On paper, The Gospel for Muslims: An Encouragement to Share Christ with Confidence by Thabiti M. Anyabwile seems like the perfect book for our time. We are seeing more and more Muslims turn to Christ. As our world becomes smaller and smaller, it is much more likely that we as Christians will have the opportunity to proclaim the gospel to Muslims. Though this seems intimidating, this book “instructs you in ways to discuss the good news of Christ with your neighbors and friends. ” As a former Muslim himself, it seems like Anyabwile would be the perfect candidate to write this book. Despite the promising qualities of this book, the numerous issues drag it down.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
What I really liked about this book was the scope. This book was not meant to be a comprehensive apologetics course; it was meant to encourage Christians to share the truths of Christianity. I think Anyabwile did an excellent job staying within this scope and focusing on relationships and confidence as evangelists. This book had a decent balance of Scriptural references, reflections, and practical applications, and I felt like he made some very good points.
That being said, despite this book claiming to be one for Christians, there were some misrepresentations of Christian belief. These ranged from misleading point to outright heresy. Though the content had a good balance, I felt like the organization was a little weak. Sometimes, it felt like he didn’t finish a thought, especially when it came to relaying personal experiences.
As a Catholic, something that was really off to me was his references to Christian unity. He seemed much more focused on the connection to the local church than to the universal Church. Though the local church certainly has its place, a conversation about unity that doesn’t look into the whole body of Christ just falls flat.
I was disappointed I didn’t like this book more. I think it had a lot of potential both in scope and even with some of the content. Unfortunately, the misinformation really discredited what Anyabwile was trying to say.
While there were some decent parts, I cannot recommend this book.
However, if you are interested in reading other books that talk about Islam, I have two recommendations.
The first is Islam by Andrew Bieszad from Catholic Answers’ 20 Answers series. He answers some basic questions about Islam and dissects them from a Christian perspective. You can read my review here.
The second is Stranger No More by Annahita Parsan. It is a memoir of a Muslim woman and her discovery of Jesus through some harrowing experiences. You can read my review here.
