April 23 rd April 30 th May 7 th May 14 th May 21 st Islam and Christianity Intersections Class - Spring 2017 Course Outline The History of Islam Culture of Islam Islam and Christianity Bridging the Divide Islam and the Gospel Our Response to Islam
Islam and Christianity Day 3 Islam and Christianity Similarities, Differences, and the Theological Divide
Opening Thoughts There are huge differences between Islam and Christianity As we go through these similarities and differences, please grasp the similarities. It is through these that we can build bridges and improve communication Some differences are due to foundational differences in the Qur an, while others are due to traditional (but incorrect) teaching or to downright deceptive teachings of leaders. Remember from our session on culture: Over 80% of Muslims do not read Arabic and do not read the Qur an, they rely on Imams (and others) to teach them. Most Muslims welcome the chance to talk about faith. We ll talk about how next week.
Both Muslims and Christians believe... In one all powerful Creator God God protects His Word from alteration That sin is pervasive in the world...but only Christians and Jews believe in the concept of original sin (Adam and the fall) All people sin, except Only Jesus did not sin Muhammad was forgiven for his sins three times in the Qur an. He was not sinless, though many imams teach that he was. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary Jesus is the Messiah Jesus performed many miracles, healed the sick, and raised the dead. Jesus was taken into heaven in front of many witnesses Jesus is the Word of God and the Spirit of God (4:171) The Qur an lifts Jesus above all other prophets, but the Imams do not teach this. Jesus is, in fact, mentioned 4x as many times as Muhammad. Jesus will be the judge on judgment day
On the Veracity of The Bible Qur an 3:2 Allah! There is no god but He, the Living, the self-subsisting, Eternal. It is He who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this as a guide to mankind. 3:23 Have you not noticed those who have been given a portion of the Book? Whenever their learned men are summoned to the Book of Allah to judge the differences between them, a party of them turns away in aversion. They are asked to acknowledge the Book of God (Torah, Psalms, and the Gospels) as the final arbiter in all matters, and to submit to its judgment, accepting as right whatever this Book holds to be right, and as wrong whatever it holds to be wrong. Muslims are taught by their Imams that all books (Torah, Psalms, Gospels) except the Qur an have been corrupted This is contrary to what the Qur an teaches In fact it is blasphemy: If God Protects His Word and God is all powerful, how can this be true? What is in the Qur an is that Christians and Jews have misinterpreted the meaning in these books.
The Paths of Muhammad and Christ Following the Hijra Flee persecution. Suffering is abnormal. Seek statehood. Bring reform through law. Need power. Deny the Cross: Reject weakness and vulnerability. Following the Cross Expect persecution. Prevail. Suffering is normal. Reject statehood. Bring reform through leaven, salt, and light. Need savior. Pick up the Cross: Be transformed through weakness and vulnerability. Source: EWI
Differences in Islam and Christianity There are 99 Beautiful names of God in Islam, some of which are incompatible with our understanding of God: Al Memeet: The source of death Al Muntaqem: God will come after you out of vengeance, not justice Al Macker: The schemer; God will scheme against you Most Muslims think Christians believe that God had sexual relations with Mary resulting in a half-human half-divine Jesus. Which is blasphemous to both Muslims and Christians Most Muslims believe Christians worship three gods: Allah, Jesus, and Mary. Associating other gods with Allah is the supreme sin The Qur an is pretty specific about denying the trinity (4:171, 5:73, 5:116, 19:88-93, 23:91, and 112:1-4)
Fundamental Theological Divergence Muslims deny the deity of Christ Muslims believe the Qur an is God s final and definitive revelation of His perfect will to mankind. Christians believe Christ is the living Word of God in human form. Muslims believe the Qur an is the criterion of Truth Christians believe that total biblical witness, culminating in Jesus, is the criterion of Truth Muslims do not believe in the Holiness of God and the Sinfulness of Man (Original Sin) These are absent in the Qur an, which enables salvation by works
Fundamental Theological Divergence (2) Muslims do not believe in salvation by grace. Islam is both faith-based and works-based redemption system. Your good deeds are balanced against your bad deeds. If the good deeds outweigh the bad, you can go to paradise If Allah wills it. Not even Muhammad knew if he was going to heaven. Muslims say they take responsibility for sin, while Christians do not We just dump our sins on Jesus and go on sinning. Muslims believe Christ did not die on the cross. (4:157) That they said (in boast), We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise. They believe that God protected him and sent an angel to die in his place
Questions?
Table Discussion Topics If you are new to the study of Islam, what items did you find most enlightening or surprising? How do you feel about Muslim denial of several fundamental tenets of Christian faith? If you were a Muslim, how would you feel about Christian denial of several tenets of Muslim faith? Do any of those feelings help build a bridge that allows a loving dialog about Jesus? What is the single question you most desire to have answered in the remainder of this series?