ITALY: The foundation of the

Christian School for Apologetics and Islamic Theology

On the 5th of October 2021, the Christian School for Apologetics and Islamic Theology (S.C.A.I. – Scuola Cristiana di Apologetica e di Islamistica) has been founded in Italy. It is the first and currently only evangelical school of apologetics in Italy that specializes in Islam.

The aim of the school is to train a new generation of believers in Christ, capable of reaching Muslims in Italy and beyond, which are well-rooted in biblical theology as well as aware of the Muslim mindset and Islamic theology. The school desires to equip them to serve God and bring the Gospel to Muslims, through His grace and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We offer an academic degree that combines the study of apologetics to Islam with specialized biblical and theological studies aimed at the local church, intercultural ministries or at those who are interested in continuing their degree studies in apologetics.

Our students may already have attended a Bible school, but still require additional skills to unleash their full potential. The school is open to students from all Italian evangelical churches and without any mandatory prerequisites.

The training provided is not only theoretical in nature, but also very practical, and with an emphasis on evangelistic missionary work. Students will be learning techniques and strategies to approach their Muslim friends in the most appropriate way, also using their relationships as the driving force and as an opportunity for witnessing.

We hope that at the completion of the training course, there will be more wisdom and sensitivity, that “holy way” of looking at and loving people as Jesus did. We expect that each of our students will be able to look at their Muslim neighbors with His gaze and, provided with the specific educational resources, will be more involved and stimulated in witnessing to Muslims in Italy and in the world.

The driving force behind S.C.A.I. has been Dr. Francesco Maggio (h.c.) who cares deeply about the Islamic community in Italy and advocates a respectful dialogue between the faiths.   Professors are part of the steering committee.

Between him and his wife they founded META Onlus in 2001 and the ministry of Islamecom in 2018.

Maggio’s vision for S.C.A.I., which has been in the back of his mind since 1992 and which has been established legally in October 2021, is being shared by his co-founders, which continuously strive with tenacity to improve the education of apologetics to Islam.

The purpose of S.C.A.I.

The Christian School for Apologetics and Islamic Theology seeks to meet a need, which emerges from some of the premises listed below. We acknowledge that Islam in Italy has shown:

• a desire to stay separate and thereby creating parallel community;
• to make use of the tolerance of a democratic society while promoting intolerance among their own circles;
• to impose laws to stifle criticism;
• to call for halal meat to be distributed in prisons, schools and hospitals;
• to cause increasing controversies on university campuses;
• a tendency, when in power, to erase the Christian presence (or impose its supremacy);
• to be teaching the exact opposite of the key points of the Gospel;
• to undermine and undo the work of Christ;
• to be teaching traditional Islamic history in schools, while ignoring discrepancieswith more recent archaeological discoveries;
• to be longing for the establishment of Sharia law in Europe;
• to easily propagate its ideology due to low opposition. 

  S.C.A.I. opens its doors

  The Christian School for Apologetics and Islamic Theology aims to promote the education of Christians who have limited or no experience in this field. This vision is fully shared and stimulated by the co-founders of the school and its specialized staff.

  S.C.A.I. seeks to support churches and missions in witnessing the Good News to their Muslim neighbors, introducing them to biblical and historical evangelical Christianity.

  S.C.A.I. is supporting students in a targeted way and provides them with the opportunity to put into practice everything they have learned in the program. The school curriculum focuses on skills and knowledge, which are most relevant for a dialogue with someone from a Muslim background.

  S.C.A.I. – your companion

  S.C.A.I. makes comparisons between the Islamic religion and the Christian faith, aiming to expose the authentic doctrinal nature of Islam.

  S.C.A.I. teaches the origins, fundamental doctrines and practices of Islam, including its beliefs about Christianity. It exposes contradictions in Islamic teaching and their erroneous concepts regarding the Christian faith, the Bible and the Person of Christ.

  S.C.A.I. supports churches and missions in their effort to settle the interreligious disputes with Islam, which often are cause for embarrassment or the source of a misunderstanding between Muslims and Christians.

  S.C.A.I. has divided its mandate into five specific categories:

• CONFERENCES
• COURSES
• FORUM ON ISLAM
• ROUND TABLES
• PUBLISHING

S.C.A.I. provides academic information for evangelical denominations in their dealings with Muslims in Italy, and if required, may also participate in specific church initiatives.

In the light of the current challenges, S.C.A.I. turns away from syncretistic tendencies, which have shown to undermine the Christian testimony. Instead of compromising the Christian faith, S.C.A.I. takes the initiative for the recovery of biblical truths.

We feel that the realization of S.C.A.I. occurs at a unique moment in history and is destined to fill an existing void in our evangelical landscape.
May S.C.A.I. be welcomed in the churches! With a combined effort, we can further the cause and help spread the Gospel among our Muslim neighbors, to the glory of God.

S.C.A.I. is active on social media to promote the vision and create a vast prayer network that can support the spiritual battle, which inevitably comes with a ministry such as this.

The S.C.A.I. Team
For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Dr. Francesco Maggio – Vice President S.C.A.I.

MailTo: info@scuolascai.it

DONATIONS: (charity no profit)   https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=Y2Y7FKQS466WG