The Gospel is Our Unique Offering - Most Everything Else We Share with Dawud Agbere
This past week during the memorial services at Fort Hood, Texas, Steve Inskeep of National Public Radio interviewed Chaplain Maj. Dawud Agbere, one of the 10 Muslim chaplains employed by the U.S. military. A few of his responses to Inkeep’s questions reminded me that the Christian’s one, unique message, is the gospel. Here’s the clip of the interview that caught my attention:
INSKEEP: We should make clear for people who may not know: Youre not just seeing Muslim soldiers, are you?
Maj. AGBERE: Exactly. So, you know, I tell people all the time, I am not a Muslim Chaplain. I am a Chaplain who happens to be of the Islamic faith. So, yes, the Christian chaplain will take care of the Muslim soldier. The Jewish rabbi will take care of the Mormon soldier. So sometimes, I find myself in a unit, and Im the only Muslim in that unit.
INSKEEP: And Islam has enough in common with Christianity and other religions that you have no trouble giving all kinds of people advice that youre comfortable with and that theyre comfortable with?
Maj. AGBERE: Exactly. I mean, look at human situations. You know, when you talk of divorce, financial problems, these things don’t have religion. These are things human beings go through.
Agbere is correct when he reminds us that human beings regardless of their religion suffer divorce and financial problems. I can imagine this Muslim chaplain giving sound financial advice to any soldier. While I might offer different marital advice than the typical Muslim, I could also imagine some of the Muslim view to be helpful, short of advising the veil or the full burka for the wife and Koranic allowance of a husband to beat his wife. (sura 4:34.*) But my guess is that Agbere as a chaplain in the U.S. military is a moderate Muslim and may not believe that all suras of the Koran should be taken at face value. I have no reason to believe that Agbere has been nothing less helpful as a chaplain. Certainly in the interview he comes across as a fine person and a really nice fellow. But he lacks one thing that only a Christian chaplain can offer - the gospel.
Most Muslims consider Jesus to be an Abrahamic prophet, truly in the line culminating in Muhammad, the greatest of all prophets, delivering the final message of the angels for humanity. But no Muslim believes and offers the gospel, namely, that Jesus is the Redeemer of God’s elect, that his death truly atoned for sin and that his resurrection gives to us new and eternal life. The Muslim believes in the ascension of Muhammad but as passionately believes that Jesus was smuggled off the cross by his disciples before he died, and some say after he died. In either case, he suffered a natural death and was laid permanently in a grave until the final day. And so, no Muslim chaplain would offer the gospel of Jesus Christ to any soldier in the U.S. military. Only to say, that the gospel is the one, truly unique message/offering/proclamation we Christian believe is the center and key to fellowship with God.
*[4:34] “The men are made responsible for the women, and GOD has endowed them with certain qualities, and made them the bread earners. The righteous women will cheerfully accept this arrangement, since it is GOD’s commandment, and honor their husbands during their absence. If you experience rebellion from the women, you shall first talk to them, then (you may use negative incentives like) deserting them in bed, then you may (as a last alternative) beat them. If they obey you, you are not permitted to transgress against them. GOD is Most High, Supreme.”
Contextual Note: I write this with the chaplains of my national church (Presbyterian Church in America) in mind, to encourage them to share the gospel and apply it appropriately as they work alongside fine chaplains, like Dawud Agbere, who do not share with them the gospel, but nonetheless, offer helpful counsel to our men and women serving in harm’s way. I also write with gratitude for Dawud Agbere serving a hurting host of people morning the deaths of those shot down by a Muslim member of the armed forces of America. I am convinced that truly profound and ultimate comfort comes from the God of all comfort, who has comforted us in our troubles so that we might comfort others in distress. This comfort flows from the cross of Jesus, where he died, suffering the scorn of humanity, undeservedly, for our salvation.
November 17th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Nathan, thank you for your words of wisdom. As a 32 year veteran I know Chaplins play an important role. It was always a comfort to have “Sky Pilots” around but what was the most refeshing was when the Chaplin knew the Gospel and reflected it in his ministry. Mark Houston, Eugene