The "Insider Movement"

An astounding phenomenon, though not exclusive to ministry to Muslims, is overtaking much missionary work among Muslims.  A growing number of professing Christians involved in witness to Muslims are a part of what is called, “Insider Movements,” or the “Insider Movement.”

This controversial approach to ministry has resulted in many of its proponents to affirm that Muhammad was a prophet from God, the Quran is at least partially-inspired Scripture, and it is possible for Muslims to retain their Muslim identity as “Muslim followers of Christ.”

Such beliefs have resulted in radical practices such as professing Christians and former Muslims legally converting to Islam and the production of “Muslim-idiom translations” of the Bible that do not literally translate such words and phrases as “Son of God,” “Son of Man,” and “Son,” in reference to Jesus and “Father” in reference to God.

What is the Insider Movement?

According to definitions given by several proponents:

An insider movement is any movement to faith in Christ where the gospel flows through pre-existing communities and social networks, and where believing families, as valid expressions of faith in Christ, remain inside their socio-religious communities, retaining their identity as members of that community while living under the lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible.

"You follow Jesus as a Hindu, as a Muslim, as a Buddhist, or as whatever other variety of socio-religious community you might be from."

The Insider Movement for Muslims is any approach in which Muslims are told that they can retain their Muslim identity and have saving faith in Jesus Christ.  The premise is that this will allow such believers to remain “inside” their family and community and be witnesses to them.  If such believers identify themselves as “Christians” it would most likely force them “outside” of their families and communities and cut off their ability to witness to them.  Fouad Accad, a late director of the Bible Society of Lebanon, while not using the phrase “Insider Movement” in his book, Building Bridges: Christianity and Islam, nevertheless strongly advocates for this approach:

If a Muslim could trust Christ without alienating his family and friends, he could become a means within his own community to testify to them. Today there are Muslims trusting Christ in Muslim lands who do not consider that they have become “Christians” (the word has a political connotation to Muslims), but instead see themselves as having become truly Muslim (the word Muslim means “surrendered to God”).

“Muslim-idiom Translations” of the Bible

Another important aspect of the Insider Movement is the rise of “Muslim-idiom translations” of the Bible.  It may be argued that the initial idea for some of these “translations” was unrelated to the Insider Movement, but the two have since come to be closely allied.

These “translations” have appeared in audio, printed, and video versions of the Bible.  The list of languages in which at least any portion of Scripture has incorporated such “muslim-idioms” and/or its guiding principles is growing.  The author is aware of such “translations”, whether in part or in whole, in various dialects of Arabic, as well as in the Baluchi, Bengali, Dari, Indonesian, and Malay languages. Three very controversial aspects of such “idioms” have to do with: 

1. Replacing filial language (i.e. “Father”, “Son of God”, and “Son”)
2. A non-literal translation of “Son of Man” in reference to Jesus Christ
3. The use of Islamic honorifics (using Islamic titles for Jesus and other Biblical people that Muslims regard as “prophets”. This includes using “Master/Mister” prior to the name of Jesus, “the Prophet” prior to proper names like Moses, David, Solomon, etc. and using the phrase, “peace be upon him,” after the names of “prophets”)

The goal of any Bible translation must be faithfulness to the original texts. To “translate” according to an audience’s sensibilities, real or perceived, changes the focus from conveying the Author’s intent to what pleases people – a very slippery slope indeed!

Conclusion

Many individuals within reputed evangelical missions organizations, publications, and programs involving denominations and para-church ministries have been promoting “Insider Movements” as both a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit among Muslims as well as a biblical method of culturally-sensitive or contextualized way of effectively ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Muslims.  In light of the Bible’s teaching, some of the foundational premises of the Insider Movement are seen to be in error. Ultimately, the Bible does not allow for retaining any identity that conflicts with one’s commitment to Jesus Christ. Jesus made it very clear that commitment to Himself takes precedence over all other affections and identities (see Mt. 10:32-39; Lk. 14:25-35). The Insider Movement, regardless of intent, is a syncretistic approach that is biblically untenable. A great missionary to Muslims, Samuel Zwemer, wisely observed, and with which we conclude:

"A passion for Moslem souls does not mean that we are to compromise or to conciliate at any price."

By Khalil Ullah

Originally published in Biblical Missiology
http://biblicalmissiology.org/

Khalil Ullah (pseudonym) first began witnessing to Muslims in North America in 1988. He primarily ministers to Arabic-speaking Muslims and their descendants in the U.S. He has studied Arabic overseas, is involved in church-planting, teaching English, training, and providing printed and digital resources for those interested in evangelizing Muslims and learning more about Islam.