ENGAGING THE MUSLIMS

Engaging The Muslims

 Engaging The Muslims

Table of Content: 

• Muslim Objection And Christian Replies
• ·       Answering Muslim Objections
• ·       Engaging Muslims

Muslim Objection And Christian Replies

1. The Bible

Revelation:  Word of  God:

The Bible is written by people and therefore contains errors. However, the Quran is the direct and perfect revelation of Allah. It is pure and without human intervention.

The Bible is not the Word of God anymore; it has been changed and corrupted by the Jews and Christians to suit their needs.

The Bible is the inspired revelation of God. It was written by men who were instructed by the Holy Spirit (2Pet 1:16-21). The Bible is God's complete message that tells us the way to be saved from the penalty of sin and how to live. God's final and perfect revelation to mankind is Jesus Christ (Heb 1:4). Therefore, in Christianity the perfect revelation from God is a living person whereas in Islam it is a book only.

Muslims have never given proof for this objection. On the contrary, even the Quran states that the Bible is the Word of God and that no man can change it (Q 5:47-51, 6:34).

Christians have ample evidence that the Bible is a true record and the Word of God: fulfilled prophesy, eye witness reports, archaeological findings, historical records (Jn 20:31, Rev 22:19).

 2. Different

Versions of the Bible Christians have many versions of the Bible which do not agree with each other. Surely Allah did not send different, contradicting Bibles!

These "versions" are not different Bibles, but different translations of  the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. The Bible has been translated into many languages. Newer translations are made as languages change. However, the meaning of its message has not been altered

(Gal 1:6-12, 1 Thess 2:4).

3. Jesus as a prophet

Jesus is just a prophet like Abraham or any other. Muhammad is the final and

greatest prophet.

The Bible clearly shows Jesus as being greater than any other

prophet who ever lived (e.g. he could forgive sins, Mk 2:5). Even the

Quran testifies in many verses to the uniqueness of Jesus which puts

him higher than any other prophet (e.g. he created life; Q 5:113).

 

4. Jesus as the Son of God

It is impossible for God to have a son: he then could also have had daughters and wives. God is ONE only (Q 19:35).

God had no physical relationship with Mary that resulted in a son. Jesus was born by God's Spirit by the virgin Mary. Who then is his father? - it can only be God. The term "Son of God" points to the unique and close relationship between God the Father and Jesus the Son (Jn 17:1-5).

5. Crucifixion of Jesus

Jesus was not crucified, it is impossible that the merciful God could treat his prophet in such a cruel manner (Q 33:40) It was the mission of Jesus, to die at the cross as the final perfect sacrifice so that death could be conquered and all who believe in him have forgiveness of sins and eternal life (Jn 3:16, 20:31). We have clear evidence of his crucifixion: it was foretold by prophets in the OT,

Jesus predicted his death, and eye-witness and historians testify to this event.

6. The true God

Christians worship a different God than Muslims do. Allah is the only true God who created the universe.

The God of the Bible and Allah of the Quran are both believed to be the creator, all-powerful, eternal, etc. However, when we study carefully we discover that many attributes are different: e.g. the relationship in Christianity is based on love (like child to father) whereas in Islam it is based on work (like servant to master).

7. The Trinity

There is ONE God only! How can Christians believe in three gods, as in the Trinity, and claim that God is ONE? (Q 4:171, 5:76).

Christians too believe in only ONE God (Deut 6:4). The Bible tells us that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is therefore a unity based on the manifestation of the ONE GOD (Jn 1:1-14, Heb 1:2). Nature gives us some examples which show, that three can be in one!

 

8. Atonement

To enter paradise one has to do good works and then be rewarded by God. How can someone else die for your sins? This is an impossible concept! Even if we try hard to do good works we will never get rid of our sins. We will never be perfect on our own. God's divine plan is that sins can only be forgiven through the shedding of blood of a sacrifice. Jesus was that perfect sacrifice who died "once for all" (Heb 10:1-18). People have the choice between God's way or their own way of dealing with sin.

