By SIM France-Beligum
Nate Duriga is a mission worker based in Strasbourg, France where he works mainly with international Muslim students, introducing them to the Christian faith. In the weeks leading up to Ramadan, he reflected on the importance of interfaith dialogue, open and respectful conversations between people of different faiths, and what it means for Christians today.
In my ministry, I often engage in conversations with Muslims and organise several discussion groups about the Bible and the Qur’an during the academic year, sometimes in partnership with interfaith organisations. Recently, several Christians have asked me about the purpose of these dialogues, raising questions such as: “How can you share your faith at this kind of event without getting drawn into the idea that all religions are the same?” Or “Isn’t there a lot of pressure at these events to only say things that everyone agrees with?”
These are thoughtful questions I’ve heard in recent weeks about a student dialogue event I co-organised with a Muslim group. They reflect the real challenges of engaging in dialogue as a Christian witness. Naturally, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on this, since I often need to explain both to myself and to others why I do this work. This time, the question came through an email in response to an announcement I’d shared with a network of evangelical churches in Strasbourg, so it was the perfect opportunity to write out my response.
To create genuine friendships
One of the main goals of participating in these events is to form genuine friendships between Christians and Muslims. While many interfaith initiatives focus on the idea of “brotherhood” or “unity” among religions, I prefer to speak about friendship. Sharing faith through friendship is familiar territory for Christians.
When I first arrived in Strasbourg to launch an initiative among Muslim students, many of the Christian students in our groups told me, “We don’t have any Muslim friends to invite to these discussions.” That confirmed my conviction: if we want Muslims to hear the gospel, we need to first build friendships. These dialogues create a safe and open space where that can happen naturally.
“How can you share your faith without getting drawn into the idea that all religions are the same?”
To be peacemakers
Honest, face-to-face dialogue also reflects our call to be peacemakers. It helps build understanding rather than tension between Christians and Muslims, echoing Paul’s call in Romans 12:18 to “live at peace with everyone.”
The week before our last event, I met with the imam who would share the discussion time with me. We talked about the biblical and Qur’anic texts, building trust before the public event. On the day itself, around forty Christians and Muslims came together to read, discuss, and share a meal. At my table, seven people from seven different nationalities spoke freely about their beliefs and experiences.
One Muslim student told us afterwards, “Here, people actually listen when we talk about what we believe. Out in the street, people make assumptions based on what they’ve seen in the media. But here, it’s different. I’ll definitely be back next month for the next Bible–Qur’an discussion.”
Too often, young Muslims in France feel excluded and misunderstood, which can lead to bitterness and even violence. But at that moment, this young man felt welcomed and heard by Christians. Imagine how things might change if more people could experience that kind of genuine dialogue.
Please pray
- That Nate and the Christian students would share their faith with wisdom, courage and sensitivity during each evening of dialogue.
- That God would stir a genuine interest in His Word among the Muslim students Nate meets.
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