According to at least one pastor, they worship the same God!

The front page of the United Methodist Church website points to an article detailing how one of their pastors is observing the fast Muslims observe during their holiest month, Ramadan. Listen to his opening statement:

“I have no doubt that Muslims and Christians worship the same God,” Magruder said. “We have some of the same core foundations.”

Our immediate response would probably be, “This guy Magruder is way off base. Christians and Muslims do not worship the same God.

Welllll, actually he’s probably right, and here’s why: Muslims do not worship Jesus as God; to them he is merely a prophet. If Magruder says they worship the same God, evidently he does not believe in the biblical Jesus and as such does not worship the God of the Bible.

Jesus said that if anyone does not believe Him to be equal with God the Father and the only hope of eternal life, such a person does not believe in or worship the true God. They do not believe the truth, and the reason they don’t is because they respond to biblical truth in accord with their sinful natures, just like Satan does (John 8:44).

This UMC minister observed the fast to show his “solidarity” with this Imam by walking in the Muslim’s shoes. I’d be interested to hear if the Muslim would do the same thing! I’d be interested to hear if he could do the same thing–could you imagine what would happen to an Imam for, say, observing the Lord’s Supper, being baptized, or participating in Good Friday and Easter (better, resurrection Sunday) services so he could walk in the shoes of a Christian?

Do you think when the UMC minister closes his prayers with his Muslim Imam friend with, “In Jesus name, Amen”?

One last thing from the article: One of the objectives this UMC minister has is to “be a bridge” between Christians and Muslims to help the former have a better understanding of the latter. The only destination that bridge will lead to is away from the Christian faith (which he already departed from anyway).

Naturally, the Imam is thankful for the Methodist’s efforts.

“I think it sends a message of unity of mankind,” he said. “We may have differences, but our differences are there to be celebrated.”

Friends, this is not what the NT says Christianity is about! A Christian pastor is to proclaim the Christian message, calling for repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to leave pagan idolatrous religion behind, and follow Christ exclusively.

I know and have heard that there are genuine Christians in the United Methodist Church. Here are some questions I have for my brothers and sisters:

• Do Christians and Muslims really worship the same God?
• Do Christians really have spiritual unity (“solidarity”) with Muslims?
• Where in the Bible are Christians called to have spiritual union with unbelievers like this?
• How does your association and partnership with a denomination that tolerates and promotes this kind of thing (it was on the main page of the UMC website) square with 2 John 7-11?
• What relationship should real believers like yourself have with apostates like this UMC minister and denomination? (Hint: 2 Corinthians 6:14-15)
• How do you feel about your money going to support and promote this kind of thing? (In case you don’t think that isn’t happening here, who pays for the official UMC website that promotes this kind of thing?)

If I have any brothers and sisters in the UMC who recognize how utterly wrong and unbiblical this kind of thing is, I encourage and exhort you to leave the UMC and find a church that not only believes and preaches the Christian faith but is committed to ministry relationships that are consistent with Christian truth!