Due to high interest, Concordia Seminary’s Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology will stream the Responding to Islam lecture live over the internet. The lecture will take place on Thursday, March 27, 2014, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30p.m., and can be viewed live by going to www.csl.edu/live.

Our helpdesk will be staffed to handle support calls at 1-866-333-2064 and 314-505-7231. A test stream will be up a few days before the event for people to test their computers in advance.

The lecture, which is entitled, “Responding to Islam: Major Theological Themes of Debate Between Islam and Christianity,” will be led by Dr. Abjar Bahkou. Raised Syrian Orthodox, Dr. Bahkou graduated from Saint Ephraim Theological Seminary in Damascus, Syria in 1993, and then completed his doctorate in Christian Education focused on youth education in contemporary Middle Eastern culture from Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, Italy in 1998. He moved to Texas in 2004 and started his doctorate research in Arabic and Islamic Studies; he earned his second Ph.D. from Pontifical Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies in 2008. Amidst his extensive education, Dr. Bahkou has been teaching about topics on all sides of the argument regarding Christianity, Islam, and everything in between, including Arabic literature and language. In August of 2012, Dr. Bahkou was certified as an LCMS pastor.

This unique lecture is a great opportunity for faculty, pastors, missionaries, and seminarians to better understand Muslims’ objections to Christianity. Having this understanding can be a powerful tool as they learn to share their faith in multiethnic communities.

The Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology (EIIT) is a program offered by Concordia Seminary. This specialized distance program focuses on training and equipping pastors who lead immigrant-based LCMS churches. Its courses are interdisciplinary and feature unique options, including opportunities to take courses completely online, or in short-term residency on the Seminary campus.