9. The Gospel of Barnabas

The Bible contains four Gospels. Why have Christians left out the Gospel

according to Barnabas? The Gospel of Barnabas is a medieval fake and contradicts the Bible and the Quran; e.g. Muhammad is mentioned to be the Messiah and not Jesus (ch 97). There are also geographical errors and some

sociological references are taken from the time after Jesus lived.

10.  Muhammad foretold in the Bible?

Why do the Christians reject Muhammad, the prophet of Islam? He is even foretold in the Bible (e.g. Deut. 18:18 and John chapters 14 -16). We know someone is a prophet from God because he is able to prophesy and it comes true. His prophecy and teaching must be in harmony with the other prophets from God. The passages referred to by Muslims from the Bible need to be studied in their context. The reference from the OT refers to Jesus whereas the NT reference points to the coming of the Holy Spirit and not Muhammad.

 

ANSWERING MUSLIM OBJECTIONS TO THE TRINITY

The Necessity of Trinitarian Apologetics

The historic, orthodox doctrine of the Trinity is entirely unique among the world’s religions.2 In light of this fact, there exists a temptation to ignore the Trinity when evangelizing Muslims. By omitting the Trinity from mission efforts, those reaching Muslims for Christ have failed to recognize that, “Bare monotheism divorced from the rich content of biblical faith is not enough. The doctrine of the Trinity is not peripheral, but essential to our understanding of the character and nature of the one God.”3. As a result, any mission effort that fails to address and contextualize the Trinity is not only unbiblical, but could be regarded as heretical. The Great Commission cannot be fulfilled if the Trinity is forgotten. This reality is made apparent when one considers the following facts.

First, the very act of the incarnation requires the efforts of the entire Godhead. The Father is the sender, the Son is the one sent, and the Holy Spirit empowers. The incarnation is the foundation of the Gospel, for without the incarnation there is no Gospel. The basis of the Gospel is the sacrifice of God in human form on behalf of humanity. Therefore, the Gospel message requires a triune God.  Second, Christian mission efforts are Christocentric, not Christmonistic.4 While the focus of all “mission” efforts is to introduce the lost to the Messiah, Christ Jesus, this is not the only focal point. At the very least, Christ’s role within the triune God must be addressed to ensure that those evangelized are coming to salvation in the true Christ.5 Third, it is impossible to separate the message of Christ from the Trinity. In the first two chapters of the book of Acts, the reader is informed that the power and work of the Spirit aids in evangelism. According to John’s Gospel, the convicting work of the Holy Spirit brings the lost to salvation in Jesus Christ.6Therefore, one cannot address the need to recognize Christ as the Messiah without invoking the work of the Trinity. Finally, it is the goal of all mission efforts to bring people into a relationship with the one true God, so that they may glorify Him as the triune God.7 James White correctly observes: “We have to have knowledge of our God to worship Him correctly. If we have defective knowledge, or worse, if we have wrong information…our worship is either lessened, or it is completely invalid, as the worship of idols and false gods.”8 The doctrine of the Trinity is so intertwined with the saving work of Jesus Christ that it cannot be avoided nor neglected in reaching Muslims for Christ.

The Doctrine of Tawhid

The strength of Islam lies in its absolute adherence to monotheism. Denying the existence of all other deities, Islam represents the most rigid form of monotheism among the world’s monotheistic religions. The fundamental article of faith in Islam, the shahada,9affirms that “There is no God but Allah.”10It is through its devotion to the oneness of God that Islam has expanded.

The monotheism of the Qur’an could be summarized in Surah 112:1-4: “Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.” In his commentary on this passage, Yusuf Ali readily admits that the intent of this Surah is the negation of the Christian conception of the Godhead.11 The doctrine of the Trinity is perceived as beyond the teaching of Scripture, as Muslims believe that there is nothing in the divine books (the Old Testament and Qur’an) which reveals any triune concepts.12 Further, the doctrine of the Trinity is seen as ludicrous for allegedly violating the basic rules of logic. A common objection raised is: “How can God be one and three at the same time? It is absurd, rationally impossible, and mathematically wrong. Unity and Diversity cannot gather together.”13 In addition, some Muslim scholars reject the Trinity because they believe that it is impossible for two persons sharing equal power to exist without some type of power struggle or collision.14 Consequently, there can be but one divine person.15 Thus, Muslims object to the Trinity, not only because it violates the description of Allah in the Qur’an, but because it is believed to be logically impossible.

