Professor serves Muslim people

He grew up in a small town but spent a large portion of his life overseas. He enjoys the outdoors, sports and his favorite T.V. shows: 24, Psych and House. He is very cultured and social.

Having worked and served the church in North Africa and Europe, professor of intercultural studies at Liberty University Edward Smither has devoted his life to working among Muslim people groups all over the world. After growing up in the United States and living among Muslims during his years in college at North Carolina State University, Smither spent 10 years overseas where France and two North African countries stole his heart.

While in one North African country, Smither worked with a humanitarian organization serving to improve schools. In another, Smither taught at the university — an environment to serve and show Christ’s love to Muslims. The University of Paris invited him to serve as a Protestant chaplain. Smither ministered daily to Muslims in these three countries.

“After reading Genesis 12:1-3, I became convinced that my life’s purpose was to spread the Gospel among the least-reached peoples of the world,” Smither said. “While this was a general conviction, I developed a specific heart for Muslim peoples, as I had many Muslim friends at N.C. State.”

Hospitality and relationship-building are two key concepts that are extremely important to Muslim people. Smither used these to connect with them.

“As I spent time with Muslims and got into their lives, including taking part in their festivals, my love and burden for them only increased,” Smither said. “So I prayed and sought opportunities to spend my life serving among Muslims.”

Smither’s decision to commit a majority of his life overseas led to a special trip to South Africa during his freshman year at N.C. State. The people he encountered in South Africa had hearts that were devoted to Christ, which impacted him greatly.

For the next four years, he was unable to travel overseas, but his experience in South Africa convicted his heart. He knew that reaching the world for Christ was God’s heart and it immediately became his life’s priority, he said.

“I remember being deeply affected by the poverty such that I told my family I didn’t want anything for Christmas that year,” Smither said.

His greatest love is for Jesus Christ and reaching people around the world for God’s eternal kingdom. In 1998, a second great love entered into his life while he was attending Liberty’s Theological Seminary.

While working in Lynchburg, Smither met his future wife, Shawn, at their local church. Shawn was in the process of applying with a mission’s organization and had an increasing desire to go overseas. Five months after they met, they were united by marriage and they began serving together.

Three darling children now fill the Smither household — Brennan, 7, and Emma, 5, were both born overseas in North Africa. Their youngest child Eve is now 3.

Smither is devoted to being a model for his family. Providing for, protecting and playing with his wife and kids are strong attributes to who he is as a husband and a father, whether in the states or overseas, according to Shawn.

“A great deal of the ministry efforts that we were involved in included our whole family,” Shawn said. “This allows us to be together, enjoy each other and be with others at the same time.”

After spending a decade overseas working among Muslim people groups, he and his family returned to the U.S. where he soon was offered a teaching position at Liberty.

In 2006, Dr. Don Fanning requested that Smither would teach an Introduction to Islam class as part of the undergraduate intercultural studies degree.

In its beginning, a small class of six devoted students sat before him each week eager to learn more about Muslim culture and the religion of Islam. By the second year of the class, it remained as an undergrad course while also adding a graduate/seminary section and on-line version of the class.

“We must see Muslims first as real people — people who want to get married, have a family, get a job and do a good job raising kids…” Smither said. “(We need to) see Muslims ultimately as people who do not know Christ. More than seeing them as Muslims…I see them as people without a Savior.”

Recently, a local mosque opened in Lynchburg. Once hearing the news, Smither immediately sent a personal letter welcoming them to the community and asked to get to know them. Nothing holds him back from reaching out to Muslims all over the world, whether seas away or those in his own back yard.

Visiting this new local mosque and previously making frequent trips to the mosque at Charlottesville, Smither gets to know the Muslim community, establishes relationships and ultimately shares Jesus Christ with them.

Teaching students and equipping them for their futures is something Smither greatly enjoys as a Liberty professor. Even though he cherishes his teaching position, he is open to wherever God would lead his family in the future. North Africa and the Middle East are areas of great sentiment in his heart, which he would love to return to and serve once again.

“As a family, we take it year by year, and we are completely open to God’s leading,” Smither said.