There have been several news stories of late, not least in this magazine, about the number of new converts to Christianity from Islam amongst recent arrivals in Europe. These stories have come from Austria, from Germany, and now, thanks to the Guardian, we have one from England as well.
The Guardian story is well worth reading, and gives us several useful indications. First of all, this really is happening. People from a Muslim background are getting baptised, are joining a church, and are being led into the Church by people like the Rev Sally Smith. This is much more than wishful thinking based on a few isolated anecdotes. Given the incidence of the stories, it is perhaps now possible to speak of a trend. One thing is beyond doubt. There are people from a Muslim background who want to convert. It follows from this that local churches should act in such a way as to make this possible for them.
