It is heartening to see confessional Lutherans and seminaries engaging the culture at large. We have a doctrinal demand for calling a thing what it is. One topic where we get a lot of misinformation from political leaders and from other denominations is the nature of Islam. This is an important topic. Islam is among the world’s fastest growing religions. There is no separation of church and state. Islamic ideas of marriage and finance differ significantly from Western culture. Penalties for breaking laws include dismemberment and decapitation. This is not something we can look the other way on or permit alongside our culture as a parallel law.

Sayeda Zainab Mosque
Creative Commons License photo credit: madmonk

Concordia Theological Seminary–Fort Wayne is hosting a conference on Saturday: “Christians and the Challenge of Islam.” Rev. Steven Cholak reports:

On Saturday, April 19, a team of internationally recognized scholars and missionaries will converge on the seminary campus for a day-seminar on the theme: Christians and the Challenge of Islam. Formal information sessions will cover a wide array of topics such as the history and theology of Islam, contemporary Islamic movements, and Christian approaches to Muslims. In addition, there will be several opportunities to interact personally with our panel of experts as we all come together to think through the challenge of Islam. You won’t want to miss this unique opportunity.

Seminar Fee: $50 (includes lunch and refreshments).
Students from other colleges and seminaries are offered the discounted price of $25 (lunch not included).

Call 260-452-2241 to register.

I regret that I will be unable to make the conference, but I advise your congregations to send a representative and report back what you learned. We cannot make good decisions without good information.