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Stories & Blog
From the Mechanic to the Mosque
CANADA — Crossworld worker Charlie pulled his van into the local mechanic shop and walked inside to the service desk, where he met a middle-aged man wearing thick-rimmed glasses. Charlie shared his maintenance needs and asked for the man’s business card.
“Sir, I notice you have a Muslim name,” Charlie said.
“Yes, I am a Muslim,” said Muhammad. “Do you know something about Islam?”
Charlie confirmed, and Muhammad perked up.
“Would you like to come into my office and talk?” Muhammad asked.
Charlie agreed, and for the next 30 minutes while Charlie’s van was being serviced, they delved into a theological discussion on Islam and Christianity.
“Can you show me one place in the Bible where the word Trinity is mentioned?” Muhammad asked.
“No, the word Trinity is not in the Bible, but, by looking at the Bible as a whole, we put the pieces of the puzzle together,” Charlie replied. “May I ask you where in the Qur’an is the word Tawhid [a core Muslim belief about the oneness of God]?”
“The word Tawhid is not in the Qur’an but its teaching is everywhere,” Muhammad said. “I see your point.”
When his van was ready, Charlie said, “Let’s get our families together for tea,” and Muhammad gladly accepted.
A few weeks later, Muhammad texted Charlie: I told some of my friends and the leaders at my mosque about you, and they would like to meet you. Will you come?
At the mosque, Charlie was greeted by a dozen new faces of Canadian immigrants from countries all over the Muslim world. They served him tea, coffee, and sweets, and then ushered him into a room with four Muslim men who had expressed interest in having a spiritual conversation.
For the next three hours, they discussed the nuances of Christianity and Islam, looking directly in the Bible and the Qur’an for answers to each other’s questions.
“Look, I love my Muslim friends,” Charlie said at the end of the conversation. “One of the things I appreciate is that you love to talk about spiritual things. These things matter the most in life. While there may be, at best, a few similarities between our faiths, I’m deeply concerned about our differences. Both of our faiths cannot be true at the same time.”
The men in the room agreed, and Charlie continued. “I want to spend more time with you. How about we meet every other week to further explore truth?”
Each of the men voiced their desire to continue the conversation.
“Sir, I notice you have a Muslim name,” Charlie said.
“Yes, I am a Muslim,” said Muhammad. “Do you know something about Islam?”
Charlie confirmed, and Muhammad perked up.
“Would you like to come into my office and talk?” Muhammad asked.
Charlie agreed, and for the next 30 minutes while Charlie’s van was being serviced, they delved into a theological discussion on Islam and Christianity.
“Can you show me one place in the Bible where the word Trinity is mentioned?” Muhammad asked.
“No, the word Trinity is not in the Bible, but, by looking at the Bible as a whole, we put the pieces of the puzzle together,” Charlie replied. “May I ask you where in the Qur’an is the word Tawhid [a core Muslim belief about the oneness of God]?”
“The word Tawhid is not in the Qur’an but its teaching is everywhere,” Muhammad said. “I see your point.”
When his van was ready, Charlie said, “Let’s get our families together for tea,” and Muhammad gladly accepted.
A few weeks later, Muhammad texted Charlie: I told some of my friends and the leaders at my mosque about you, and they would like to meet you. Will you come?
At the mosque, Charlie was greeted by a dozen new faces of Canadian immigrants from countries all over the Muslim world. They served him tea, coffee, and sweets, and then ushered him into a room with four Muslim men who had expressed interest in having a spiritual conversation.
For the next three hours, they discussed the nuances of Christianity and Islam, looking directly in the Bible and the Qur’an for answers to each other’s questions.
“Look, I love my Muslim friends,” Charlie said at the end of the conversation. “One of the things I appreciate is that you love to talk about spiritual things. These things matter the most in life. While there may be, at best, a few similarities between our faiths, I’m deeply concerned about our differences. Both of our faiths cannot be true at the same time.”
The men in the room agreed, and Charlie continued. “I want to spend more time with you. How about we meet every other week to further explore truth?”
Each of the men voiced their desire to continue the conversation.
Though men expressed interest in continuing to meet, they are now reluctant and do not want to get together with again. Will you pray about the spiritual battle being waged for their hearts? Pray for another opportunity for Charlie to meet with them and for God's truth to be revealed.
The people in this story are real, but some names have been changed to protect their privacy.
