It is said that a high percentage of Muslims who become Christians slide back into Islam. This is called recidivism. Dr. Cynthia’s experience does not necessarily confirm this, but it does show the danger flags for new believers, and the kind of things that tend to draw them back into their former life.
First, we must understand if the former Muslim is a true believer. We might misunderstand them, or perhaps they are simply appearing to be one for some reason. For example, many Christians have been fooled into believing that a Muslim has become a Christian because they say they believe in or love Jesus. It is actually part of Islam to claim this, and so it alone does not reflect a heart change toward the Christian faith. One Muslim Dr. C knows says he is Christian when in America and Muslim when he is in the Middle East. Such ambivalence is not a true conversion. (We are not saying that a Muslim can not be a silent believer in the Middle East, or fit in with the culture to some degree, but they would know in their heart that they were NOT a Muslim.)
Next, we should try to understand what a Muslim’s life is like, and what drove a Muslim to convert to Christianity, for then we can foresee the risks. For example, with droves of Muslims moving to the West now, many desire the freedom and license they see in what they consider to be Christians – not the heart change that Jesus brings. Notably, an Arab missionary who works with us in America was called to perform an emergency conversion from Muslim to Christian for two young women in a Houka bar. Upon questioning he found what they wanted was to live a wild life. When he explained to them what a true Christian was, they decided they did not want to convert.
Freedom from Islamic laws attracts Muslims to Christ, and that can be good; however they might be reluctant to follow the discipline of following Christ, and may drift away into secularism.
On the other hand, if they are from a strict Islamic background and are trapped in that setting, they might weaken and be tempted to revert to Islam. They may face daily pressure to go back to Islam, there may be threats to take their family away, beatings, and even threats against their lives. In short their way of life could be easier and more assured if they revert to Islam.
But even so, do not give up hope! Even some who return to Islam after consideration and comparison return to Christ, more firm in their faith.
