ROB LUTTON
Since we are celebrating Resonate’s 30th
edition, we thought it only fitting to take a few
moments to reminisce and bring back an article
from our very first edition. This article pushed
the boundaries when it was first published and
just over 10 years on, it continues to ask big
questions, stretch our thinking and consider
our own expression of faith.
D
uring the recent World Cup
(ok – not so recent), Brazilian
star midfielder Ronaldinho
was asked if he had any advice for
his infamous teammate, Ronaldo.
Through his beaming, buck-toothed
grin, Ronaldinho just said he needed to
play with more happiness – in a joyful,
Brazilian way. When Ronaldo scored
two goals against Japan, the coach was
thrilled, not because his players won but
because they did it the Brazilian way,
with very natural (not clinical) goals. 1
The South Americans showed the world
what it is to play football in a new way
that resonates with their culture.
So what about expression of our faith
in Jesus? How can it be expressed
naturally in very indigenous ways?
And, more specifically, how might
it look for unreached people from a
Muslim background?
resonate · issue 30 · page 7
It’s about having
a Kingdom
vision of cultural
transformation, not
cultural decimation.
Experience shows that very few
Muslim people will shift to a Christian
identity the way we understand it,
namely because of history (Crusades),
and the perceived alignment with
things Western. And the Bible clearly
shows Paul committed to seeing a
person who comes to faith in Christ
remaining within their original society
(and culture). (1 Corinthians 7:17-24)
So how do we even begin to grapple
with working among Muslim people, so
they are able to do faith their way?
A lot of work has been done by “John
Travis” (a pseudonym), who has been
involved in planting congregations among
Muslims in Asia for the past two decades.
Some years ago, John
devised the C1-C6
Spectrum – a practical
tool for defining the six
types of “Christ-centred
Communities” (‘C’) found in the
Muslim context. 2
The C1-C6 Spectrum show different
approaches needed to successfully
share the gospel among the world’s
1 billion followers of Islam. Each type is
still found in some part of the Muslim
world, with differences in terms
of language, culture, worship and
religious identity.