International speaker brings perspective to Edmond

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A born and raised Muslim, trained to discredit Christianity, had no control when the gospel changed everything about life as he knew it.

Nabeel Qureshi wrote a book titled “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus,” which is structured around his conversion from Islam to Christianity. The book is set to release Feb. 11.

“I used my testimony as a vehicle to accomplish three things,” Qureshi said. “The first third of the book is designed to help people understand Islam from the inside, to get an insider’s perspective [of] how I came to fall in love with Islam and the Muslim community. The second third of the book is the introduction to Christianity that I had, including the arguments for the truth of Christianity. The last third of the book is about the spiritual struggles I went through and having to weigh the cost of giving up my family and friends for the sake of following Christ.”

Qureshi noted that his testimony could step on some toes, particularly in the Muslim community.

“There’s a bit of a risk I’m taking with that because in Muslim cultures, people generally live in honor-shame paradigms,” Qureshi said. “You don’t share your personal story, that’s kind of dishonorable in our culture.”

Qureshi recognized the potential impact his testimony can have on people who encounter it, however.

“I’ve had a lot of people tell me that this is a story that can bless many, and that’s why I wrote it in the first place,” Qureshi said. “It’s going to be worth the cost.”

Qureshi traveled extensively for his education. He currently holds an M.D. from Eastern Virginia Medical School, an M.A. in Christian apologetics from Biola University and an M.A. from Duke University in religion. Qureshi also studied at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

As a young man, Qureshi had frequent interactions with adherents of Christianity.

“I was raised in the states, so we ran into Christians all the time,” Qureshi said. “But usually since I was a devout follower of Islam, and since we had all been taught basic apologetics, I was challenging Christians all the time in terms of the reliability of the Bible, the viability of the Trinity, Jesus’ resurrection – all that stuff.”

Senior Alex Powers, who completed high school in a predominately Muslim community, noted how followers of Islam tend to be incredibly devout. On the contrary, Powers said that Christians are often caught unaware by what they don’t know.

“Stinking read your Bible,” Powers said. “There’s so much we don’t know.”

Qureshi’s conversion journey began his freshman year of college.

“I ran into someone who was able to start defending Christianity,” Qureshi said. “Over about the course of four years I learned that the evidence for Christianity was very strong and the evidence for Islam, contrary to what I had been taught, was not strong.”

Robert Carpenter, professor of missions at Oklahoma Christian University, said Qureshi’s unique perspective can impact Christians everywhere.

“This is an incredible opportunity to hear from someone who is now committed to following Jesus Christ, but has a perspective that few people have from the Muslim side of poking holes in the standard Christian apologetic arguments that are aimed at Muslims,” Carpenter said. “He knows the weak points and he should be able to help us rethink or think for the first time about how we would share with Muslims.”

 Coming from a devout Muslim background, Qureshi was trained from a young age to analyze and challenge Christian arguments. Now, as a Christian himself, he is equipped to continue a similar analysis with different intentions.

“I think the vast majority of Christians are Christian in name only; they haven’t understood what the gospel implies and entails for their lives,” Qureshi said. “The gospel should change absolutely everything about someone’s life.”

Powers discussed how Christianity would be if all Christians pursued their faith with the same level of devotion as Muslims.

“I’ve always thought about what Christians would look like if we prayed five times a day and read all the time,” Powers said. “I know many Christians [whose] Bible doesn’t move.”

Qureshi emphasized his intention to open up dialogue between Muslims and Christians that does not ignore differences of faith, but also does not demonize the beliefs of either religion.

“You have people who are really focused on interreligious relationships between Christians and Muslims, and that’s a good thing, but the vast majority of people who are focused on Christian-Muslim relations do so by ignoring the theological differences,” Qureshi said. “I think that there are some significant differences between the Muslim and Christian faith and if you ignore them, you’re not building bridges – you’re just looking the other way.”

For Qureshi, his book is an attempt to build bridges between the two religious cultures.

“I think we have a strong case for Christ – I think that Christ can change a lot, but regardless of whether we agree or disagree, we should still build bridges of love and friendship,” Qureshi said. “And that’s kind of the point of the book, at least for Christians reading it. For Muslims reading it, I want them to understand that Christians care for them and also that the case for Christ is very strong. I want them to see that, but without feeling that we are attacking them.”

Carpenter regards relationships between Christians and Muslims with a similar intention.

“Let’s be honest about our differences, but let’s be respectful of each other,” Carpenter said. “Let’s assume the best of each other in interpersonal terms.”

Qureshi will speak at the First Presbyterian Church of Edmond at 1001 S. Rankin St., Edmond, Okla., on Feb. 9 at 4 p.m. The event is open to the public.