EMQ » October–December 2018 » Volume 54 Issue 4
[memberonly folder=”Members, EMQ2YearFolder, EMQ1YearFolder”]Stubborn Perseverance: How to Launch Multiplying Movements of Disciples and Churches among Muslims and Others (2nd ed.)
By James Nyman with Robby Butler
Mission Network,
Mount Vernon WA, 2017
346 pages
ISBN: 978-0996965279
USD $14.95
Reviewed by Dr. Eva I. Shaw-Taylor, Executive Director, Global Organization for Women & Youth (GOWY) & Global Institute for Tradition & Culture (GLITRAC).
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20 NIV).
With this charge, many Christians believe that they must go out into the world of the non-believers to not only bring them the word of Christ but to try and change their faith and make them followers of Christ.
Stubborn Perseverance is the right title for this book which tells of true stories mainly in Indonesia, a country that has one of the world’s largest Muslim populations. One always hears of Christians converting and becoming Muslins especially in prison but while converting Muslims to Christianity, one must have “stubborn perseverance.”
This book highlights the challenges some of the already “converted” Muslims face as they try to bring some of their friends, relatives and community members to join them on their journey. Stubborn Perseverance centers around the life of Faisal and his wife Fatima. Faisal had attended a church-planting movements (CPM) principles and the training had concluded with a challenge for all participants to gather groups to study CPM principles in the scripture. He was able to convert his wife, Fatima.
This is an excellent book to be used to study evangelism. Students in ministry will learn a lot from this book—especially because the questions at the end of each chapter allow the reader to have a chance to discuss the issues being faced by Faisal and Fatima in their journey to “convert” their fellow Muslims. The book could be used for Bible study as well. It gives the footprints on how to go about converting, especially those of the Muslim faith, to Christianity. Studying this book will give you the do’s and don’ts in evangelism and allows you to see how best to go about cultivating the right group to assist you on your journey.
One thing that stands out is that as converted Muslims to Christianity, they had their own names for God and did not let go of some of their mother tongue. Faisal would pray and end his prayer with “for the glory of Isa al-Masih, Amen”; so, who is Isa al-Masih? Faisal and Fatima still greeted their friends with, “Assalam wa’alikum and the response was Wa alikum salam.” This reminds me of another great theologian Rev. Bediako who wrote about religion being better understood in one’s language and mother tongue.
This is a very good book especially for seminarians or anyone majoring in ministry; it goes through the different steps of changing hearts and faiths and the “stubborn perseverance” one should have when going out to follow the charge. I will recommend Stubborn Perseverance as a must read for anyone who wants to go on the evangelism journey.
