April 18, 2024
ATLANTA — All those contemplating retirement should consider what they are retiring to, as well as what they are retiring from.
When Doug Hammett, age 78, retired he renewed his commitment to the Lord and established a ministry, "Declaring His Truth", to make sure the remaining years of his life counted for the Lord.
Two pamphlets help Doug Hammett present the gospel to Muslims.Hammett graduated from Baylor University in 1961 and had the good fortune of meeting a girl on the second day in a Religion 101 class who later became his wife.
The Baylor graduate later became the chief financial officer for 30 years with a strategic company before launching into the field of marketing. He retired in 1998. His wife died in 2002 after 43 years of marriage.
Hammett stated, “I was not a strong Christian during most of those years, but after my wife died I started looking for a church and began re-examining my life. I wanted to do something for the rest of my life that would make a vital contribution to the cause of Christ.
“A friend and I attended a conference in Atlanta. The theme of the conference was 'Jesus in the Qur’an,' later changed to 'Jesus and the Qur’an.' The information provided at the conference gave me a sense for the ministry God was inspiring me to initiate nationwide.I began to pray about launching teaching/training seminars to educate and inform believers and the church concerning the facts of Islam.
“In the months that followed, the ministry reached out to several American Christian leaders, pastors, and writers, as well as ‘former’ Muslims/speakers and a Messianic Rabbi, Scott Sekulow, who was also instrumental in verifying the accuracy of the information we were gathering."
Hammett continued, “Iraj Ghanouni, a former Muslim and current member of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, has been a tremendous help in providing substance and credibility to our ministry.
“I have also relied on Rev. Mokhles Hanna, who is pastor of Jesus Light of the World Arabic Church at First Baptist Church in Lilburn to provide guidance and give a positive and powerful voice to our teaching ministry. Others who are knowledgeable and gifted former Muslims, now converted to faith in Christ, have come alongside us to fine-tune our message and ministry.
“Through these contacts and much prayer, the Lord revealed to me His heart concerning the Muslim people and we became deeply aware of their need to come to know our Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior."
Around 2 1/2 years ago Hammett went to First Baptist Church Augusta to hear a popular Imam from a Mosque in Augusta to speak on Islam.
As a part of an Interfaith emphasis, the Imam had been invited to the church to discuss the misunderstandings of Islam and the Qur'an. During the question-and answer-period, Hammett challenged the statements of the Muslim cleric and labeled them as distortions of the truth.
He explained, “It is becoming a common and accepted practice to invite interfaith dialogue, Chrislam, and other forms of deception into the church today. We believe this is not only dangerous, but is blasphemous to the heart of God. This war for souls has never been under such siege and the last thing Christian churches need to be doing is giving the darkness a pulpit.”
Hammett, with the help of the above-mentioned colleagues and the assistance of a friend, who was the thought originator for his materials, has developed a strategic pamphlet, “Is Jesus of the Bible in the Qur’an?” and “Jesus is NOT/Just a Prophet.”
Index Editor J. Gerald Harris interviews Doug Hammett, left, about his ministry to Muslims.The intent of these extremely helpful witnessing tools is to address a few of the convoluted issues surrounding what Islam teaches throughout the Qur’an about God and Jesus Christ and juxtapose these teachings alongside the truth of Christianity as revealed in the Bible.
Hammett emphasized, “The idea was to be very transparent, as it is not an attack on the Muslim people. More than ever, there is a great need in the world today to engage in evangelical conversation with people of the Muslim faith here in America and abroad.
“We believe in these last days more Muslims will come to accept Jesus Christ of the Bible, who refers to Himself as 'I AM,' the holy name of God. It is critical that even Christians know that God/Yahweh is not the same god for the Muslims, because of the teachings of each – the Bible vs. the Qur’an.”
The Declaring His Truth materials contrast the differences between what the Bible says and what the Qur’an says about the virgin birth, the Sonship of Jesus, the Deity of Christ, the Triune nature of God, the coming Messiah, the crucifixion and resurrection, and the atonement and salvation.
Hammett, a devoted Baptist layman, declares the ministry includes well-known former Muslims, now followers of Jesus Christ, who have welcomed the opportunity to speak anywhere God leads them.
“Our pamphlet can be used in the church body for special Wednesday evening services with a speaker being provided, if necessary, small group home meetings, or other larger mission study groups in more depth, for witnessing purposes.” Dr. Emir Caner, president of Truett McConnell University has recommended these pamphlets for churches of all sizes.
Hammett particularly enjoys informing the young people about the differences in the real Truth. His ministry, Declaring His Truth, Inc., has been endorsed by his home church, First Baptist in Atlanta.
Those interested in securing a speaker or pamphlets as an educational tool please contact Doug Hammett at (770) 856-4420 or email him at declaringhistruth@gmail.com.
