I have been involved in reaching out to Muslim people for over 35 years and, surprisingly often, I hear Christians talk as if descendants of Ishmael are cursed by God.
Few Muslims are actually descended from Ishmael, but I have often had to confront the idea that certain ancestries are less likely to be Christian – as if there is a genetic favouritism from the living God. I have even heard modern conflicts between Israel and Palestine framed as if one DNA is blessed by God whereas another is not.
Are some ancestries really more blessed by God than others? If we have certain genetics or DNA, does God love us more than others? Does God really show favouritism based on our genetics?
Geopolitics or the gospel? What is our priority?
"What do we fear enough to talk to strangers about? Our spiritual mandate is to Seek FIRST God’s Kingdom. We …