonality in What the Quran Says concerning the Birth of JesusTips for Families Creating New Traditions and Celebrating Christmas on the Move, Abroad or at Home
BONUS CONTENT: Episode: #13 Are God and Allah the Same? A Christian Midwesterner’s Reflections on Her Journey in East Africa, in Muslim Majority Countries
ABOUT THE GUEST: Rachel Pieh Jones writes about life at the crossroads of faith and culture. Her work is influenced by living as a foreigner in the Horn of Africa, raising three Third Culture Kids, and adventurous exploration of the natural world. She has written for the New York Times, Runners World, Deadspin, the Big Roundtable, and more. They moved to the Horn of Africa for her husband to work at local universities and help to develop courses and programs. Currently they direct an international school.
Rachel is the author of Pillars: How Muslim Friends Led Me Closer to Jesus.
SCRIPTURE RELATED TO EPISODE:Isaiah 7: 14 and Matthew 1: 23; God is with Us, ImmanuelJohn 3: 9-14, God’s Word Dwell among HumansHebrews 1: 1-3; Jesus Is the Exact Representation of God's Being
LINKS:Rachel Pieh Jones On TwitterPillars: How Muslim Friends Led Me Closer to Jesus
TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:01:02 - Topic: Christians and Muslims Together at Christmastime
02:07 - Family, Faith and Culture
03:13 - Christmastime Trends in Djibouti
04:35 - Church on Christmas Eve
04:58 - Armed Soldiers outside Church Services
06:25 - Personal Christmas Traditions
07:20 - How Do Some Muslims See Christmas and Cultural Symbols
08:47 - Questions that Muslims May Have about Christmas
09:26 - 1. Worshiping Trees?
09:33 - 2. Jesus Dressed Up as a Jolly Man with a White Beard?
10:01 - 3. Why Isn't Jesus' Birth Celebrated Like Other Prophets in the Quran?
11:11 - Why Does Jesus' Birth Matter?
13:34 - Jesus' Birth in the Quran and the Bible
14:50 - Asking Questions and Being Curious about Similarities
15:30 - 4. How Was the Son of God Conceived?
16:31 - For Christian Families in America: Lessons from...

The Power of Proximity Series: Steve Moses shares examples, how to spot symptoms of trauma, how to help Muslim refugees who may be affected by trauma and the critical roles of joy and listening well. He outlines seven keys to begin the process of healing from trauma.
What You’ll Learn:When suffering becomes trauma and who is affected by it?What are the symptoms of trauma?About seven effective steps that are part of the process to heal from trauma
About the Guest: Steve Moses has worked with and lived among Muslims primarily from Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia for 26 years. Over the past 14 years, his focus has been among refugees and immigrants within the United States including being the Director of a refugee resettlement agency. He is a Master Facilitator with the Trauma Healing Institute, Strategic Consultant with Vision 5:9 - Medina Focus, and the Director of Shalom Medics with Blazing Trees.
Links Related to Episode:steve.moses@vision59.comTrauma Healing InstituteBlazing Trees without Boundaries
Timestamped Show Notes:01:45 - Topic: Helping Muslim Refugees Work through Trauma
02:57 - Families and Relationships
04:17 - Specializing in Trauma
05:16 - Possible Symptoms of Trauma, Up Close and Personal
06:36 - Processing Trauma in the United States
09:51 - Defining Trauma
10:34 - When Suffering Turns to Trauma
10:51 - Relational Trauma and Relational Healing
12:38 - Types of Loss and Trauma that Can Affect Refugees
13:03 - Prevalence of Trauma and PTSD among Refugees
15:26 - Complex Trauma
19:25 - Starting the Process to Heal from Trauma
20:00 - 1. Quieting Oneself
20:53 - 2. Not Discounting Your Pain
21:29 - 3. Listening Well
22:15 - 4. Raising Levels of Joy
22:52 - 5. Sharing Stories
23:19 - 6. Incorporating Mind, Emotions and Body
23:30 - 7. Not a Bait and Switch
24:22 - Role of Islam in Trauma Healing
29:22 - Do No Harm
30:36 - Discovering the Root of Trauma
30:54 - Two Good Questions to Start
32:19 - As Christians, How to Treat People
33:48 - Role of Hospitality
34:16 - Removing the Fear Factor
34:41 - Contacting Steve Moses
35:31 - Knock, Knock
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The Power of Proximity Series: Pastor Daouda Zongo discusses the roles of prayer, healing and deliverance in evangelism to communities in metro NYC. He highlights ministry to French-speaking West African immigrants and recommends two initial steps for a church to begin an outreach ministry.
What You’ll Learn:About the role of healing and deliverance in evangelismAbout the role of prayer in Jesus’ NameThe two, initial steps to begin evangelism outreach in church
About the Guest: Pastor Daouda serves as the Senior Pastor of Centre Chretien Eau Vive (Living Water Christian Center), a church that is affiliated with Bethel Gospel Assembly in Harlem, NYC.
This year, the church will celebrate its 13 anniversary. It is a French-speaking congregation primarily composed of African immigrants. The church sits in the heart of “Little Senegal” and is very active evangelizing throughout the NYC metro area.
Pastor Daouda has been walking with the Lord for over 25 years. He is originally from Burkina Faso and was raised in a Muslim home.
