There is such intense scrutiny of Islam in the United States these days that one might think Americans were unaware of its existence in this country before the Sept. 11 attacks.
For Masresha Chufa, ’05, the co-existence of Islam and Christianity was not only the focus of his education at Luther Seminary but a fact of life for centuries in his native Ethiopia. Relations between the two religions are peaceful, he said, a status he hopes his training will help maintain.
Chufa graduated last May with a Master of Arts degree in Islamic Studies. An ordained pastor in the ELCA’s companion synod in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, Chufa is now sharing what he learned with students at the Mekane Yesus Theological Seminary in Addis Ababa. There are about 150 students enrolled in the seminary, according to the ELCA. Chufa serves as the first faculty member in the seminary’s new Islamics program.
Insight and Information
Before enrolling in Luther’s Islamic Studies program, Chufa had only passing knowledge of Islam. He needed to learn the basics: “What is Islam, what is the Qur’an?” he said. While some might question the value of studying another religion, Chufa does not. “Education gives you insight and information,” he said. “Knowing those stories help you,” he said.
In addition to learning about the religion and its history, Chufa learned about what Islam and Christianity have in common. Both religions, for instance, teach the human need for God and for truth. Both are evangelizing religions. Both embrace Abraham, Moses and Jesus, whom Muslims honor as prophets.
Common Ground
Such information provides common ground from which to discuss the crucial differences. For instance, Christianity is based in historic events, whereas Islam is based in revelation. While Islam teaches respect for Christians and Jews as “people of the book,” they believe those religions went astray by rejecting Mohammed as a prophet and the Qur’an as God’s “final revelation,” Chufa said.
In Islam, he continued, each person is responsible for his/her own sins. “To say to a Muslim, ‘Jesus died for your sins’ is nonsense,” he said. Islam teaches that God has a throne. In the Incarnation, that throne comes to earth in the person of Jesus, allowing believers to approach God directly, Chufa said. Only in Christianity did God come to find us, he said.
Back in Ethiopia
Upon graduating last May, Chufa headed back to Ethiopia after a two-year absence. Awaiting his return were his wife, Asther, a typist for the Ministry of Education, and his two young sons, Zecharius and Ammanuel. His synod was no doubt eager for his return, as well. According to ELCA statistics, the EECMY grows about 15 percent a year, the downside of which is a shortage of trained pastors. Some of that growth comes from Muslim converts, which Chufa attributes primarily to miracles. One involved an Ethiopian Muslim theologian dying of AIDS. The man had a vision of Jesus, was healed of his illness and became a Christian. “When Muslims find Jesus, they’re impassioned,” Chufa said.
Chufa’s Own Conversion
Though not a former Muslim, Chufa’s conversion was almost as dramatic. He was born into an Ethiopian Orthodox family, who hoped he would become a priest in that tradition. But by his late teens, Chufa was an atheist and devout Communist. Going to church once to participate in a debate, he challenged Christians, “Show me God.” What happened next, he said, was no less than miraculous. “I saw God … I couldn’t stop laughing, rejoicing,” he said. The once restless, insomniac young man was changed. He slept better, he felt peaceful. “The rest I received from Jesus was real rest,” he said. People could see the difference in him, he said. “Encountering Jesus separates us from the darkness. It’s something that freed me from many things.” Once liberated, he said, “We can’t keep Christ’s love within us.”