Salvation on the Mission Field: A Survey and Analysis of C5 Nomenclature for Muslim-Background Believers.”

Advocates of C5 Contextualisation among Muslims stress the need for a continuation of explicit Muslim nomenclature for new converts to Christianity. These advocates—mostly missionaries—believe that in order to better reach Muslims with the gospel, missionaries must allow Muslims to retain their former cultural and even religious identities. Is it right for new converts to remain “Muslims?” Is the “Christian Muslim” an identity in harmony with Scripture? In this paper, I answer these questions with a resounding no.

C5 nomenclature is based on soteriological misunderstandings, for the nature of salvation calls for a new identity. Therefore, I argue that for theological and ethical reasons, missionaries must avoid the C5 nomenclature of “Muslim follower of Isa al Masih [Jesus Christ],” opting instead for the more appropriate “follower of Isa al Masih,” for the latter rightly avoids any hint of syncretism while also mitigating for the negative connotation “Christian” holds in Muslim-saturated contexts.

I begin by surveying the modern missiological argument, noting specifically the work of John Jay Travis and Phil Parshall among others. I then address why missionaries should avoid using C5 nomenclature, noting the pragmatic, syncretistic, and reductionistic reasoning often employed. This section consists of five sub-issues: (1) the unsatisfactory comparison to Messianic Judaism; (2) the issue of missionary deception; (3) potential syncretism; (4) the stunting of sanctification and enabling of apostasy; and (5) reductionistic pragmatism.

I then briefly explain why referring to Muslim background believers as “followers of Isa al Masih” is a more appropriate model.