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An Edmond church is hosting a conference on understanding and answering Islam.
The Nov. 9-10 event will be hosted by the First Presbyterian Church of Edmond, 1001 S. Rankin St., six blocks south of the University of Central Oklahoma. It is a collaboration with Atlanta-based Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, a Christian organization that seeks to touch both the heart and intellect of thinkers and opinion-makers of society with the truth of the gospel of Jesus.
The conference will explore what Muslims believe about Jesus’ identity, the status of the Bible and the Koran and some of Islam’s common objections to the Christian faith.
Zacharias, who was the 2008 honorary chairman of the National Day of Prayer, has direct contact with key American leaders, senators, congressmen and governors who consult him on an ongoing basis.
“God has given us an immense calling,” said Zacharias, who was born in India and immigrated to Canada with his family 20 years later. “We do what we do because it is deeply needed. And we are so grateful to those who share this burden to come alongside us to help us fulfill this calling.”
Author of “Can Man Live without God,” Zacharias is presently senior research fellow at Oxford’s Wycliffe Hall. He has appeared on CNN, Fox and other international broadcasts.
First Presbyterian Senior Pastor Mateen Elass, the son of a Syrian Muslim who married an American while he was studying at the University of Wisconsin, was raised for more than a decade in Saudi Arabia. Elass’ father worked as an oil company executive.
During his early teens, Elass began a search for God, spending six years studying eastern mysticism and meditation. That journey included a stay at an ashram, a spiritual hermitage, in India. However, answers to the questions “Who is God?” and “How can I know him?” remained elusive.
Elass encountered Christians who repeatedly pointed him to Jesus and challenged him to read the four gospels in the New Testament, biographies of who Jesus was and is, what he said and what he did. At age 20, Elass became a Christian. He was estranged from his Muslim father for more than a decade, then reunited.
His path included graduating with degrees from Stanford, Fuller Seminary and earning a Ph.D. in New Testament studies from Durham University in England. In 2007, he accepted a call to pastor the First Presbyterian Church of Edmond.
His heart is for those who walk where he once walked, those who search but have not yet found the love of Jesus. He sees his past, his experience and knowledge of Islam, as a bridge of understanding. His literary résumé includes “Understanding the Koran: A Quick Christian Guide to the Muslim Holy Book.”
Other speakers scheduled for the event are:
• Sasan Tavassoli, a former Shi’ite Muslim from Iran, who came to faith in Jesus through American missionaries while he was living in Portugal. He is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Church of Iran, and has been involved in ministry with Iranian communities in diaspora as a teacher and pastor.
• Stuart McAllister, who joined RZIV in 1998, saw his life changed by Jesus at age 20. He was working with Operation Mobilization in Yugoslavia where he was imprisoned for 40 days for distributing Christian literature. Upon release, he continued preaching the gospel in communist countries, resulting in more imprisonments.
• Jay Smith, who has worked with Muslims for more than 27 years, has two master’s degrees in divinity and Islamics. He is currently finishing his Ph.D. dissertation at the Melbourne School of Theology, Australia. His area of expertise is in Christian-Muslim apologetics and polemics.
• Abdu Murray, who is co-founder and president of Embrace the Truth, an apologetics-based ministry dedicated to offering the truth of the gospel to Muslims, Jews, cult members and skeptics. For most of his life, Murray was a proud Muslim, who studied the Koran and Islam. During an investigation into the major world religions, he said he discovered that only evidence for the Christian faith could withstand the toughest scrutiny.
Cost for the conference, which includes a provided lunch on Saturday, is $35 in advance and $50 at the door. Participant study guide also will be included. For more information, call First Presbyterian at 341-3602 or visit www.fpc
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