Answering Muslim Objections to the Trinity

In describing the absolute unity of Allah, Muslim theologians paint a picture of undifferentiated unity. However, undifferentiated unity is only a mathematical possibility rather than a physical reality. If one were to look unto the natural order to find an example of undifferentiated unity, nothing would be discovered. In fact, rather than undifferentiated unity, nature reveals a multitude of examples for plural unity. Timothy Tennent gives the following illustration:

A stone has little internal differentiation. If you split a stone in to two pieces, you have not destroyed the essence of the stone; you have created two smaller stones. However…If you cut a tiger in to two pieces, you do not get two smaller tigers. In the act of dividing the tiger you destroy the very essence of the tiger. A tiger, although a complex and internally differentiated creature, has an indivisible essence because it cannot be separated without destroying that essence.16

The complexity of the tiger is undeniable; however, his unity is even greater than the unity of one of the most basic objects on earth, a stone. From this illustration, the following facts can be established. First, complexity does not negate unity. An object can be complex, yet entirely unified. Second, internal differentiation does not contradict absolute unity. In fact, it is external differentiation that runs counter to unity.  Last, throughout the created order, illustrations of complex unity can be presented. These examples range from common mammals to human beings. For example, the human body is an instance of unity possessing complexity. The essence of a human being is unified, yet there is plurality in its parts. For instance, the ears and eyes are fully parts of the body yet each is unique from one another in structure and function. Despite sharing in the same essence, the ears hear and the eyes do not; likewise, the eyes see and the ears do not.17At any given moment one could say that they see and yet they do not see; that they hear and yet they do not hear.18 This does not represent a contradiction because the distinct portions of the body share in a unified essence.19 While different from one another, the parts of the body would cease to function if they were to be separated from the essence of the body. Thus, plurality and unity are entirely compatible.20

A Knowable God

The example of plural unity within the creation is undeniable. As a result, a Muslim may object to the use of the created order as analogous with the nature or essence of God. However, such an objection would be unfounded because the Qur’an uses a plethora of anthropomorphisms to describe the nature and actions of Allah.21In light of this, to claim as the Qur’an does, that Allah is beyond description or analogy is logically self-defeating.22

If Allah is beyond description, then nothing meaningful could be said regarding Allah. In this scenario one could not say that Allah “knows” anything, for the human understanding of “knowledge” can only be compared with human experience. Likewise, if one were to say that Allah “loves” or is “compassionate,” he would be making a nonsensical statement. The only referent by which one is to understand “love” and “compassion” is human experience and action. If one denies that these characteristics could be analogous to those of Allah, then he is left with no way to know that Allah possesses “love” or “compassion.” Such a position would negate the information regarding Allah ascertained from his ninety-nine beautiful names.23 With the majority of Sunni Muslims understanding these names to be adjectival descriptions of Allah’s divine attributes, such a negation would be quite damaging to Islam’s theological landscape.24

If one continues in his insistence that Allah is beyond description, he falls into the proverbial “rock and a hard place.” By claiming that one cannot describe Allah or know Allah through analogy, he has made a self-contradicting statement. For if nothing can be known of God through any imagery in the created world, one could not know that the imagery of the created order provides no insight into the nature and essence of Allah. To propose that the created order bears no resemblance to Allah is to claim to know something, albeit negative, about Allah’s nature that one could not possibly know. In essence, one has stated that they know that nothing can be known of Allah’s nature. What one is left with then is absolute agnosticism.

The objection could be raised that Allah has no essence; that is to say, his nature is beyond anything we can "know" because there is no “nature” to be known. However, such a claim would, again, be inconsistent. Muslims believe that Allah is the eternal, necessary being. However, if Allah is necessary, “…he must have a nature or else he could not be by nature a necessary kind of being.”25 If Allah’s nature does not necessitate his eternality, then he would not be eternal. Thus, to object to the use of analogy in describing the nature of Allah, the Muslim must disregard the Qur’an’s use of anthropomorphisms and retreat into theological agnosticism.

Are Muslims Binarian?

