Today, 1.6 billion Muslims live on this earth. Christian ministry to those of differing religions and beliefs, such as Islam, stands as a central tenet of Jesus’s Gospel mandate. Often those who pursue this mandate find great difficulty while proclaiming the Gospel, as cultural context may prevent the evangelizer’s words from being understood as intended. In order to avoid such confusion, careful attention and adaptation to cultural factors in essential in Christian ministry to non-believers. One of the most fundamental challenges facing Christians in their ministry to Muslims today involves explaining the differences between the Christian God “Yahweh” and the Islamic God “Allah”. Two points of view have emerged with specific methods to solve
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Mohammed’s objective for Islam was apparent to anyone willing to read the Koran or Hadith, for the conquest and conversion to continue until “the (world’s) religion is Allah’s.” Those who believe that Allah and God must be kept separate point to this Sura as evidence for their case at a basic level. Rich Richter, a pastor with his M.Div. from Concordia Seminary, argues that though both Islam and Christian faiths worship one God, their definitions of God are essentially different. He states that “the Koran denies the teaching of Jesus, who has revealed God as a loving Father. Allah in the Koran is loving to those who first are loving and obedient to him. Allah’s love is conditional. Thus Allah’s very essence is fundamentally different from the Lord God in the Bible. …The Lord’s love poured out through His Son is unconditional.” Richter’s analysis of Islamic history drives him to conclude that Allah, who orders the military conversion of the world, should not be associated with Yahweh, who came to redeem it in love. Similarly, Ergun Caner, a convert from Islam to Christianity, poses three questions regarding the nature of Allah compared to Yahweh, “Is Allah triune? Does Allah have a son? Is Allah the vicarious redeemer and atoning lamb of God?” As any devout Muslim would attest, the …show more content…
Colin Chapman, a professor of Islamic studies in Beirut, states, “Is the Christian idea of God the same as the Muslim’s idea of God? No. Is there anything common between the Christian’s idea of God and the Muslim’s idea of God? Yes. Is there enough in common between Christian’s idea of God and the Muslim’s Idea of God for us to be able to use the same word for “God”? This is probably the crucial question.” Chapman, considered a Parallelist, argues that even though the natures of these “gods” differ, they can still be compared and designated by the same term for the sake of understanding between Christians and Muslims. Another prominent Parallelist, Norman Geisler, says, “Allah is the personal name for God in Islam. We make no distinction…between the word “Allah” and the English word “God”. As some well-known Muslim author puts it, “Al Lah” means “the divinity” in Arabic and is the single God, implying that a correct transcription can only render the exact meaning of the word with the help of the expression “god.” Using this fact, Geisler argues that for Muslims, “the divinity” includes the God of Jews and Christians. Therefore, he claims that though one cannot attempt to preach of God and Allah as the same God, one can use the word “Allah” to introduce Yahweh to Muslims in a way they better understand. Chapman provides a metaphor to
Mohammed’s objective for Islam was apparent to anyone willing to read the Koran or Hadith, for the conquest and conversion to continue until “the (world’s) religion is Allah’s.” Those who believe that Allah and God must be kept separate point to this Sura as evidence for their case at a basic level. Rich Richter, a pastor with his M.Div. from Concordia Seminary, argues that though both Islam and Christian faiths worship one God, their definitions of God are essentially different. He states that “the Koran denies the teaching of Jesus, who has revealed God as a loving Father. Allah in the Koran is loving to those who first are loving and obedient to him. Allah’s love is conditional. Thus Allah’s very essence is fundamentally different from the Lord God in the Bible. …The Lord’s love poured out through His Son is unconditional.” Richter’s analysis of Islamic history drives him to conclude that Allah, who orders the military conversion of the world, should not be associated with Yahweh, who came to redeem it in love. Similarly, Ergun Caner, a convert from Islam to Christianity, poses three questions regarding the nature of Allah compared to Yahweh, “Is Allah triune? Does Allah have a son? Is Allah the vicarious redeemer and atoning lamb of God?” As any devout Muslim would attest, the …show more content…
Colin Chapman, a professor of Islamic studies in Beirut, states, “Is the Christian idea of God the same as the Muslim’s idea of God? No. Is there anything common between the Christian’s idea of God and the Muslim’s idea of God? Yes. Is there enough in common between Christian’s idea of God and the Muslim’s Idea of God for us to be able to use the same word for “God”? This is probably the crucial question.” Chapman, considered a Parallelist, argues that even though the natures of these “gods” differ, they can still be compared and designated by the same term for the sake of understanding between Christians and Muslims. Another prominent Parallelist, Norman Geisler, says, “Allah is the personal name for God in Islam. We make no distinction…between the word “Allah” and the English word “God”. As some well-known Muslim author puts it, “Al Lah” means “the divinity” in Arabic and is the single God, implying that a correct transcription can only render the exact meaning of the word with the help of the expression “god.” Using this fact, Geisler argues that for Muslims, “the divinity” includes the God of Jews and Christians. Therefore, he claims that though one cannot attempt to preach of God and Allah as the same God, one can use the word “Allah” to introduce Yahweh to Muslims in a way they better understand. Chapman provides a metaphor to