A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON ISLAM'S ORIGINS

A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON ISLAM'S ORIGINS
Author: Gabriel Aryeh
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
Total Pages: 53
Release: 2024-01-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON ISLAM After several interactions with Muslims of distinct sects in the Bronx community, NYC schools, and the workplace through the decades, Aryeh observed how some professing Christians were led to believe in the Islamic claim of Muhammad's legitimacy as a prophet. Although a few maintained the belief that Jesus remained holy as a "prophet," they suggested he was a mere man and abandoned their past confessions regarding his divinity. Nevertheless, the more astounding claim many ex-Christians and Muslims made suggested that the Jewish and Christian God found in the Bible identified as the same deity of the Qur'an. Hence, these claims above initiated the primary reasons for delving deep into the study of Islam and writing this book for the sake of not only reaching many believers who erred from Christianity but the Muslims who believed that Allah identified as the God of the Jews and Christians. Indeed, the enormous task of disproving Islam as an extension of the Abrahamic faith required many investigations into the questions raised by such astonishing claims. This book makes deep inquiries into the historical and theological assertions found in the Islamic faith concerning Allah, Muhammad, and the religious practices observed today, which have survived for little over fourteen centuries. Consequentially, the unfortunate misconceptions taught about Islam in many church pulpits since the early days of this researcher's youth stemmed from books found in academia and some Christian libraries, which promoted a worldwide narrative by selective, favorable historical accounts based on political ideologies instead of rigorous theological investigation. The Christian perspective on Islam examines the theological origins of the Islamic faith by first investigating the geographical locations alleged as the nascent religion's early beginnings by exploring the historical and societal development of the Arab peoples. Second, this book probes the legitimacy of Muhammad as a divinely ordered prophet by consulting the Judaic traditions derived from the Jewish Scriptures explaining the qualifications of authentic prophethood. Finally, the sequential order of inquiry laid out above will highlight the emergence of the theology and residual religious rituals observed today in the Islamic world, and therefore, conclusively demonstrate that Islam remains unaligned with its Jewish and Christian predecessors.

The Future of Islam

The Future of Islam
Author: John L. Esposito
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2010-02-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 019974596X

John L. Esposito is one of America's leading authorities on Islam. Now, in this brilliant portrait of Islam today--and tomorrow--he draws on a lifetime of thought and research to sweep away the negative stereotypes and provide an accurate, richly nuanced, and revelatory account of the fastest growing religion in the world. Here Esposito explores the major questions and issues that face Islam in the 21st century and that will deeply affect global politics. Are Islam and the West locked in a deadly clash of civilizations? Is Islam compatible with democracy and human rights? Will religious fundamentalism block the development of modern societies in the Islamic world? Will Islam overwhelm the Western societies in which so many Muslim immigrants now reside? Will Europe become Eurabia or will the Muslims assimilate? Which Muslim thinkers will be most influential in the years to come? To answer this last question he introduces the reader to a new generation of Muslim thinkers--Tariq Ramadan, Timothy Winter, Mustafa Ceric, Amina Wadud, and others--a diverse collection of Muslim men and women, both the "Martin Luthers" and the "Billy Grahams" of Islam. We meet religious leaders who condemn suicide bombing and who see the killing of unarmed men, women, and children as "worse than murder," who preach toleration and pluralism, who advocate for women's rights. The book often underscores the unexpected similarities between the Islamic world and the West and at times turns the mirror on the US, revealing how we appear to Muslims, all to highlight the crucial point that there is nothing exceptional about the Muslim faith. Recent decades have brought extraordinary changes in the Muslim world, and in addressing all of these issues, Esposito paints a complex picture of Islam in all its diversity--a picture of urgent importance as we face the challenges of the coming century.

What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an

What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an
Author: James R. White
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2013-05-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1441260528

A Look Inside the Sacred Book of One of the World's Fastest-Growing Religions What used to be an exotic religion of people halfway around the world is now the belief system of people living across the street. Through fair, contextual use of the Qur'an as the primary source text, apologist James R. White presents Islamic beliefs about Christ, salvation, the Trinity, the afterlife, and other important topics. White shows how the sacred text of Islam differs from the teachings of the Bible in order to help Christians engage in open, honest discussions with Muslims.

