Abstract:
This thesis provides the findings of an explanatory case study that utilized
elements of ethnographic research to discover effective evangelistic methods
being practiced among Palestinian Muslims in the West Bank. With the
assistance of gatekeepers, twenty-four former Muslims were asked to explain
how they were evangelized, with a particular focus on evangelistic methodology,
the barriers to faith the respondents encountered, solutions to those barriers, and
motivations to consider conversion.
This qualitative study follows the research model of Thom Rainer (2001) by
asking those who have actually converted to describe the things that were helpful
in the process of their coming to faith. For a theoretical framework it utilizes a
nuance of McKnight’s (2002) theory of conversion with an emphasis on crisis
providing an intersection of the natural and supernatural for the purpose of
conversion.
This thesis investigates examples of effective evangelism within the context of
the West Bank, giving thorough consideration to Palestinian Nationalism and
Islam as overarching cultural influences. It considers fruitful practices being
practiced globally among Muslims, comparing those with what was found being
practiced in the West Bank. The advocates represented in this report were
primarily Palestinians born and raised in the West Bank, with the exception of
three messianic Jewish Israelis and an American missionary. Additionally, they
were evangelicals who generally utilized a contextually sensitive, traditional
mission approach rather than an Insider model. The end result is a knowledge base that can be helpful for future evangelism
of Muslims in the West Bank or other similar contexts.
