An Open Letter to the Fox Valley Evangelical Minsters Fellowship from the Biblical Missiology Society

25 July, 2011

To Whom It May Concern:

The Biblical Missiology Society is a Christian consortium of scholars and ministers from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds, whose fundamental goal is the promotion of biblical missiology. The advancement of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ is the shared commonality that makes the Society enthusiastically inclusive of those who, though not members formally, are members informally by virtue of our mutual labor. It is for this reason that we endorse the video of Pastor Tim Snell of Christ’s Church of the Valley in Appleton, Wisconsin. In his video, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbEcOIclUCo) the pastor takes a stand in defense of biblical truth that is undermined in a “Jesus in the Qur’an” conference held in August, 2009, at Christ the Rock Community Church in Menasha, Wisconsin. The Jesus in the Qur’an conference is but a symptom of a greater problem in the Church: the insider movements/C5 decontextualization of the Gospel. The Biblical Missiology Society stands with Pastor Snell as he heeds the appeal of Jude 3: “I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” We urge you to take the time to listen to and carefully weigh Pastor Snell’s arguments in light of what the Bible teaches. All of us are aware of how difficult it can be to confront others, especially within the Church. Just as we are all thankful for the Apostle Paul’s willingness to confront the Apostle Peter about his compromising the truth of the Gospel (Galatians 2:11-21) those who minister to Muslims are especially in need of leaders within the Church, like the Apostle Paul, to speak with a clear voice to the issues of syncretism with Islam that threaten the purity of the Gospel. For those of us who minister to Muslims, including the majority of us who are a part of the Biblical Missiology Society, these are not mere hypothetical arguments but real issues that affect our ability to minister as we ought. It should not be forgotten that if these compromises are not addressed and withstood the Muslims themselves are left with a message that cannot save them even if they sincerely accept it. None of these things are honoring to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is worthy of us taking a stand for Him. We encourage you to stand with our brother, Pastor Tim Snell and take a public stand against this method of missions. For more information and comments please see: biblicalmissiology.org For more information on IM: Critical assessment Conferences on DVD see: i2ministries.org and insidermovements.org Sincerely, Rev. Adam Simnowitz, a minister with the Assemblies of God (Dearborn, MI) Jay Smith, ‘Brethren in Christ’ Minister, Apologist, Polemicist, and Debater with Muslims (London, England) Georges Houssney, President, Horizons International Joshua Lingel, President, i2 Ministries Mark Stephan, Missionary to Muslims, Editor-in-Chief, BiblicalMissiology.Org John Span, Theological Author Joie Pirkey, Executive Director Shouts of Joy Ministries (Rwanda, Africa) Elijah Abraham, Founder/Director LIVING OASIS MINISTRIES P.O. Box 863743 Plano TX 75086 livingoasis.org Patrick Dennis, Pastor from Indiantown, Fl. Formerly ministered in North Africa Tripp Martin, Ruling Elder, Orthodox Presbyterian Church (Farmington Hills, MI) Rev. Fred Farrokh, Executive Director, Jesus For Muslims Network, Metro New York City Roger Dixon, PhD Intercultural Studies, MDiv, ThM.; ordained United Methodist minister, VA Conference; 34 years resident missionary in Muslim communities in S.E. Asia.