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Christianity Today, November, 2008 |

FOOLISH THINGS

All Monotheisms Are Not Alike

How the Apostles' Creed can sharpen our dialogue with Muslims.

Stan Guthrie | posted 11/24/2008 09:07AM

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Muslims deny the Resurrection and certainly don't believe that Isa can stand in God's place as judge. But Christians do, affirming Paul's confession that "every knee should bow" to Jesus, "the name that is above every name."

• I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints …

Muslims also believe the Holy Spirit supported the ministry of Isa, but, being strict unitarians, they deny the Spirit's deity.

• … the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Muslims have no assurance of salvation. According to Muslim scholar Abul A'la Maududi, "Man will stand by himself—helpless and alone—to render his account, and awake the pronouncement of judgment, which shall be in the power of God alone." This produces fear. Such fear should be alien to Christians, however, who believe that Christ intercedes for us, having entered the Most Holy Place, thus ensuring our firm hope: "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God," says John, "so that you may know that you have eternal life."

Let the dialogue continue, but with the Apostles' Creed in hand.

Amen.

Editor's Note: Rick Love, the former international director of Frontiers, has contacted CT to say that this article quotes him out of context and makes it look like he does not agree with Stan Guthrie's thesis ("when in fact I do agree with his thesis"). Although Love did write of Christians and Muslims that "we both worship the one true God," he also wrote in the same context that "our views of God differ primarily regarding the Fatherhood of God, the Trinity, and especially regarding the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ." He also wrote that the Muslim "view of God falls short of His perfections and beauty as described in the Bible." According to Love, he models his approach to Muslims on Paul's approach to the Athenians who worshiped the Unknown God. (See Acts 17, where Paul proposes to tell the Athenians more about the God they worship in ignorance rather than telling them that they worship a false god.)

Related Elsewhere:

Christianity Today reported on the A Common Word Between Us and You statement.

Stan Guthrie's previous columns are available on our site.

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November 2008, Vol. 52, No. 11

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Daniel

Posted: December 05, 2008 3:13 PM


Excellent article.

Julian

Posted: December 01, 2008 2:22 PM

I have never seen a theology more likely to lead to conflict and chaos in the world rather than peace and understanding. Such line-drawing has led me to reject the entire notion of the Trinity as helpful. As with predestination, this dogma is held as essential by virtually no lay Christian nowadays. Many pastors are coming to the same conclusion. Please read Hans Kung's trilogy on the three great monotheistic religions or listen to the Teaching Company course on Comparative Religions by the former head of the World Council of Churches' Christian-Muslim dialogue for a much better analysis than I can give. Christ is God's word as a person and the Koran is God's word in writing. This isn't to say they are exactly the same but my, the other approach isn't much better than those wackos who want to start World War III by supporting ultra-Orthodox Jews in blowing up the Dome on the Rock.

Hakim

Posted: December 01, 2008 1:13 PM

I read that the Muslims have misunderstood Jesus, but the reality is, Islam aside if you look at what Christian scholars, academics and denominations, themselves say about Jesus, it is a hot bed of confusion. We see the differences which exist between the disciples that followed Jesus, the succeeding first century Christians as opposed to contemporary Christianity. We see divisions of Historical Jesus and the Jesus of Faith making clear distinction between the two, both in the back drop of a Roman Occupation and influence. One can say that the most important non-biblical figure in Christianity could be Emperor Constantine and this is prior to his so-called deathbed confession. Making the standard bearers, of the definitive narrative of, who Jesus was, being defined by the very enemy who occupied his land and destroyed his temple. (Imagine Muslims countries teaching Western countries about democracy)

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