Nabeel T. Jabbour's Blog, page 3

Barghouty and Mandela

Recently I read a long excerpt from one of Philip Yancey’s books, and it touched me deeply. With his permission, I have included it below. He did express the following caveat: “You’re welcome to use this excerpt in a blog. I have since heard from some people who question the details, since they do not appear in the records of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission. I first read of the story in a Mennonite publication, and they are usually very trustworthy. You should know, though, that its veracity has been questioned.” In spite of this caveat, I think this long excerpt is worth reading, and like to imagine what would happen if radical grace were practiced today. Would it make a difference in the conflicts in our broken world? Jesus practiced radical grace, and what a difference that made to our human history! Recently I read a long excerpt from one of Philip Yancey’s books, and it touched me deeply. With his permission, I have included it below. He did express the following caveat: “You’re welcome to use this excerpt in a blog. I have since heard from some people who question the details, since they do not appear in the records of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission. I first read of the story in a Mennonite publication, and they are usually very trustworthy. You should know, though, that its veracity has been questioned.” In spite of this caveat, I think this long excerpt is worth reading, and like to imagine what would happen if radical grace were practiced today. Would it make a difference in the conflicts in our broken world? Jesus practiced radical grace, and what a difference that made to our human history!

Timeline of The Arab Spring

Here is a very valuable resource to those who are interested in quickly finding out important dates and events in the Arab Spring from 2010 to 2015. It came from one of the books that I have read in 2016: A Rage For Order, written by Robert Worth. This timeline presents in detail the events of the Arab uprising or Arab Springs and the developments that followed. For some, this timeline is a useful one time read to learn chronologically about the recent history of Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.  For others this Timeline is a resource to go back to repeatedly. For quick reference, I have underlined the countries.

My Way vs. God's Way

Whenever I listen to the beautiful music of I did it "My way” by Frank Sinatra or others, I have mixed feelings. I LOVE the TUNE and I can listen to it repeatedly, but as for the lyrics, I wish they were different and focused more on honoring God rather than focusing on our human achievements. The lyrics of "My Way" song is diametrically opposite to the gospel.  In the Bible we see abundance of examples of people who at one time had the "My way" attitude and at other times, they did it "God's way." 

CIU January Course

Early in January 2017, I taught a course at Columbia International University in Columbia, SC. It was quite an experience. I had a relatively small class that included a financier from Wall Street and a man who is aspiring to be a pastor, and the rest were missionaries. I was honored to spend eight hours a day for five days in the company of those sharp people. At the end of each day I asked that they share a main insight they gained on that day and an issue they are struggling with or on which they disagree with me. At the end of the week, I requested a longer response addressing how the course impacted their lives and their thinking. 

Deobandi Islam

Some people assume that the majority of Muslims in the world live in the Middle East. This is an easy mistake to make since Mecca is in Saudi Arabia, and the famous Al Azhar University/Seminary is in Cairo, Egypt. Mecca is the spiritual capital of Islam since the pilgrimage takes place on an annual basis in that city. Cairo, on the other hand, is the intellectual capital of Islam because of the presence of Al Azhar University/Seminary. Al Azhar Seminary is the most prestigious Muslim seminary in the world. It has been going nonstop for more than one thousand years. Al Azhar has many branches, and the number of students studying at any given time is about 90,000. It is true that the Arab world is the heart of Islam, but most Muslims live in Southeast Asia, in countries such as Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. 

Christmas 2016

A couple of years ago, I presented a different perspective on Christmas in a blog. I developed this perspective in my understanding of the Scriptures as a result of knowing Dr. Kenneth Bailey for years. I first met him in 1965, when he was the professor of New Testament at the seminary in Beirut, Lebanon, where I was a student, and our relationship continued over the years. He went to be with the Lord in May 2016 at the age of 85. 

Unshackled and Growing... Revised Edition

In October 2016, my book Unshackled and Growing: Muslims and Christians on the Journey to Freedom ran out of print. The revised edition is now available on my website for free download. As I spent many hours working on the revised edition, my soul was deeply encouraged and refreshed; no wonder, because the gospel permeates this book. The book is written in user-friendly language to Muslims, and is helpful to Christians who are willing to journey with them. I wrote this book as a recovering legalist, and it is written to people who are tired of a life of legalism trying to please and appease God.   

A Course... A Door of Opportunity

 I have been a student of political or radical Islam since 1987 when I first started working on my doctorate in Islamics. The dissertation for my doctorate was on Islamic fundamentalism in Egypt which ended up being published as a book with the title The Rumbling Volcano . I have been teaching as an adjunct professor at several seminaries in the states and at one seminary in Canada for many years. The course I teach is on "Islam and Current Events" or "Islam and the Geopolitics of the Middle East." Students are awarded three credit hours for successfully completing the course. It’s my desire to teach this course free of charge to people who do not care about earning official credits but want to learn the material and are willing to commit their time and read the required books. How did this idea come about? 

Nabeel Qureshi

Nabeel Qureshi has just announced that he has advanced stomach cancer.  Qureshi is a Christian apologist and best-selling author. He announced on August 29, 2016 that he has been diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer. Qureshi, is a Christian convert from Islam.

 

This is an announcement that I [Nabeel Qureshi] never expected to make, but God in His infinite and sovereign wisdom has chosen me for this refining, and I pray He will be glorified through my body and my spirit. My family and I have received the news that I have advanced stomach cancer, and the clinical prognosis is quite grim. Nonetheless, we are going to pursue healing aggressively, both medical and miraculous, relying on God and the fact that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.

Historical Background... Haggai and Zechariah

Sometime ago I addressed in a blog the historical time of Daniel in the Old Testament. I quoted extensively from a book that I read with the title An Introduction to the Old Testament written by Longman lll and Dillard. In this blog I want to quote more on the historical background of the two Old Testament prophets, Haggai and Zechariah.