(Apolgies for the formatting problems- I don't know yet how to fix this. Try the version here
In the book Joining the Family, Tim Green refers to an Iranian pastor called 'Rev Mohammad' and asks "Can 'Rev' and 'Mohammad' go together? Why not?!"
He actually raises an important and quite complex question.
My answer would be that it is a matter of freedom for the believer, and I believe the Bible implicity gives us guidance, but I am aware that many will instinctively have strong opinions for or against a name change.
Some will feel 'how can you continue to be named after a man who...?' I will leave you to complete the sentence. However, consider this imagined conversation up the front of church:
"My name is Mohammed, we joined the church a couple of years ago and I'm overseeing the youth club here. I'm named after my grandfather, whom I love dearly. I spent many happy holidays in his village learning to keep bees and tend the fig trees in his orchard. Like the rest of my family he is a Muslim - I came to know the Lord was a student ten years ago, so I know it's a funny name for a youth pastor but I wanted to explain why I still like to be called Mohammed!"
Others, of course, may find they associate the name more with the founder of their previous religion, and so prefer to make a complete break with their previous captivity to a worldview they now see as dark and deceptive. Still others may go by two different names.
I recall William Carey becoming clear in his mind that converts did not have to abandon pagan names, because of a name in Romans 16.* For me it was as I prepared a sermon about Epaphroditus in Philippians 2. This unsung hero of the early church retained a name that means 'Of Aphrodite', the Greek goddess of love and procreation. Clearly this was a name borne of an unbiblical worldview: he was, in truth, conceived according to the plan of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, not Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans). But Paul did not insist on renaming him, even though alternative names are quite common in the pages of the New Testament account (Joseph was nicknamed Barnabas, there's "John, who was also called Mark", Saul renamed Paul, Simon also called Peter).
Christians sometimes refer to the principle of 'plundering the Egyptians': that is, the gold and silver of idolaters was given to the Israelites as they left Egypt and it must have been what was used to build the tabernacle for the worship of the One True God. Similarly, a name with pagan connotations can be redeemed for holy purposes. We should not think superstitiously of a name as carrying some 'curse'.
This is an important issue, because a hasty abandonment of one's birth name can add insult to injury for the biological family. It is good, as much as possible, for believers to retain good relations with their kith and kin. Remember Jesus' instruction to Legion: “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:19)
In the case of Mohammed, there is an additional consideration: the root meaning (from the three consonants H-M-D) is something perfectly acceptable to Christians: it means 'praiseworthy' (compare the oft-heard 'Elhumdullilah': “Praise be to God”).
There's plenty of middle ground, too. One Kurdish friend of mine dislikes the prophet and so prefers to be called Hamo. Mo is a common shortening in the West. We should be sensitive to people's preferences: I much prefer being called Jeremy now, but to those who have always known me as Jerry it just sounds strange for me to hear them calling me Jeremy. Names are complex things. In some contexts, locals don't handle foreign names well so people end up being called something similar that trips off the tongue more easily. For a Middle-Easterner trying to get on in, say, the construction industry or the school playground, it may well be prudent to take on a well-chosen Western name. If they don’t, quite likely others will mangle their name for them. Before we moved to Kurdistan, I decided to take on the name Îbrahîm. Jeremy meant very little to Kurds; it was often confused with Jamie (or even Germany! I know too what it’s like to be subject to the Law of Hobson-Jobson). I was glad to have chosen the name Îbrahîm; when people said ‘why did you choose an Islamic name?’ I liked to clarify that Abraham was the one to whom God promised blessing- for all the nations, including Kurds who have so often been downtrodden. However, since our neighbour’s son was called ‘Îbo’, the mother decided to disambiguate by calling me Îbê (Yes- the online marketplace, about which she was blissfully ignorant. And I still bear the nickname Ebay among Kurdish friends- with great pride!).
But panning out a bit from the wisdom calls people may make about diminutives and additional names, we could usefully meditate more deeply on what names are. Fundamentally, they represent our character, and so the real 'name change' new disciples should seek is one where we are known for our kindness, humility, hard work etc.
"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." (Proverbs 22:1). Conversely, "As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor." (Ecclesiastes 10:1). Someone who is obsessed with what name they are given should instead labour to put off besetting sins: a bad temper or lying, or addiction to alcohol or nicotine perhaps. This is what will give their name a pleasing aroma rather than a putrid one.
In conclusion, this is an area where we should respect Christian freedoms and keep the main thing as the main thing. When I shared this article with a friend who served in Ethiopia, he instanced another legitimate approach: But you will sense that I have a strong sympathy with those who retain the name given them by their family, perhaps supplemented by a suitable Christian name that encapsulates something of their new identity. Here's another imagined statement of identity:
"I'm Mohammed, I grew up in Shiraz, but some people call me Martyn; I'm named after the brilliant C19th linguist who died young through his labours translating the Bible into Persian. Like Henry Martyn I love the people of Persia and often share with them the good news of Jesus our Liberator."
*See S Pearce Carey's biography.
