Ten years ago, Biblical Missiology led a petition asking Wycliffe Bible Translators, SIL International, and Frontiers...
Insider Movement Articles
The phenomena of Muslim “Insider Movements” is becoming increasingly popular in missions methodology. The movement encourages converts to maintain their socio-religious identity and community while still following Jesus. Especially popular among missions to Muslims, the movement has also spawned a growing number of “Muslim Idiom Translations.” The following articles are designed to discuss this growing trend in light of a biblical view of missions.
HeGetsUs.com Strikes Out in Its Baseball Messaging
If you are wondering what connection baseball has to do with this website, I am sure that you are not alone. On July...
Should Christians Use the Quranic Name of Jesus in Arabic Bible Translations?
This response article originally appeared on the website of the Jenkins Center for the Christian Understanding...
Christ in the Scripture of Islam: Remnantal Revelation or Irredeemable Imposter? (Part 1 of 2)
By Matthew Bennett The Qur'an endorses and reveres Jesus, providing Christian missionaries with communicative traction...
More Articles
Preparatio Evangelica: What Is It and Does It Help Us?
by C.J. Moore “God is at work around you. Will you join him?” This was the central,...
Insider Movements Defined … Biblically
Insider Movement (IM) advocates arrive at their conviction by a variety of different ways. For example, the behavioral sciences are viewed as furnishing a hermeneutical key that unlocks both the Bible and the door into other religions. Other advocates of IM are bare...
When C4 is not Biblical in Many Respects
On April 30, 2011, I received an e-mail asking me about my conviction that C4 alters the Gospel message. Generally, C4 (so-called in the C1-C6 Spectrum) has been the boundary that many evangelicals feel is as accommodating to Islamic theology and culture as one should...
Why You Cannot Follow Jesus as a Muslim
What do you make of Muslims for Jesus? I’m not talking about Muslims who turn from submission to an unknowable God and the duties imposed by Muhammad to embrace the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m talking about people who for all intents and purposes continue to...
The “Insider Movement”: A Brief Overview and Analysis
Note: Originally published in 2011 on Biblical Missiology, this article offers an excellent overview of the Insider Movement and a biblical response. Introduction An astounding phenomenon, though not exclusive to ministry to Muslims, is overtaking much missionary work...
Muslim Insider Ecclesiology Part 3
Does Insider Movement Contextualization Produce Biblically Faithful Churches or a Mere Mosquerade? Read part 1 here and part 2 here. 3. The Church: A Pillar and Buttress of the Truth As stated above, for an evangelical who is unwilling to pit the teachings...
Muslim Insider Ecclesiology Part 2
Does Insider Movement Contextualization Produce Biblically Faithful Churches or a Mere Mosquerade? Read part 1 here. 1. History of IM Discussion The contextualization discussion surrounding what has come to be known as Insider Movement strategy has a...
Muslim Insider Ecclesiology Part 1
Does Insider Movement Contextualization Produce Biblically Faithful Churches or a Mere Mosquerade? In 2013, my family and I were living in Alexandria, Egypt, along with a small team of expats. We had been in North Africa and the Middle East for two years and had...
FAQ on Insider Movements
This FAQ deals with a missionary methodology popular in the evangelical world called “insider movements.” It is also known as C5 contextualization among other terms. This response to it was compiled by national church leaders, including those from Muslim backgrounds...
Henry Martyn on Islam and the Divinity of Christ
Next to David Brainerd's Life and Letters, Henry Martyn's missionary zeal and legacy as a pioneer missionary and translator as captured in The Life and Letters of Henry Martyn (John Sargent) has become a classic in the modern missions movement. Martyn served in India...
What’s Inside the Insider Movement, Pt. 4 of 4
We will begin this final article with a review. So far we have looked briefly at six of ten characteristics of the Insider Movement methodology promoted among some missions groups today. This movement exists with intent to reach Muslims and other unreached people...
What’s Inside the Insider Movement, Pt. 3 of 4
In this series' study of the Insider Movement (IM), I highlight ten characteristics of this methodological missions movement. Insider methodology is focused on being an effective way to reach Muslims with the good news of Jesus. However, the problems with the movement...
What’s Inside the Insider Movement, Pt. 2 of 4
In the first installment in this series on the Insider Movement (IM), I discussed the definitions of terms (Insider and Contextualization) used to help describe what the Insider Movement is about. In this article we will look at the first three of ten characteristics...
What’s Inside the Insider Movement, Pt. 1 of 4
In this series of articles we will look at a methodological approach being used in some areas of the world to reach Muslims and other unreached people groups with the good news of Christ. In missions circles, this methodology is commonly referred to as the “Insider...
THE ADAM SIMNOWITZ CASE: ABOUT HARMING THE DEBATE
Introduction In September 2016, the Rev. Adam Simnowitz was banned from attending the Evangelical Missiological Society (EMS) annual conference in Dallas, TX. The reason given by Dr. Priest who was the president of EMS was that Simnowitz had violated widely shared...
30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World, 2016 edition: Assuming Insider Movements for Muslims to Be True
Since its start in 1993, the annual, 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World prayer guide by WorldChristian.com has grown to play a significant role in the lives of many evangelicals. Written to coincide with the Islamic month of Ramadan, the 30 Days prayer guide has...
Our Missionaries Teach That Muhammad Is a Prophet?
By Mike Tisdell While not well known to most Evangelical Christians, the idea that one can come to true saving faith in God while remaining in religious systems like Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc...is rapidly becoming mainstream among the western missionaries we are...
Book Review: “Understanding Insider Movements: Disciples of Jesus Within Diverse Religious Communities”
In Search of Sahih (Authentic) Insider Movements, A Review of "Understanding Insider Movements: Disciples of Jesus Within Diverse Religious Communities", John Travis and Harley Talman, editors. ISBN: 9780878080410...
Part IV: A Response to Some of the Insider-Movement Leaning Articles in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th ed. Textbook
A Response to Some of the Insider-Movement Leaning Articles in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th ed. Textbook Part IV of IV Part I Introduction Some Background on 20th Century Cultural Anthropology and Contextualization Charles Kraft’s Notion of...
Part III: A Response to Some of the Insider-Movement Leaning Articles in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th ed. Textbook
A Response to Some of the Insider-Movement Leaning Articles in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th ed. Textbook Part III of IV Part I Introduction Some Background on 20th Century Cultural Anthropology and Contextualization Charles Kraft’s Notion of...