The supposed eternality of the Qur’an carries with it significant implications in discussing the Trinity with Muslims.  This is because the Qur’an presupposes its own eternality and preservation. According to the Qur’an, Allah is in absolute isolation. He exists in total solitude with nothing beside him except for the Qur’an itself. Surah 85:21-22 reads: “…this is a Glorious Qur’an (inscribed) in a Tablet Preserved.” In his commentary on this Surah, Yusuf Ali readily admits that this passage conclusively demonstrates that the Qur’an is eternal.26 Additionally, in Surah 43:4, the Qur'an is described as being in the mother of the book. It is the source of revelation and exists eternally in the presence of Allah.27 According to Arthur Jeffery, “The Qur’an is Allah’s speech, not a created thing…”28 Because Allah’s speech (kalimah) is eternally part of his nature, the Qur’an must therefore be eternal as well.29 After observing the relevant material, Ignaz Goldhizer writes: “Speech is an eternal attribute of God, which as such is without beginning or intermission…consequently…the Qur’an has existed from all eternity. The Qur’an is uncreated.”30 With a number of Muslim theologians31 asserting the eternality of the Qur’an and with the preponderance of Sunni Muslims agreeing with this assertion, one must question as to how this differs from the Christian notion of Trinity.32 If speech is an eternal attribute of God, and the Qur’an has existed eternally alongside of Allah, would this not open the door for plurality within unity? If the Qur’an is in some form an attribute of Allah’s essence, yet it is eternally distinct from Allah, then how is this different from the concept of the Trinity proposed by orthodox Christians? Undeniably, if the Qur’an is eternal, as the attribute of Allah’s speech, and yet exists distinctly in the “preserved tablet,” this is analogous to the Christian conception of Trinity.

Muslims believe in two eternal things, yet they are, without question, monotheists.33All three members of the Trinity are distinct from one another, yet all exist eternally in the same essence. This is represented in John 1:1. According to the Apostle John, Jesus Christ eternally existed alongside God the Father, yet there is but one God; Christ was with God and was at the same time God.34 In light of a belief in the eternality of the Qur’an, it would be incorrect and inconsistent for the Muslim to object to the Trinity because the doctrine proposes that all three members of the triad share fully in the divine essence.35

For one to claim that the Trinity is illogical on the basis of shared essence, he must also deny the eternality of the Qur’an. “In other words, the basic Muslim logic of either monotheism or polytheism (which includes tritheism) is invalid.”36 The fundamental beliefs of Islam presuppose some type of binarian eternality. Consequently, only if Muslims allows for the possibility of Trinitarian eternality can they continue to logically and consistently maintain their conception of the eternal nature of the Qur’an. To disallow plural unity would render the doctrine of the Qur’an’s eternality null and void. If Islam loses the doctrine of eternal speech then it also loses Muhammad’s verification of apostleship.37Once Muhammad has lost his apostolic credentials, his message becomes meaningless. Therefore, a denial of the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity not only cuts to the heart of Christianity, but logically destroys the fundamental basis of Islam. Therefore, the Muslim would do well to consider the viability of Trinitarian, plural-unity in light of the Qur’an’s eternal existence. Just as the Qur’an is Allah’s eternal word, so is Christ the Father’s eternal Word; they are unified in essence yet distinct in person.

The Superiority of the Trinity

The doctrine of the Trinity far surpasses the Qur’an’s presentation of God’s nature in philosophical coherence and beauty. The Qur’an’s description of Allah is rife with inconsistencies. The God of Scripture, however, holds up under philosophical scrutiny. What follows will be a number of aspects representing the superior elements of the Trinity over tawhid.

First, the doctrine of tawhid fails to explain the human desire for love and community. According to Scripture, man is made in the image of God. This does not mean we resemble God physically, for God is a spirit, but rather that we share God’s qualities of mind, will, and emotion. In addition, we share God’s desire for community. In tawhid, all is consumed into the “one.” Within Islam there is no theological basis for human community. This is because, prior to creation, Allah was not relational because he existed in total isolation. One must remember that theology precedes anthropology. Consequently, if Allah does not exist in community, there is no basis for human community. Likewise, there is no rational foundation for assuming that the personal can originate from that which is impersonal. A monad god could not create beings who desire community. In contrast to this stands the God of the Bible. As the eternal being of love, which exists in three persons, the Trinity is an eternal community of absolute unity. The Trinity is relational, therefore mankind, as a reflection of God is relational and desires community.

