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During the month of Ramadan‚ Muslims worldwide are praying‚ fasting‚ and reading the Qur’an in hopes of drawing near to God and earning their way to heaven. Islam requires adherents to pray five times a day‚ and during Ramadan there are six daily prayers. These are preceded by a ritual washing‚ or wudhu. Supplicants rinse hands‚ mouth‚ nose‚ face‚ ears‚ arms up to the elbow‚ hair‚ and feet‚ typically three times. For Christians hoping to share Jesus with Muslim friends‚ this ritual presents an opportunity for gospel conversations. Perspectives on Purification Islam emphasizes purity and cleanliness. Famously‚ the prophet Muhammad is quoted in one Hadith saying‚ “Purity is half of faith.” Surrounding verses go on to say being pure and clean fills one’s record of good deeds before God and gets him or her closer to earning a place in heaven. Purity is part of Islam’s complicated works-based salvation structure. Furthermore‚ many Muslims believe that if they pray without performing purification rites‚ their prayers are invalid. Wudhu not only counts as a good deed toward earning salvation but also makes one’s prayers acceptable to God. Ritual washing is believed to remove sin—it’s not merely symbolic. Muslims believe making wudhu performs an atoning function. For example‚ if you tell a lie but later swish water around in your mouth as a form of ritual washing‚ it’s as if you never lied. This teaching is incompatible with Scripture‚ but we can draw parallels between wudhu and the biblical concept of cleanliness. The very things that make wudhu opposed to the gospel also open doors to share the gospel. The very things that make wudhu opposed to the gospel also open doors to share the gospel. The Bible is insistent about our need for purification. Throughout the Old Testament‚ God’s people were called to purify themselves in various ways: sometimes by abstaining from sex (Ex. 19:14–15; Lev. 15:16–24)‚ other times by ritual washing (Ex. 30:17–21) or blood sacrifices (Lev. 4; Heb. 9:13). God often used the picture of outward cleansing to highlight our need for spiritual cleansing. From Genesis to Revelation‚ the metaphor of cleansing describes our salvation‚ justification‚ sanctification‚ and glorification. First John 1‚ Titus 2‚ and Hebrews 9 all explain how the shed blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sin. Isaiah famously prophesied‚ “Though your sins are like scarlet‚ they shall be as white as snow” (Isa. 1:18). There’s a washing that can remove our sin. Wudhu and the Gospel Islam borrows from the truth of Scripture and twists it to its own ends‚ but the basic seed of truth remains. This means we can use cleansing-based vocabulary to share with Muslim friends. The saying “Purity is half of faith” is incorrect‚ especially when applied outwardly. There’s no amount of physical washing we can do to make ourselves acceptable to God. Instead‚ we’d say purity is the whole of faith‚ and our core problem is spiritual impurity. Our unclean hearts have separated us from God and earned us eternal punishment. What earns us heaven is‚ in fact‚ cleansing. But it can’t be performed with a handful of water. Our prayers‚ too‚ must be made acceptable before God—but not by washing our hands. We’re only free to approach the throne of grace if we’ve been cleansed by the blood of Christ (Heb. 10:22). This spiritual‚ eternal washing presents us to God as heirs and allows us to speak to him as our Father. The best purification agent isn’t water but blood. It doesn’t come from a spigot but from the body of Christ. Its price is paid not in a utility bill but with the priceless life of the Son of God. Christians‚ like Muslims‚ believe we all need cleansing. But we know the truth that nothing can clean our souls—nothing but the blood of Jesus. And the news gets better. While a Muslim must wash every time he prays‚ Christians need only be washed once. Once God makes us clean‚ nothing can ever defile us again. Human cleansing is temporary; divine cleansing is eternal. We need not fear that our sin will erase the purity God gives us. We need not strive to accumulate brownie points to impress God. We need not wash and work to make our prayers acceptable. In Christ‚ our sin is wiped away forever. Start the Conversation Now we understand the parallels‚ let’s turn to the conversation. If you don’t have a strong relationship with a Muslim coworker or neighbor‚ a great first step is to invite him or her over for dinner. (Make sure the meal is free of pork‚ alcohol‚ and other foods Muslims avoid. If it’s during Ramadan‚ wait to serve food or drink until after sundown.) You might use the questions below to start a spiritual conversation during the meal. Or you can use dinner as a first step and pursue a deeper conversation later. The best purification agent isn’t water but blood. If you have an established relationship with a Muslim friend‚ you can open a conversation with respectful questions. You might say‚ “I hear Ramadan is coming up‚ what does that look like for you?” or even‚ “I recently read an article about wudhu. Is this something you practice? Can you explain it to me?” After listening carefully‚ simply ask permission to share. You might turn the conversation by saying something like this: “It sounds like prayer is an important part of Ramadan. Prayer is important to me too. Can I share with you what makes Christian prayer acceptable to God?” Or you might respond‚ “It sounds like purity is a high value in Islam. It’s important to me too. Is it OK for me to share what purity means in my faith?” Most Muslims are excited to talk about their faith‚ especially with someone who’s genuinely willing to listen. If you take time to humbly hear their perspective‚ most people will generously agree to hear your thoughts in return. This kind of dialogue is a great way to show respect for your friends and introduce them to the gospel. Now go—ask your Muslim neighbors about their ritual washing. Then offer to share about Christian cleansing. Point them to the One who can purify them forever.

