Driver: Not even close, my friend. Much farther south.
Jesusworldview (JWV): Middle East?
Driver: Algeria, it is in North Africa.
JWV: I know the geography, my father was stationed in Morocco during the war. He loved it there and made many friends.
Driver: It is a beautiful area.
JWV: I've read recent articles that Morocco is expelling Christians. What do you think of that?
Driver: This is not true!
JWV: I've read the articles, you've not heard any of this?
[Read Time article here, or search online for "Morocco Christian" ]
Driver: These things are said by the media. In my country we have a very beautiful Church, Notre Dame. You must see it if you come. We even have Jews. We have no problem.
JWV: But that is under Sharia law?
Driver: No! No Sharia law. We are, what is word? We are moderation.
JWV: Moderate?
Driver: Yes! Very moderation. Listen my friend, you go to a street corner in my country, you will see beautiful women, no scarves, no head covering. Very sexy. No trouble.
JWV: Well, let me ask you this. If I go to a street corner in your country and wave my bible, and say, 'Jesus is the Son of God,' will there be trouble?
[Long pause]
Driver: Well, you may not want to do that. But why would you? Listen, it is not Saudi Arabia. There, they would not like this. But listen, we respect Jesus. He was a prophet. We say he was a good man.
JWV: Well, you may say that, but the Koran says differently. The Koran says he was not crucified on the cross and was not born of a Virgin.
Driver: No, we believe he is a good man, a prophet. Listen, have you read the Koran?
JWV: I have. The sura says he did not die on the cross and a later one that he was not the Son of God. Is that right? [note: Sura 4:154-158 and Surah 4:171]
Driver: He is a prophet, a good man. We believe he is returning.
JWV: But a prophet cannot lie, and Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. Is he a liar?
Driver: He did not say that. He was a good man, a prophet.
JWV: If he was a good man, he would not lie, and he claimed to be the Son of God. I believe that is true - that he is the Son of God.
[We continued in this circular logic for several minutes; eventually driving into the airport, where he asked me what airline to stop at. We pulled over and I paid him.]
JWV: I have read the Koran, have you read the bible?
Driver: No, I have never had a bible.
JWV: If I give you my bible, would you read it?
Driver: I would read it, sure.
With that, he pulled my suitcase out of the trunk. I dug my pocket bible out of my backpack and handed it to him. Without hesitating, he held out his hand to shake mine. I smiled and said, "I enjoyed talking to you, I hope we'll meet each other again." He smiled back and nodded his head. It was a warm, thoughtful smile.
"Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading? Philip asked.
"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him." Acts 8:30-31
What do you believe?
