Easter as it is seen from the eye of Muslims

I come from a multi-religious family, and, in more ways than one, my brother (a devout Muslim) and I share common understandings, love, and respect for Jesus [Isa] as a prophet [Nabi], his miracles, virgin birth, etc. But he and I differ strongly on the death and resurrection of Jesus. In the Qur’an, sura 4:157 argues that the death of Jesus [Isa] never occurred, a view that my brother (a Sunni Muslim) and many more (including Shia Muslims) would respectfully subscribe to.

Given global reality, human migrations keep shifting every minute, and so Muslims and Christians are increasingly living closer together. They are school and college mates, share common workplaces, and are next-door neighbors. They are developing and fostering human relationships with each other, attending friend’s weddings at their respective places of worship, and the like. And yet, both Muslims and Christians are aware that the big elephant in the room is the difference in belief in the final act of Jesus’ death on the cross and, for Christians, his resurrection on Easter.

In the spirit of peaceful co-existence, respect for our common faith traditions, especially from the Christian’s perspective, and because of its importance in promoting understanding and in sharing our own faith tradition, we have organized this forum:

Easter and Islam
Saturday, April 11th, 10:00-11:30 am
Concordia Seminary, Sieck Hall, Room 101

Anyone in the local St. Louis area can join us for study and discussion on the topic of Easter as seen through the eyes of Islam. How can we overcome this roadblock for Muslims understanding Christianity?

Our objective: to inform and equip Lutherans (and other Christians) for reaching out to Muslims in their neighborhoods.

During the past year we have also conducted one-hour seminars at: LWML, Immanuel Lutheran (Waterloo, IL), Holy Cross Lutheran (Collinsville, IL), Hope Lutheran (Granite City, IL), Our Savior Lutheran (St. Charles, MO), Our Savior Lutheran (Fenton, MO).

If anyone is interested in exploring topics related to this, please contact me at [email protected], or call our office at 314-505-7076.