Muhammad and the Believers

Muhammad and the Believers
Author: Fred M. Donner
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2012-05-07
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0674064143

Looks at the history of Islam, arguing that its origins began with the "Believers" movement that emphasized strict monotheism and righteous behavior that included both Christians and Jews in its early years.

Reasonable Faith

Reasonable Faith
Author: William Lane Craig
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2008
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433501155

This updated edition by one of the world's leading apologists presents a systematic, positive case for Christianity that reflects the latest work in the contemporary hard sciences and humanities. Brilliant and accessible.

The Crucifix on Mecca's Front Porch

The Crucifix on Mecca's Front Porch
Author: David Pinault
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Total Pages: 441
Release: 2018-08-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1621642321

This book on Islam has an unusual perspective. It argues that a critically minded examination of Islam can help Christians achieve a deeper appreciation of the unique truths of their own faith. It draws on the author’s personal experiences living in Islamic countries and his fieldwork with persecuted Christian-minority communities, especially in Pakistan, Yemen, Egypt, and Indonesia. It includes the author’s own original translations of Islamic texts in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu, as well as primary-source materials in Latin that were written by Christian participants in the Crusades. The author focuses on Muslim interactions with the Christian tradition. He examines and takes issue with the misguided approach of those Christians and Muslims who, in the interests of Christian-Muslim rapprochement, minimize theological differences between the two faiths, especially in the area of Christology. Such attempts at rapport, he writes, do a profound disservice to both religions. Illustrating the Muslim view of Christ with Islamic polemical texts from the eleventh to the twenty-first centuries, the author draws on Hans Urs von Balthasar, and other theologians of kenotic Christology, to show how Islamic condemnations of divine "weakness" and "neediness" can deepen our appreciation of what is most uniquely Christian in our vision of Jesus as God-made-man, who voluntarily experiences weakness, suffering, and death in solidarity with all human beings. Both timely and urgently needed, The Crucifix on Mecca's Front Porch invites readers to reflect on the stark differences between Christianity and Islam and to appreciate the uniqueness of the Christian faith.

Not the Way It's Supposed to Be

Not the Way It's Supposed to Be
Author: Cornelius Plantinga
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 220
Release: 1996-02-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780802842183

"Plantinga's treatment of sin is comprehensive, articulate, and well written. It confirms the orthodox and neo-orthodox doctrine of sin, lavishly illustrates it from contemporary events, and plumbs depths in understanding sin's complexities and banalities...

Islam and Christianity

Islam and Christianity
Author: John Renard
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 684
Release: 2011-03-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0520948335

In light of the widespread public perception of incompatibility between Islam and Christianity, this book provides a much-needed straightforward comparison of these two great faith traditions from a broad theological perspective. Award-winning scholar John Renard illuminates the similarities as well as the differences between Islam and Christianity through a clear exploration of four major dimensions—historical, creedal, institutional, and ethical and spiritual. Throughout, the book features comparisons between concrete elements such as creedal statements, prayer texts, and writings from major theologians and mystics. It also includes a glossary of technical theological terms. For western readers in particular, this balanced, authoritative work overturns some common stereotypes about Islam, especially those that have emerged in the decade since September 11, 2001.

Where to Start with Islam

Where to Start with Islam
Author: Samuel Green
Publisher:
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2019-11-30
Genre:
ISBN: 9781925424607

Samuel Green has spent more than two decades speaking with Muslims and finding out what they are taught about Jesus and his followers: that Jesus wasn't crucified, the Bible is corrupted, and the Trinity is the weak point you won't be able to explain. He has also come to realize that their book, the Qur'an, makes claims about Christianity and history that simply aren't true.Where to Start with Islam will equip you to understand and address these assumptions and know where to start as you seek to present your Muslim friends with Christ and share with them about his wonderful gift of salvation.