Page:The Moslem World - Volume 02.djvu/21

 find another wsly out of the difficulty. Shall I shrink then, you say, to declare to them the whole counsel of God, and forsake the example of Paul, the king of evangelists ? Nay, a thousand times nay ; but in following Paul, to declare fearlessly the whole counsel of God, have sufficient sympathy to become a Moslem to the Moslems, that you may gain the Moslem, becoming Koranically crafty that you try catch him by guile !

I cite these three items from the multitude of embarrassing difficuties that daily cross the path of the evangehst to Moslems, that I may perhaps stimulate my younger brethren to become thoroughly acquainted with the Moslem's Bible and his mind, and to approach the stronghold on the native plane. The course many adopt in these questions is to avoid at all costs contradicting the Koran and rather utihse it as a weapon to either negative their interpretation of the opposing passage or to manipulate it with their own commentators, if necessary, as to render the meaning sufficiently obscure to destroy the force of their quotation. No doubt this appeals to me as the best course, for it allows a hearing for the better things of the Gospel, which, when they take root, will enable one to deal more effectively with the false prophet and his so-called revelation.

In the case of the denial of the crucifixion, not only can we cite contradictory passages from the Koran itself but passages from their own commentators, which make it exceeding^ awkward for them to deny the possibility of our Lord's death ; and this opens a door, otherwise barred, to read the more certain words from the Gospel.

The Koran (if we take the trouble to study it carefully) will supply us with many an altar to unknown truths ; as w^ell as other valuable matter, which, although we cannot for a moment recognise it as truth, will 3^et serve as an estoppel to our opponents' owti pleading. The missionary who can tactfully utilise the Koran, obtains an advantage miobtainable by any other means. He can, with it, effectively avoid awkward questions and dispose quickly of the obstacles which are hurled across his path as he advances. And the Moslem, finding that his owTi weapon can be used against him with such