I sat under Otis’s teaching in the 70s and see the same teachings in his present writings, but in a letter to an inquirer a few years ago, he claimed that he no longer believes those things, as though one could believe the Moral Government Theology (MGT) system and then simply decide to change one day. Getting set free of MGT requires the equivalent to a complete rebirth. In fact, that’s what it is. It is moving from a theological position where one believes he or she can be righteous enough (with the help of God) to be acceptable to God (like in Judiasm and Islam) to a position where one comes into complete despair of his or her own works and then falls at the feet of Jesus, trusting completely in Him and His work on the cross for our salvation.

In his 1991 book, however, Otis still brings up the same concepts he taught in the 70s. For example, in The Last of the Giants: Lifting the Veil on Islam and the End Time, Chosen Books, 1991, Otis reveals what he currently believes:

This is the same message I got from George Otis in 1975 when I sat under his teaching on MGT. Otis uses statements like this to show how wrong the biblical teaching is that "Jesus’ death is a payment for sin." He has many other "arguments from philosophy and logic" that supposedly prove his thesis. However, instead of using Scripture to prove his point, he spends a lot of time explaining why Scripture cannot mean what it appears to mean. He does all this with the idea that God wants us to use our mind.

Here is a clear statement that shows Otis still does not believe that every person is born in sin and separated from God. This statement shows that he still believes exactly as he was taught in YWAM thirty years ago. According to Otis there is no sinful nature that human beings are born with. According to Scripture, "All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath." Ephesians 2:3. In Moral Government Theology there is no such thing as "by nature objects of wrath." The King James Version says, "by nature the children of wrath."

Otis stated in an interview with Pat Robertson’s son that he had made it a lifetime goal to figure out why evil "lingers where it does." Again, since Otis does not believe in a sinful nature, he has searched until he found what he believes is the cause of sin and evil – "human beings welcomed evil spirits to dwell among them." But this still does not solve the problems in logic related to the sinful nature, which can be stated like this – "If God allows us to have a nature is sinful or that causes us to sin, He cannot hold us responsible for sin." But the logic doesn’t solve the problem because Otis believes that children are brought into bondage to evil spirits by the actions of their forefathers who first welcomed the spirits into the territory. Those of us who believe there is a sinful nature, simply continue looking for the source of the problem until we get to Adam! We also claim that we got such teaching from God’s inerrant Word.

Unfortunately, since Otis does not believe Scripture when it disagrees with his conclusions, he has brought in a "new way of seeing things" and he calls it spiritual mapping. Unfortunately, millions have been brought under the spell of his new theology.

Bible believing Christians find no problem with the old way, nor with the old solution. "The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes." "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." "As you are going into all the world, preach the Gospel, baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe everything I have commanded you."

". . . The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, for one, made a major course adjustment in their missions strategy in 1988 by deciding to significantly upgrade their witness to Muslims. One of the chief drafters of the new policy, Dr. Mark Thomsen, declared: 'If you can't adapt, you might as well stay home. A static church without the capacity to adapt is incapable of significant participation in the mission of God.'"  [Quoted from The Lutheran, Nov. 23, 1988] Otis, p.225

The following was written about things happening in the ELCA denomination:

"St. Paul's Reformation, St. Paul, violated the ELCA constitution because they called Anita Hill, a woman who is involved in a sexual relationship with another woman, who did not meet ELCA ordination standards, and who was not approved for ordination by the ELCA. Her spring 2001 "ordination" was a flamboyant media affair set up to mock biblical standards of sexual morality.

". . . The following press release from the new St. Paul Synod Bishop Peter Rogness is extremely significant development because it apparently indicates that ELCA congregations are now being allowed to call and ordain pastors who are not on the ELCA roster if they are involved in same sex sexual relationships [i.e., homosexuals and lesbians are still not allowed on the ELCA clergy roster, so pro-homosexual congregations have been calling pastors that are not on the roster] -- and no disciplinary action will be taken."

Anyone with even a superficial knowledge about ELCA knows that the denomination no longer holds to biblical revelation and has homosexuals and lesbians working as pastors.

The ELCA is the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. When I was in a conservative Lutheran seminary, I met a man who had gone to an ELCA seminary. He got kicked out because he defended the Bible as the inerrant and infallible Word of God.

Take that in context of the denomination’s ability to "adapt" and what you have is not the spread of the Christian Gospel, but liberal theology, the social gospel, and the further spread of Gospel-denying apostasy.

Yet Paul said that "if anyone preach any other Gospel than that which I have preached, let him be anathema" (eternally condemned). That is some pretty strong language.

There are several Christian books I have read and studied about Islam, but I would not really recommend any of them. Islamic Invasion by Dr. Robert Morey is very informative and he is a true scholar in Islamic studies. He also has seen many Muslims come to faith through his ministry. Others hate him passionately and dream of killing him.

I lived across the street from a mosque in Jakarta for more than three years and have had many contacts with Muslims. I can’t say I have had much success in bringing them to Christ, partly because I have been reserved about preaching the Gospel to them. I was living with my mother in law who had lived in the neighborhood for about 40 years and I was afraid of bringing persecution on the household. Unfortunately, avoiding persecution is a huge motivator for Christians in Muslim countries. The usual cliché is "Just love them." But the "Gospel is the power of God unto salvation," so loving them must be in the context of sharing the Gospel of Christ. Most of my witnessing took place in taxis or other public places and it would be in the category of seed planting or watering.

In my opinion, books about Islam should not concentrate on prophecy, personal words from the Holy Spirit, and speculation about what is going to happen in the last days. Instead, we need to know what Muslims believe and how they think. The best books therefore would be written by Muslims who have become Christians and can now articulate the Gospel of Christ to others.

There are two things that are important for you to know if you want to deal with Muslims.

You must be well versed in Scripture, especially knowing the difference between the Law and the Gospel. ("The law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.") You must know well the biblical teaching on the Person and work of Christ, and how man could never achieve rightness with God through the law. Muslims are trying to get to God by following all the rules.

It is not essential, but it is helpful to know what Muslims believe about the person and work of Christ. If you know what they believe you will be better able to apply the Word of Truth to areas in their thinking that is controlled by lies. Satan works through the stronghold of his lies and deceptions and it is the Truth that will set people free.

There are many good books on apologetics that could be helpful. If you are just starting out, maybe you could obtain some of Josh McDowell’s stuff.

In Indonesia, Muslims are fed many lies from liberal "Christian" theology. The Muslim leadership loves the writings of liberal Christians, because such writings fuel the Muslim case against Christianity and against the Christian Bible. "Even your own scholars say the Bible is full of errors," said one informed Muslim. Thus, it is of primary importance that you can defend what you believe and give a sound answer to those who call you to task.

If you want to reach Muslims, it is also important to know what they believe, so that you can accurately apply the truths of God’s Word to the areas of deception that hold them captive. Muslims believe in Jesus, but it is a different Jesus than the Jesus of Scripture.

In my opinion, the best place to find out what Muslims believe is from the Muslims. There are many internet sites where you can obtain free literature about Muslim faith and practice. I don’t know if they are still sending them out, but a Muslim website http://www.alharamain.org/alharamain/eng/index.asp?order=1 sent me a Koran free of charge about five years ago. They also have some other informative booklets, such as We Believe in Jesus.

If you can get a copy of The Holy Quran with the translation and commentary by A. Yusuf Ali (published by the Islamic Propagation Center International), it will be very helpful. Ali’s commentary is very revealing because it shows you how the Muslims think about the Koran and the different ways it is interpreted by their teachers. It would be the equivalent to a Muslim getting an NIV Study Bible to find out what Christians believe and how they think.