Since Sept. 11, the questions have become widely discussed: Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? What do Islam and Christianity share in common? More importantly, are there essential differences between the two great religions that cannot be dismissed?
These were the questions addressed by Timothy George, dean of the Beeson Divinity School at Samford University, during the Baptist College of Florida’s annual Powell Lectures April 22–23.
While there are significant commonalities between the two great religions, George said Islam’s rejection of the Trinity and crucifixion of Jesus pose unavoidable stumbling blocks for Muslims, demonstrating that the two religions cannot be said to worship the same God.
Despite the tendency in American culture to reject exclusive truth claims and press for universal acceptance of all religions, George urged Christians to resist this pressure for two reasons. He said that to do so is dishonest and shows disrespect to deeply held convictions of both Muslims and Christians.
George urged Christians to better understand the theology of Islam as a means of reaching Muslims with the true gospel. Today, there are more than 1 billion Muslims and, by the year 2025, George said Muslims will claim one of every three people in the world.
Citing similarities between Islam and Christianity, George said:
Historical religions: “They take seriously history, unlike many religions of the East.”
Textual religions: Both Muslims and Christians base their theology on sacred text, the Koran for Muslims and the Bible for Christians.
Teleological religions: Islam and Christians teach there is a purpose to life, including a final judgment with heaven and hell.
Missionary religions: “They are concerned to spread the message they have into all the world,” George said.
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity and the death of Jesus Christ on the cross represent key differences with Islam that cannot be ignored, George noted.
The “essential difference” is the claim of Muslims in the Koran (Surah 5:73) that “Christians believe in three gods,” George said, noting that the Muslim Student Association has published a tract for use on university campuses that prominently makes this claim.
Although this is a distorted, inaccurate portrayal of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, George said that many Christians are unable to refute the claim because the Trinity is a “neglected teaching” in Christian churches resulting in “widespread error, and even heresy, within the Christian community.”
(BP)
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