Second, because Yahweh desires community, He is accessible to His creation. Allah is impersonal and unreachable. The God of Scripture desires fellowship with His creation.  Without this relational basis God could not reveal Himself to His creation. If Allah is not a “person” in the relational sense, then he is incapable of revealing himself. As result, no one, not even the prophets, could claim to know anything concerning Allah. Yahweh is relational; therefore, it is theologically consistent to assume that Yahweh can and does reveal Himself. Additionally, Scripture stresses the intimate nature of God. He literally acts as Abba, Father, to all who trust in the finished work of His Son, Jesus Christ. The doctrine of tawhid renders Allah unable of engaging in a relationship with his creation. Therefore tawhid, anthropologically speaking, is inferior to the doctrine of the Trinity.

The Philosophical Coherence of the Triune God

The philosophical description of the Trinity that follows not only presents a philosophical basis for the relational attributes of the Trinity, but also further demonstrates the superiority of the Trinity over and above tawhid. The purpose of this exploration is not to defend the Trinity against all charges of incoherence, but rather to address concepts vital in presenting the Trinity to Muslims.

When describing the Trinity in philosophical terms, one may inadvertently insist upon three divine beings; however, if this insistence occurs, it does so in direct opposition to the historical doctrine of the Trinity.38 Simply stated, the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity depicts God as three persons, yet a single divine essence.39According to Richard Swinburne, the existence of three divine persons is plausible.40 This does not mean, however, that three necessary beings or separate individuals exist.41 Instead, the possibility remains for more than one divine person to exist, providing that their generation is found within one another.42 More than one omnipotent person cannot exist unless omnipotence is grounded within a mechanism distinguishing a hierarchy.43That proposed mechanism is God’s essence. From within the essence appear the functional titles of the Trinity. The Father is eternally in the role of Father, not because of any advantage in deity over the other persons of the Trinity, but rather in His functional role. Likewise, the Son and Spirit take their names as a result of their functional activity. This means that, while there is functional subordination within the Trinity, there is no ontological subordination.44

How can three persons exist within a single essence? God, by definition, is simple; that is to say, He is indivisible not that His essence is lacking complexity.45 If His essence were divided, He would not be God. This fact, however, does not negate the plurality of persons within the Trinity. Plurality is possible in the sense that tri-unity is intrinsic to the divine nature or essence of God.46 While one could call the Father alone “God,” this title would not qualify as a statement of absolute identification.47 Each member of the Trinity is not an individual instance of divinity, but rather is divine because tri-unity is inherent to deity. This principle does not defy the law of non-contradiction, and is on that basis logically coherent. Norman Geisler describes the argument as follows: “(1) God is one and only one in relation to His essence; (2) God is more than one (viz., three) in relation to His persons. These are two different senses or relations. Therefore, the Trinity is not contradictory.”48

Augustine’s analogy of love is quite useful in describing the necessity of the triune nature of God. If God is Love ontologically, He necessarily requires someone to love in order to exist. For a being that is absolute love to exist as an eternal, necessary being, He must have an object of love. In addition, for God to be perfect love, He necessarily must be plural. Richard Swinburne has noted that, “There is something profoundly imperfect and therefore inadequately divine in a solitary divine individual. If such an individual is love, he must share, and sharing with finite beings such as humans is not sharing all of one’s nature and is therefore imperfect sharing.”49Undoubtedly, a perfect, ontologically divine love demands plurality. Merely two persons would not logically resolve this issue. While two persons can love one another, this type of love is individualistic. A perfect love demands some type of shared, selfless love. This is only accomplished while three persons exist within the Godhead. As Augustine has noted, there must be a lover, one being loved, and the power, or Spirit, of love. Therefore, any being that can be rightly described as “love” must exist in plurality. This plurality does not lend itself to polytheism, for, as Occam has pointed out, there is no need to unnecessarily multiply a number of entities. For the purpose of ontological, perfect love, only three divine persons are needed. Stated concisely, the doctrine of the Trinity may be beyond human comprehension, but it is not irrational.