“I like dogs more than people.” So goes a slogan (or some variation thereof) one can find stamped on T-shirts‚ coffee mugs‚ and bumper stickers everywhere. Honestly‚ I can relate. I really love my dogs. Although all pets have particular and ongoing needs‚ they aren’t as demanding as people. My dogs don’t argue with me. Even when they steal my seat‚ they move if I ask them to (although often I don’t). They don’t pick movies to watch that I don’t like. They don’t ask me to defend my last social media post or argue with me about elections‚ vaccinations‚ conspiracy theories‚ or penal substitutionary atonement. They don’t ask me to review their books‚ edit their essays‚ or have meetings. They don’t play music too loud or make jokes I don’t get. Moreover‚ ample research touts the health benefits of spending time with pets—including lowered blood pressure‚ less anxiety‚ decreased cholesterol levels‚ and ease of PTSD symptoms. Given all this‚ it’s not surprising pet ownership in the United States has increased significantly over the past three decades: as of this year‚ 66 percent of U.S. households own a pet‚ up from 56 percent in 1988. As an animal lover who has experienced many joys from the countless pets I’ve cared for over the years (along with some of the inevitable sorrows)‚ this trend makes my heart glad. Animals (and dogs in particular‚ in my opinion) are one of the best gifts God bestowed on us. Animals‚ especially pets‚ ground us‚ teach us‚ and show us how to live more fully in the present. But animals aren’t people. Not a Replacement One can love animals and pets‚ as I do‚ and yet recognize that these creatures can’t take the place of humans. I can’t share my hopes and dreams with my dogs. They don’t ask me how my day was. They can’t enjoy a painting with me or discuss a novel or share their Wordle score. They don’t see Jesus in me and in so seeing develop a desire to show Jesus to the world or to pass the faith down to future generations. Time with pets cannot replace time with people. Animals are one of the best gifts God bestowed on us. But they aren’t people. Yet‚ according to a recent report in The Atlantic on findings from the American Time Use Survey—an annual government poll of how people in the U.S. spend their days—“real-world socializing has declined for both men and women‚ for all ages‚ for all ethnicities‚ and for all levels of income and education.” Further‚ while face-to-face time spent with people has steadily declined between 2003 and 2022‚ according to the story‚ the time Americans spend with pets has doubled during this same 20-year period. Increased time with pets is marked among women in particular: In 2003‚ the typical female pet owner spent much more time socializing with humans than playing with her cat or dog. By 2022‚ this flipped‚ and the average woman with a pet now spends more time “actively engaged” with her pet than she spends hanging out face-to-face with fellow humans on any given day. Not coincidentally‚ this phenomenon occurs amid a drastically falling birth rate in the U.S.—it dropped nearly 23 percent between 2007 and 2022. Some people think of themselves as “dog parents‚” treating their dogs as if they’re children. We can push dogs in strollers‚ dress them up‚ and care for them as if they’re children‚ but they can’t care for us in our old age and they lack emotional complexity. Unlike children‚ our dogs will always adore us‚ and so they fail to remind us we aren’t meant to be worshiped. Try as we might‚ pets cannot replace people. Distinct in Design We human creatures do‚ by God’s design‚ have a special relationship with animals. God created animals (on the same day he created human beings‚ by the way) for his glory and pleasure‚ just as he created us for the same. And God specially assigned Adam to name the animals. It was in fulfilling this task that Adam recognized his aloneness among them. This part of the creation narrative indicates how animals are both like us and not like us. Animals share with human beings the breath of life‚ that life force mentioned in Genesis 7:15‚ but they don’t bear God’s divine image as told in Genesis’s creation account. It’s significant‚ however‚ that after the flood‚ God made a covenant not only with Noah and his descendants but with “every living creature” (9:9–11). Moreover‚ the book of Jonah ends with God chastising the prophet for his lack of compassion for the city of Ninevah‚ which God cares about because of both the people who live there and many animals (Jonah 4:11). God loves animals‚ and he calls us to as well. Spending more time with animals is probably a good thing in our overly automated‚ digital‚ and virtual modern world. In preindustrial societies‚ people spent much more time with animals‚ whether the animals they raised for food and labor or those that transported them before the age of the automobile. The issue isn’t the amount of time one spends with animals (whether livestock‚ carriage horses‚ or pets) but rather what role we’re asking them to play in our lives. Properly Ordered Loves We were made for fellowship with other image-bearers‚ just as the creation narrative shows in Adam’s recognition that he needed a companion who was like him. (Even animals recognize their own kind and respond accordingly.) To love people well means recognizing we were made to be with one another‚ offering friendship‚ compassion‚ affection‚ and simply time. Likewise‚ I cannot love my dog well if I love her for being something other than what she is. It’s not loving a dog well to expect her to function like a machine or meow like a cat or fill a need only a person can. Not to put too fine a philosophical point on it‚ but to love a dog is to love a dog in all her doggy-ness. This principle is true for all God’s creation—animals‚ people‚ rocks‚ minerals‚ and plants too. All that God created he created with design and purpose. To love each other and all creation well is to love who and what they are as God made them. (So spare me the cozy knitted sweaters for chickens‚ by the way. God created them perfectly able to withstand the winter without clothing.) The issue isn’t the amount of time one spends with animals but rather what role we’re asking them to play in our lives. As with all our loves‚ love for pets must be properly ordered. To love pets well requires us to love them for what they are—and not what they’re not. And to love people well means spending time with them face-to-face‚ in the flesh‚ embracing them with all their complexities‚ all their demands‚ and even their questionable movie choices. It’s people we come from at the start of life‚ people we turn to through all our lives‚ and people who’ll surround us and love us at the end of our lives. Perhaps the next time you take your dog to the lake‚ you can ask a friend you haven’t spent time with in a while to come along. Such isn’t making the best of both worlds but making the best of this one glorious world God created.

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