Every year as Christians we may celebrate Christmas and remember Christ’s coming into this world according to the promises made to the fathers in the Old Testament. Christ came, as the angel said, to save us “from our sins” (Matthew 1:23).

That is also why Jesus is called Immanuel, God with us.

Not long ago we had a Muslim phone in to our weekly radio broadcast, “What does the Bible Say?” When asked about certain things, he unequivocally stated that he was not a sinner and did not need a Messiah. There will be no Christmas celebration in the mosque.

Christ and the Mosque⤒🔗

Do Muslims not believe in Christ? They believe that He existed and that He was a great prophet. He never attained the greatness of Muhammad, but certainly was a man with some status. Yet Muslims will insist that He never died for our sins and certainly did not arise from the dead.

Muslims express great distaste at the idea that Jesus is God. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which is central to a proper understanding of the incarnation, is considered by Muslims to be a matter of crass polytheism, which needs to be fully eradicated.

An ever-returning thought in the Koran is that those are condemned who “ascribe partners to Allah.” Muhammad even suggests that if the Trinity really existed, the three persons would long ago have started to fight among each other. The Muslim view is simple: the Trinity cannot be a Unity. The Muslim world reflects the lack of unity.

There is no place for Christ in the mosque. Christians, like Jews, are often considered and presented as “dogs” and “apes.” CNN commentator Glen Beck has concluded that for this reason Christians (and Jews) cannot co-exist with Muslims. “They’re out to kill you; we’ve got to wake up,” he warns. Some also allege that the mosque is a place where death and destruction are proclaimed as the way to the Khalifa, the world-wide dominion of Islam.

Christians and the Mosque←⤒🔗

Because of immigration from Muslim countries, Canadians are more and more being confronted with Muslims as neighbours. While we are celebrating Christmas, any number of Muslims are highly critical of our celebration.

We need to understand that Islam is radical to the core. Muslim extremism is not exceptional but essential. This religion is inherently intolerant. Under Islam there is no place for freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, or freedom to associate. There appears to be no place in and around the mosque for true democracy.

I understand that many Muslims will object vehemently to my analysis of Islam. Still, I do believe that Muslims are victims of a false ideology and many victims are not even aware of the fact that they are being victimized. False religion is very deceptive. All too many Muslim leaders and mullahs use their religion to disguise their hatred of all that is non-Muslim.

Some Christians may also object to my analysis. It’s not politically correct. It’s not biblically sound. It does not give evidence of love and compassion. You say? But if we are to be helpful to our Muslim neighbours, we must first of all be honest with them. Islam means submission and we are to submit first and only to Christ.

Christmas and the Mosque←⤒🔗

Christmas is not only a matter of joyfully receiving the gospel but also a matter of sharing it with others. The reality of Christmas must move us to speak with those who attend the mosque. Do you dare?

From ancient times on, the Christian church has seen the need to focus especially on Muslims and Jews. In the prayer for all the needs of Christendom, we find this petition, “...we pray for mission among Jews, Moslems, and heathen, who live without hope and without Thee in the world...” (Book of Praise, p. 643).

Note that Muslims are without hope and without God in the world. Therefore Muslims need to hear the gospel of God’s saving love and mercy in Jesus Christ and they need to hear it from us. Who else will tell them?

This Christmas, let us particularly remember the plight of Jews and Muslims throughout the world who, like us, have no hope apart from Christ. Let us pray for them. That will encourage us also to speak with them about the love that surpasses all understanding.