Conclusion

The Trinity provides a coherent understanding of God’s nature, whereas tawhid crumbles under careful scrutiny. Illustrations for plural-unity pervade the natural order yet one fails to find any object representing undifferentiated unity. Additionally, the Muslim notion of the Qur’an’s eternality screams of plural-unity. If one denies plural-unity, one must also deny the eternality of the Qur’an; thereby destroying the foundation of Islam. Furthermore, the doctrine of the Trinity provides a clear explanation and theological basis upon which one can understand the human desire for love and community. Prior to creation, Allah was non-relational. As an inherently, non-relational being, Allah would be incapable of providing a basis for human community. Finally, the doctrine of the Trinity provides an explanation for the human pursuit of love. Because the Trinity has existed for all eternity in a community of love, the human desire for love springs forth from mankind’s reflection of the divine.  Without a Creator who possesses plural-unity, such an expression would be impossible. How then can one insist upon adhering to a cold and barren monotheism? The Trinity conveys the overwhelming brilliance of a loving God Who exists in a vibrant community of love.  Therefore, the church must not shy away from confronting Islam with the tri-unity of God.

 

1. Questions and listening

The power of a question to open meaningful conversation can hardly be overstated. Regardless of how much we have studied the teachings of the Qur’an, hadith, and Islamic culture, it is essential to remember that our conversation partner is not Islam embodied, but rather a person with a unique history, set of concerns, and understanding of their faith. Asking questions and listening well engages a human person–an image bearer–rather than an imaginary embodiment of a belief system. This allows the Christian to offer biblical answers to the questions that are personally important to the individual.

2. Invite rather than answer

While asking questions serves to begin a conversation, inevitably the Christian will have opportunity to begin sharing his or her perspective. Often this comes when the conversation partner asks a question or poses a challenge to the Christian. Naturally, when someone asks a question, we are inclined to respond with an answer. Furthermore, the pressure to have a ready response that demonstrates the reasonableness of our faith drives a tendency to respond with immediate answers. While giving an answer is necessary and helpful, I want to caution against allowing our answers to be the end of the conversation. When providing an answer to a challenge or a question, we should seize the opportunity to invite our conversation partner to study Scripture with us in order to provide the biblical evidence for our answers. This invitation serves the dual function of determining whether our Muslim friend is genuinely interested in our answers and demonstrating our ultimate commitment to biblical authority.

3. Scripture rather than philosophy

Perhaps the most common contention that one encounters in discussions with Muslims is that the concept of the Trinity is irrational. Our temptation at this point is to resort to analogies or philosophical apologetics to defend the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. However, again, the most potent defense of the Trinity comes by way of long drinks from the Biblical text. More than anything else, the beauty of the Trinity is found in God’s self-revelation through Christ discovered in pages and story of Scripture. Philosophy and apologetics have their place, but should serve as secondary explanations of our primary commitment to the Bible. Such commitment will often evoke respect from our Muslim friends.

4. Holy Spirit

Building on the previous point, getting into Scripture exposes our Muslim neighbor to the text that the Holy Spirit uses to open eyes, soften hearts, and speak truly of the one creator God. While certainly important, our philosophical renderings of how God exists as one God in three persons pale in comparison to the way the Bible, through the enlightening power of the Spirit, works in the human heart encountering the living Word of God.

5. Love

Finally, as long as the person we are speaking with is breathing, they are within the reach of God’s saving love in Christ. Likewise, they are no more worthy of damnation than we were prior to our salvation. Thus, while our confidence in the gospel comes from the love of Christ toward us, our sharing our faith with Muslim friends should be motivated by love. Too often evangelistic encounters with Muslims become debates to be won. Let us fight to remain motivated by neighbor love, driving us to extend the gospel that Jesus is king and all who will can find forgiveness and reconciliation in him.

Since such forgiveness finds its motivation in the boundless love of God for his creation, so too should our extension of the gospel derive from Christ’s love working its way out of us to our Muslim neighbors. The next post in the series will look at five common objections to Christianity often advanced by Muslims and thoughts about how to lead them to the biblical foundations for our answers.

