Practical Evangelism
Current Events Guide: July 2023
We realize that it is not possible for us Christians to prepare for every conversation we may have with our Muslim friends. But we want this month’s guide to give you a sense of confidence that if these hot topics come up, you have enough knowledge and insight to direct the conversation into talking about Christ.
Recently in the United States, one of the biggest concerns for millions of Americans has been the low air quality caused by smoke from Canada’s fires being blown south. Also, in Illinois, the state passed a law about halal food being served in schools for Muslim children.
Unsafe Air Quality
Most states in the northeastern parts of the United States have been plagued by unsafe air quality conditions for the past month. Healthcare officials have been telling people to stay indoors, limit trips, and especially limit exercising outside because increased breathing rate can expose a person's lungs to more smoke. (World Watch News)
How Christians should respond:
Many people are using this time to blame this on a climate crisis, which politicizes the issue. We want to focus on how to talk about this issue without getting into a political debate with our Muslim friend. How?
Focus on talking about God’s sovereignty over everything– not to say that God is causing this, but to show your trust in God when things can be hard or stressful. If your Muslim friend tries to say that you are blaming God for the natural disaster, then you can explain that the world is broken because of sin, and this includes nature. This opens up a door to talk about Jesus coming to restore our relationship with God and that one day the natural world will be restored too!
You can share what Romans 8:20-22 says:
“For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”
This verse describes the way human sin has broken creation, and humanity sinned because God gave us free will. You can talk about how God gave us free will so we can choose to love Him instead of having a relationship with Him because we are forced to. Then, go into detail about the relationship you have with Christ!
Religiously inclusive school menus
In Illinois, a Muslim student spoke up about their inability to eat the free school lunches with their classmates because they were not halal-friendly. Halal is a special diet that Muslims are supposed to adhere to in order to please Allah; learn more about it here. This led to Illinois passing a law requiring public schools to offer halal and kosher meal options for their students. It will not be surprising if more states follow Illinois’ lead in the future. (The Guardian)
The halal diet is another rule that governs your Muslim friend’s life to keep them in a cycle of fear and trying to keep Allah happy with them. Remember, they’re never guaranteed eternal life with God, so they have to hope that when Allah weighs their good deeds against their bad, he is happy with them and has favor on them.
It is important for every child to be able to eat at school, so there’s nothing wrong with what Illinois is doing! But this also means that Muslims are increasing in the USA, they now have a voice, and they are trying, successfully, to be heard and acknowledged.
This new law does give us an opportunity to talk to our Muslim neighbors about their diet and how it impacts their life. You can ask them some of the following questions to get a conversation started:
- Is it hard having a halal diet in an area that isn’t predominantly Muslim?
- How does your halal diet make you feel about your relationship with Allah?
- Where does the halal diet come from?