Fruitful Minorities

Their minority status does not deter Christians in Islamic contexts from following their vocation. They impact their societies in profound and powerful ways, even though they have little political and economic power. The authors of this volume provide both biblical reflection and examples of Christian outreach in Islamic societies in the forms of witness, service, relief work and hospitality. They emphasise that living faith cannot remain silent, even when in prison, kidnapped or under threat of violence. This book contains sobering reminders that Christian groups are still facing marginalization in a number of predominantly Islamic societies. Nevertheless, as several case studies demonstrate, sustained and concerted advocacy efforts may well lead to an improvement of their position. Dr Bernhard J.G. Reitsma (born 1965) is professor by special appointment VU University Amsterdam, for The Church in the Context of Islam, and also 'reader' Diversity and Professionality and senior lecturer missiology and Islam at the Christian University of Applied Sciences in Ede, the Netherlands He is also a minister by special appointment in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. He obtained his doctorate in 1997 at the University of Leiden with a dissertation entitled: Gees ten schepping (Spirit and creation) (1997), worked in Lebanon for almost 8 years on behalf of the GZB as a staff member of IFES and as a teacher at the Near East School of Theology and the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary. After his return from Lebanon he worked for Open Doors International.