Unique way to host a conversation

An Ottawa couple is helping create resources that can encourage Christians and Muslims to discuss the Bible together.

The 99 Names of God app draws its inspiration from a Muslim devotional tradition of praying through a traditional list of 99 names of Allah. While there are various lists of names that can be used, “Christians have historically found it a place to begin interacting with Muslims,” explains Larry Ciccarelli, who was a member of the team that developed the app.

The free app features a Muslim voice actor reading each name and a Bible verse that references the same characteristic of God in Arabic while traditional Eastern music plays in the background. The verse and name are also written in Arabic and another language. The app is available in English, Indonesian, Russian, French, Spanish and German. A Turkish version is being developed.

It’s an ongoing process, says Ciccarelli, adding it took about three years to develop the app.

Ciccarelli and his wife Andrea work for SIL International, a sister organization of Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada that supports linguistic minority communities worldwide. The couple has worked as translators and Scripture engagement consultants in several Muslim-majority countries. Years ago, one of their colleagues in West Africa became friends with a local imam and made a booklet that showed how the 99 names of Allah are found in the Psalms.

The verses in the app come from throughout the Old and New Testaments, and include passages from the Gospels. Along with references the app provides context about the verse, using Arabic names for Bible characters. For example, a passage from Psalm 139 is described as a “prayer of the prophet

Dawud,” sections of Genesis and Exodus are called “the revelation of Allah to his prophet Musa,” and Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels are described as “Wisdom of Sayyidna Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us).”

“Most Arabic speakers are not from a church background,” explains Ciccarelli. “Many of them are really curious to know about the Bible. They just need some help and specific tools that will allow them to engage.”

The focus of the app isn’t to convince Muslims to become disciples of Jesus, he explains. It’s meant to supplement relationships between Christians and Muslims, and provide a way for Christians and Muslims to begin having conversations about what being a