Koepping, Elizabeth

Stanley, Brian

Lange, Christian

Miller, Duane Alexander

2014-10-10T13:37:05Z

2014-10-10T13:37:05Z

2014-07-04

Since the 1960’s there has been a marked increase in the number of known conversions from Islam to Christianity. This thesis asks whether certain of these ex-Muslim Christians engage in the process of theology-making and, if so, it asks what these theologies claim to know about God and humans’ relation to God. Utilizing the dialectic of contextuality-contextualization of Shoki Coe, and the sociology of theological knowledge of Robert Schreiter, the thesis seeks to answer these questions by the use of two case studies and an examination of some of the texts written by ex-Muslim Christians. Lewis Rambo’s theory of religious conversion and Steven Lukes’ theory of power will be used to clarify the changing dynamics of power which have helped to foster modern contexts wherein an unprecedented number of Muslims are both exposed to the Christian message and, if they choose to do so, able to appropriate it through religious conversion. The two case studies are of a Christian community which founded a Muslim-background church in the Arabophone world and some Iranian Christian congregations in the USA and UK Diaspora. Aspects of the contexts of these believers are investigated in some detail, including motives for religious conversion, numbers and locations of the converts, how apostates may be treated by Muslims, changes in migration and communications, and the Christian concept of religious conversion. The concept of inculturation which helps to describe the meeting of a specific community with the Christian message will aid in analyzing the communities and individuals being studied. The final chapter brings together the various threads which have been raised throughout the thesis and argues that ex-Muslim Christians are engaged in theology-making, that areas of interest to them include theology of the church, salvation and baptism, and that the dominant metaphor in these theologies is a conceptualization of love and power that sees the two divine traits as inseparable from each other; they represent a knowledge about who God is and what he is like, which, in their understanding, is irreconcilable with their former religion, Islam.

http://hdl.handle.net/1842/9513

en

The University of Edinburgh

Miller, Duane Alexander and C M. 2012. ‘Muslim-background Congregations in the Villages around Lucknow, India: an interview with C**** M*****’ in SFM Vol 8:4, Aug, pp 482-488.

Miller, Duane Alexander. 2009. ‘Cracks in the Foundation of Islam?’ in SFM Vol 5:3, June, pp 110- 117.

Miller, Duane Alexander. 2009. ‘Reappropriation: An Accommodationist Hermeneutic of Islamic Christianity’ in SFM Vol 5:3, June, pp 3-36.

Miller, Duane Alexander. 2009. ‘The Conversion Narrative of Samira: From Shi’a Islam to Mary, Her Church, and Her Son’ in SFM Vol 5:5, Oct, pp 81-92.

Miller, Duane Alexander. 2011. ‘The Episcopal Church in Jordan: Identity, Liturgy, and Mission’ in Journal of Anglican Studies Vol 9:2, Nov, pp 134-153.

Miller, Duane Alexander. 2012. ‘The Secret World of God: Aesthetics, Relationships, and the Conversion of “Frances” from Shi’a Islam to Christianity’ in Global Missiology Vol 9:3, April, pp 1-14.

religious conversion

ex-Muslim

contextual theology

Muslim-background believer

MBB

Rambo, Lewis

Living among the breakage : contextual theology-making and ex-Muslim Christians

Thesis or Dissertation

Doctoral

PhD Doctor of Philosophy