The following statements constitute our ministry philosophy and guiding principles.
1. God loves Muslims and is building His Kingdom among them. (John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9)
2. The Bible is sufficient concerning all matters of faith and conduct. The Bible is sufficient to draw people to faith in Christ. The use of other faiths religious texts is not necessary. Any suggestion that the Quran, Hadiths, or other writings have equal authority to the Bible is unbiblical as well as distracting and can entangle us in unnecessary discussions. (Mark 13:31, Hebrews 4:12) The Bridges Option is one of the early signers of the Arlington Statement on Bible Translation. http://www.ArlingtonStatement.org
3. Focus on the Savior. Our appeal to Muslims is the same as in the Acts of the Apostles: Come to the savior for salvation. Our focus is not on methods or programs, although they can be useful tools. Our focus must be on the Gospel message that is simple and always the same. God does not need our help to ratify or rectify His Gospel message. (Acts 4:12, Romans 1:16)
4. Truth in witnessing. We are called to be truthful in word and deed. Jesus demands a life of purity, both in attitude and action. Jesus said, “Let your yes be yes, and your no, no.” We do not need to hide our identity. Neither do we advocate dumbing down or concealing or misrepresenting biblical truths that might be difficult to understand or accept. Any method that does not honor Christ in our truthfulness is disobedient to Christ’s commands. (2 Corinthians 4:2, 2 Timothy 1:7-8)
5. Salvation is in Christ. Salvation is by faith in Christ’s work on the cross. The stumbling block of the cross is in the Gospel message since the inception of the church. Any efforts to avoid the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord by those who claim the name of Christ is unacceptable. We are saved by grace through faith. Following Christ demands a change in lifestyle. (Ephesians 2:5 – 6, Ephesians 2:10, John 15:1 – 5)
6. The church is one community of faith. We must be careful not to make celebrities or targets of any one group. Those who come to Christ from an Islamic background may have particular needs and require help with being assimilated by the body. But this is true of anyone coming from any other non-Christian background, whether it is religious or secular. While being sensitive to individual needs, we must avoid any fragmentation of the body of Christ. (Philemon 1:16, James 2:1 – 9). This is what we are inviting Muslims to join — not a culture or a country or a club. The focus should be on the community and not on dress, rituals, and other cultural practices.