Scripture Related to Episode:Matthew 28: 16-20; The Great Commission
John 11: 1-44; Lazarus Commanded to Rise from Grave
Links Related to Episode:Centre Chretien Eau Vive, Harlem, NYCheartformuslims.com
Timestamped Show Notes:02:34 - Growing Up in a Muslim Family
04:37 - Following Jesus, Personal Testimony
05:32 - Vision of Christ
06:25 - How Do the Evangelism Teams Work?
07:38 - Reaching out to West Africans and All People
08:36 - Ministering in French
09:59 - Openness in NYC versus in Africa
10:39 - Senegal, Cote Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Niger and Mali
13:05 - Encouraging Brothers and Sisters from West Africa to Get Involved in Evangelism
13:22 - Praying in the Name of Jesus as a Bridge
15:31 - Role of Healing and Deliverance in Evangelism
16:38 - Main Goal of Evangelism
17:53 - Focusing on God or Focusing on God's Blessing
20:09 - Evangelism as a Lifestyle
21:54 - Cultivating the Mind to Reachout with the Gospel as Commanded
23:26 - Two Steps to Start an Evangelism Outreach at Your Church
24:52 - Connecting with the Church
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The Power of Proximity Series: Laura, a mobilizer in South America unpacks five cultural similarities between Latinos and Middle-Easterners that can be crucial in near-culture missions.
She discusses the difference between understanding a language and understanding a culture and the responses she gets when she talks to churches about bringing the gospel to Muslims.
What You’ll Learn:Five meaningful cultural similarities between Latinos and Middle-EasternersAbout missions trends in Latin AmericaAbout the difference between understanding culture versus understanding language
About the Guest: Laura is originally from Latin America. She went to seminary in NYC where she did her research on Latinos in the Middle East. When traveling to the Middle East she was surprised by how much she felt at home. It’s the cultural similarities between Latinos and Middle Easterners that inspired her research.
Today, she serves as a mobilizer for Latin America, sharing about God’s heart for Asia and the Middle East with local churches. Laura hopes to see more Latinos engaging Middle Easterners most of whom are Muslim.
Scripture Related to Episode: John 3: 16; God's Love for the World
Luke 10: 2; Workers for the Harvest
Matthew 28: 16-20; The Great Commission
Links Related to Episode:heartformuslims.com
Timestamped Show Notes:02:41 - Familiy's Heart for Service
04:41 - Feeling at Home in the Middle-East
05:30 - Five Cultural Similarities between Latinos and Middle-Easterners
05:45 - 1. Hospitality
06:16 - 2. Extended Family
06:48 - 3. Role of Men
07:07 - 4. Religiosity
08:19 - Getting Involved in Ministry to Middle-Easterners
08:51 - God's Heart for the Nations
09:32 - From South America to the Middle-East to NYC
11:15 - Similarities that Middle Easterners Have Noticed with Latinos
12:06 - 5. Similar Orientation to Time - Event Oriented
13:54 - Understanding Culture vs Language
16:43 - Trend: Latinos From Being a Mission Field to Becoming a Missions Force
19:42 - Response from the Pews
21:10 - Where to Start?
23:55 - How to Pray for this Ministry?
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Adam Muhtaseb shares his unique perspective having been raised Muslim, becoming a Christian in his teens and being a pastor and church planter in partnership with his wife. The family moved to Baltimore because they saw the brokenness of this often violent, transient, post-Christian city in America.
What You’ll Learn:How the family of a Muslim background believer may react to a new found faith in ChristHow practicing Islam compares to consumer driven ChristianityThe challenges and opportunities of ministry among a transient population
About the Guest: Adam grew up in a Muslim family, and was a follower of Islam until he was radically converted to faith in Christ as a teenager. Since believing the gospel, he has had a consistent vision for church planting.
After Adam and Sherrie were married in 2013, Adam pursued his Masters of Divinity (M.DIV) degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and graduated first in his class with a 4.0 GPA and was a recipient of the Joe B. Brown Preaching Award.
They have three boys, Aiden, Judah, and Micah. Adam and Sherrie dream of playing a part in a city-wide movement of church plants within the neighborhoods of Baltimore. In his free time, Adam loves playing basketball and spending time with Sherrie and friends on their rooftop deck. He is also an avid reader, especially of Tim Keller books.
Links Related to Episode:Connect with Adam Muhtaseb on Twitter
Redemption City Church
Acts 29
Timestamped Show Notes:01:47 - Topic: Church Planting in an Urban Context
02:46 - Family - In the Thick of It
03:39 - Growing Up in the Mosque
05:01 - Hearing the Gospel for the First Time
05:36 - Family Rift and Reconciliation
07:38 - Please pray for Dad
07:47 - Church Support after Conversion
08:58 - Book of Acts as a Model for Church Planting
08:58 - Church Planting and the Road to Baltimore
10:02 - Ministry and Partenership at Home
11:18 - Mosques versus Consumer Driven Churches
12:48 - Baltimore, a Post-Christian City
13:09 - The Gospel Works
14:59 - What is the Acts 29 Movement?
16:11 - Challanges and Opportunities in Baltimore
17:14 - Ministering among a Transient Community
19:50 - Experiencing Brokeness
20:26 - Vision for Global Church Planting
21:28 - The Gospel is Still Enough
22:25 - Connecting with Adam Muhtaseb
22:49 - Joke: It's Cold
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