Mennonite Weekly Review

KURSK, Russia — Whenever he teaches a course on Islam, David W. Shenk imagines his Muslim friend Badru D. Kateregga is in class with him.

David W. Shenk’s “Theological and Practical Approaches to Islam” is slated for use throughout Russia and Central Asia. — Photo by Mikhail Sushkov/Trinity Video Seminary

Shenk, a global consultant with Eastern Mennonite Missions, used that format as he lectured on Islam and Christianity in January at Trinity Video Seminary. The seminary is loosely affiliated with the Baptist Union but serves evangelical churches in Russia and Central Asia more broadly.

Two of Shenk’s books on Islam have been translated into Russian: A Muslim and a Christian in Dialogue, written with Kateregga, and a sequel to the dialogue, Journeys of the Muslim Nation and the Christian Church.

The books augmented the 20 topics covered in the course, during which Shenk imagined an audience in which large numbers of Muslims were also listening and responding to what he said.

This approach requires not only truth, but kindness, he said.

“This does not mean sugarcoating the issues,” Shenk said, “but rather, addressing the divergences between Islam and the gospel directly, in ways that build bridges rather than walls. I hope that Muslims who listen will respond by saying, ‘Shenk has represented Islam truthfully.’ ”

The seminary will release the lectures on DVD and on the Internet to equip Christian leaders for peacemaking with Muslim communities. They will be available internationally in English and with a Russian overlay.

The request for the video series grows out of awareness of the presence and dynamism of Islam in Russia and Central Asia, Shenk said. Feelings of apprehension sometimes accompany that awareness, as occasional conflicts have erupted between Muslims and Christians or secularists.

Shenk lectured on the “Theological and Practical Approaches to Islam.” He was keenly aware of the diversity in his broader audience, he said, as the course is slated for wide dissemination throughout the region. Sponsors invited Shenk in part because they felt it would be helpful for someone from outside the region to give presentations.

In addition to classroom interaction, Shenk also learned to know his hosts and heard accounts of the Soviet era. The grandparents of two of the seminary teachers had come to faith in Christ through the witness of Mennonites who came to their village. These grandparents were subsequently sent to Siberia for their bold witness for Christ.