Concordia TheoBLOGical Seminary

Say the word Lutheran, and for most people, images of Minnesota, Jell-O®, and Swedes come to mind. But say the same word to PhD student Berhanu Arsse, and you’ll see a huge grin.

Arsse was born in Ethiopia to Muslim parents who would later convert to Christianity. He attended school to become a teacher, and “was assigned to the Somolian border, which is a Muslim area. I started telling the Gospel as a layman, and some of my students converted to Christianity from Islam.”

He then moved back to his father’s village, sharing that same message with his own family. “My uncle was a Muslim with four wives. God brought me to that area as a teacher, but I started sharing the Gospel . . . with my students, some of whom were my relatives, and they started to follow Christ.”

They formed a church, but “the persecution was severe. Some of my students were sent away from their families; their parents didn’t want them any more. The hatred against me was intense. Thankfully, they wouldn’t kill me because I was one of them. But they threatened me and told me to stop preaching the Gospel.”

But Arsse didn’t quit. “Finally, gradually, they saw that the Gospel was transforming the lives of their children. They called us a cult: ‘The People of Jesus.’ But after their children joined, they noticed a change.”

Some were not as understanding. “The Muslims burned down their own mosque to blame it on us. But the truth came out, and God revealed that the people of Jesus had not done this evil thing. Muslims from the village had done it, and we as Christians were the ones being the good citizens.”

After four years as a teacher, Arsse’s district president noticed his work among Muslims and sent him a letter, asking that he consider joining the seminary to become a pastor. “I had difficulty considering that,” he admits, “because Ethiopia is very poverty-stricken, and you don’t get paid as a pastor like you do in America. I prayed for one whole year, because I was really struggling. But God showed me His answer in this way: there was a Muslim mosque nearby, and the imam was converted. In Africa, if one leader converts, all his family and followers must follow him. His whole family and congregation became Christian. He even took the crescent off the mosque and put up a cross. He had made a mosque into a church. That is when I said, ‘Yes, God, this is what I want to do the rest of my days.’” Arsse contacted the district president and finally admitted, “God has been patient with me, even though I have been resistant to the call.”

His next step was to attend the Lutheran seminary in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he studied for four years. He was called to the southeastern region of the country and served there as an evangelical director. To his delight, some of his previous students who had been Muslim were now Lutheran pastors. They, too, had gone to school and been ordained.

Coordinating evangelism work, Arsse helped oversee the construction of sixty-two churches and the planting of over ninety mission centers. But it was during that exciting time that he began to consider coming to the United States for further study. “People were telling me that Muslims were excited that I was leaving, so that they could get their children back from Christianity. But it is God who has taken them, not me, and He will continue to work whether I am there or not.”

Leaving Ethiopia behind, Arsse first “went to a seminary in Dallas to study, but as a Lutheran, I preferred to conclude my studies in a Lutheran seminary. I went to my pastor in Texas, and he said, ‘Berhanu, go to Concordia Theological Seminary!’”

He grins. “So I did. This is my third year, and I’m writing my PhD proposal. I’m writing on the topic of Christian apologetics and approaches to Islam. I love it because this is such a huge part of my life; my dad and my people have given me a lot of experience in this area.”

His study and work are greatly needed. “It’s difficult when we talk about Muslims in the United States, because what we hear in the news is not always exactly how it happens. It’s not just Muslims on suicide missions. What we see is Muslims cutting the throat and lips of one missionary because she spoke about Jesus. They also burned our church in the night.”

Working with Ethiopian Muslims is not easy, but he is eager to return to helping that population. “My students have hid in the bush and thrown stones at me. It is easy to despair,” he admits. But just as quickly, he reminds himself that his hope is not his own, “but it is God in me.” With this in mind, when he returns to Ethiopia, he hopes to teach and preach in the seminary, training local pastors and evangelists to share the Gospel with Muslims.

His study at Concordia Theological Seminary has well prepared him for this most noble of tasks. At the seminary, “We do all of our PhD classes in light of missions, so I am able to see how these truths apply to my mission to Muslims. Also, I am excited to work with Dr. Adam Francisco. His expertise on Islam will help me as I work on writing my dissertation.”

Berhanu Arsse has not shied away from combating a country where Muslim thought dominates. “They build mosques every two miles, even in the fields or a forest or the jungle. That way, they claim the area as one that belongs to Islam and Muslims.” So while Islam is his biggest threat, he “wants to train and mobilize our churches to help people who are unknowingly accepting this false religion. Muslims have no forgiveness and hope. There is no such thing as atonement in Islam. They do not understand that it is Jesus who has done it all.” Instead, the most powerful tool Lutherans have, he explains, “is love. Muslims do not know love. With them, everything is an eye for an eye. But with Christ, there is forgiveness, and Muslims can see that love in us.”

He beams again. In fact, while telling his story, he has never stopped smiling. His love of the Gospel is evident. He shrugs. He grins. After all, it’s not his doing. “The God who changed my dad and changed my relatives will continue to work,” he affirms. “After all, with God, all things are truly all possible.”