Engaging Muslims Part 2: Five Common Objections

This post gives a brief overview of five of the most common objections to Christianity that we hear from our Muslim friends. Though I cannot give an exhaustive treatment of these topics, I do want to offer some Bible passages to provide natural access points through which to invite our Muslim friends into a deeper engagement with the Christian message in the Bible.

1. The Trinity is irrational: John 1:1-4

Almost inevitably, at some point your Muslim friend will raise questions concerning the Trinity. At such a point, it’s tempting to try to philosophically defend the rational integrity of the Christian claim that God is one essence in three persons. However, inviting someone to read passages in Scripture about the Trinity allows the Bible to speak for itself. This helps demonstrate how God has revealed himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The opening of John’s Gospel, for example, provides a natural entry point to discussing the way that Bible reveals God as a Trinity. John’s use of “the Word” as a reference to Jesus coincides with qur’anic references to Jesus as the word of God (Qur’an 3:39, 45; 4:171). John’s Gospel, however, goes on to fill this title with biblical meaning derived from both Old Testament prophecy and the life and ministry of Jesus himself. The doctrine of the Trinity makes sense of passages like this that show Jesus as being equal with God the Father.

2. God would not let a prophet like Jesus suffer the disgrace of the cross: John 10:17-18

Most Islamic scholars contend that Qur’an 4:157-158  teaches that Jesus did not die on the cross. Theories abound as to who it was that actually underwent crucifixion on Good Friday, but most Muslims believe that it would be undignified for God to allow his prophets to be subjected to such derision and shame.

In John 10:17-18, though, Jesus declares that he intends to lay down his life on behalf of his flock of followers. Thus the Christian is able to show that Jesus wasn’t killed by the Jews or by the Romans, but rather Jesus offered his life willingly. At this point the Christian can fruitfully raise the question, “Why would Jesus say something like this?” And the invitation to read the Bible’s message about Old Testament sacrifice and its fulfillment and eternal completion in Christ is a way to provide an answer that not only shows that Jesus did die, but why it is fitting that he would die. (I commend the Book of Hebrews for this purpose.)

3. Your Bible has been corrupted and is untrustworthy: 2 Peter 1:16-21

Another common accusation you may encounter when sharing your faith with a Muslim friend is that the Bible has been changed and corrupted. Since it is rare that such an accusation ever identifies such a change or corruption specifically, it is helpful again to simply let the Bible speak for itself.

One place that I might commend is 2 Peter 1:16-21. Here Peter shows how the Holy Spirit supervised the prophetic words spoken, recorded in Scripture, which point to Christ’s saving work. The Christian can invite their Muslim friend to read the way that the Bible foretells Christ’s advent, the way Christ’s actions fulfill prior revelation, and how the Jesus of the Bible holds together the biblical storyline of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. In so doing, one demonstrates the “wholeness” of the biblical narrative, and can then ask, “Does this story seem as if it has been changed along the way, or does it actually make sense of the world we live in?”

4. We’re really mostly the same with only a few small differences: John 14:6

The final two objections bear some similarity to one another. The first tends to downplay the distinctives between Christianity and Islam, highlighting instead commonly held ethical teachings. While it’s true that Christianity and Islam exhibit many superficial similarities, they have deeper areas of disagreements such as the remedy for sin.

For Muslims, sin occurs when one forgets the way of God. The solution offered by the Qur’an and all of the prophets is guidance back to the straight path of Allah. In John 14:6, however, Jesus’ words to his disciples testify that he himself is the way, the truth, and the life. This passage illustrates a fundamental and irreconcilable difference between the teaching of the Bible and the Qur’an. Where Islam provides guidance to please God, Christ provides satisfaction of God’s wrath and extension of his purifying, forgiving, adopting, and commissioning love.

 

5. We believe in all of your prophets, why don’t you believe in ours: Matthew 24:5

Perhaps this is the most controversial recommendation in the list, but when a close friend with whom I have had significant conversations about faith in the past presents this final argument, I often take them to Matthew 24:5. As Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure, he warns that there will be many who will follow him whose teaching is false.

I usually establish that we both believe that God exists and that he has an enemy who also exists. If we can agree that God has provided a way of salvation—a way to please God—then it makes sense that his enemy would seek to offer alternative ways that do not lead to God. If, then, we are looking at two books that are incompatible, but which both claim to be God’s word to humanity, we have two options: both books can be wrong, or one can be right.

At this point, rather than merely coming out and saying that I believe the Qur’an to be a tool of God’s enemy, I instead invite my friend to read Scripture with me in order to be able to compare the story that the Bible tells about the world with the story the Qur’an tells about the world. I try to lead them to draw conclusions as to who is a prophet of God and who is a distraction from God’s ways.

Again, the important thing is to seek to show the Bible’s whole story through inviting your Muslim friend to read the Bible with you. This approach intends to uphold and display the claim that the Christian is a “person of the Book.” While it may require a longer investment than other methods, it holds out the source of our convictions and commends it on its own merits to our Muslim friends. The next and last post of this short series will suggest some practical means of meeting, engaging, and loving your Muslim neighbor where you are.

Engaging Muslims Part 3

In this post we will rest on engaging in gospel-directed conversations with Muslims.

1. Prayer

Before offering some very practical ways to begin, I want to first emphasize the importance of prayer as foundational to engaging with Muslims. Begin praying, as an individual or, even better, as a group, that the Lord would allow you to meet Muslims and to make inroads into Muslim communities. Pray that the Lord will give you eyes to see those around you that you may have missed previously.

It may seem a trite suggestion, but restaurants run and staffed by people of Middle Eastern descent can be wonderful, neutral places to meet and engage with Muslim people. Besides the fact that the food is delicious (Try the chicken tikka, shawarma, or anything from Lebanon!), the staff likely will be more than willing to spend some time proudly explaining their dishes and culture to you. The beauty of Middle Eastern culture is that it is so permeated with religious concepts, phrases, and associations that even a conversation about food can open up opportunities to share the gospel and to begin relationships.

2. Mosque Visit

Many mosques in the U.S. have visitor’s centers attached to them, in an effort to explain their faith to those who are curious. Furthermore, some also host community dinners or open-houses for the public, in an effort to relieve the perceived tensions that often accompany an Islamic place of worship in a Western setting. While this may not be the ideal setting for sharing one’s faith, it is a point of contact whereby one might begin a relationship with Muslims and families.

3. Volunteer to Teach ESOL

Many larger cities in the U.S. host ever-growing populations of refugees. While the issue of refugees is politically charged in the contemporary context of the U.S., the American church has an opportunity to share the gospel freely with refugees from some of the hardest-to-access places on the globe. One way to serve these vulnerable populations is by teaching English as a Second Language through any number of venues that offer these services. While the classroom may not be the most conducive environment for sharing the gospel directly, the relationships formed through this venue can lead to fruitful conversations outside of class time.

4. Hellos and Hospitality

Perhaps the easiest way to meet Muslim people is the most obvious: Just introduce yourself! When you meet someone named Muhammad or Ahmed, ask them about their lineage. When you see a covered woman at the mall with her family, introduce yourself and ask about the family’s nationality. If you are a man, speak with the man; if a woman, speak with the woman. And for either gender, acknowledge and introduce yourself to the children. One of the best things about Middle Eastern culture is that children are beloved and readily engaged in conversation along with the adults. Reversing the roles, don’t be surprised if your Muslim friends pay attention to your children when they are around, playing with them or even picking them up. Further, don’t be surprised if you get an invitation to have a meal or to visit the family in their home. It is more of an honor to host someone than to visit someone, so if you are invited, feel free to accept.

5. Remember to Love

Muslim populations in the US are often fearful, due to both real and imagined prejudices. This makes it all the more important to begin a relationship with a Muslim or a Muslim family from a posture of genuine neighbour love, recognizing the dignity with which they are endowed as image bearers, and being sensitive to the fact that they may have encountered negative reactions from others in the community. Our message of Jesus’ ultimate expression of God’s love should be exhibited in the way that we relate with our neighbors of all backgrounds. While the system of Islam is a sinister distortion of the saving gospel message, Muslim people themselves are not beyond the reach of God’s redemptive restoration in Christ. May the Lord be glorified as we display evidence of His great love for us by loving our Muslim neighbors and share the message of Christ with them!