Dr. William Craig, who teaches philosophy at the Talbot School of Theology in California, spoke on “The Concept of God in Islam and Christianity.” He said that while the two missionary religions share much common ground, they are at key points contradictory in their concept of God. Rather than ask, “Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?’ Craig thought it better to inquire “Is the Muslim or Christian concept of God true?”

Craig said that God is “the greatest conceivable being. God must be perfect. If he is perfect, then he must be loving. “The nature of love is to give oneself away to another.” Allah does not give himself away so he cannot be perfect.” God is a perfect being of self-giving love.  Allah does not love sinners; his approval is reserved only for those who have earned it. 

A Muslim cannot be sure that his good deeds will outweigh his bad, so he has no assurance of heaven. Only martyrdom in a holy war will guarantee he can skip Judgment Day and go straight to heaven.  

The Rt. Rev.  Michael Nazir-Ali, who was born in Pakistan, has both a Christian and a Muslim family background. He served as a bishop first in Pakistan and later in England. For many years he led the Anglican Communion’s dialogue with the Islamic world and is now a leading advocate of freedom in the Middle East.
 
“Can there be democracy in an Islamic state, especially since it is difficult in Islam to separate the state from religion?” the bishop asked. “Is democracy about taking power or giving up power at the ballot box?”

He said democracy could easily become “a tyranny of the majority” without a Bill of Rights to ensure equality before the law. Muslim law is based on inequality, whether between Muslim and non-Muslim or men and women.

“Secularism does not have the means to overcome militant Islam,” he said.

Dr. Philip Jenkins, professor of history at Baylor University in Texas, focused on the holy wars that have been waged in the name of both God and Allah over the centuries. He noted that there were massive slaughters of Jews especially in the Rhineland during the pilgrimages, which were only much later called crusades. The majority of the Holy Land was Christian at the time of these crusades and often battles were fought against rival Christian sects.  

Dr. Ken Boa, the President of Reflections Ministries, said that Muslims never forget the crusades. Yet during a 1400-year period Muslims fought 458 offensive battles in 45 countries while Christians fought 16 offensive battles in five countries over only a 170-year period. Boa also noted that Allah is impersonal and unknowable while Yahweh is a personal lover of souls. (Boa spoke in place of Professor Yvonne Haddad who fell ill just before the conference.)  

The Most Rev. Mouneer Anis, Primate of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, was born into a Christian family in a Muslim neighborhood. Anis, who spoke on “Christian Witness in the Islamic World,” believes in both service to Muslims and dialogue with them: “We can’t wait for Muslims to come to church.”

In his diocese, Christian schools (in which more than 90% of the students are Muslim), hospitals, primary health care clinics, and nurseries for disabled children far outnumber the churches. The diocese also empowers women with micro-loan programs and free literacy and sewing classes.

“There is always a risk you are only presenting a social gospel but build bridges that Jesus can walk over. Service is not an end in itself.”

Mouneer also participates in inter-faith dialogues which are “not about compromise but listening with love and respect and sharing with boldness.”
 
“We must be authentic, humble and generous as we love, serve and live among Muslims.  

Christian presence and engagement with Muslims is an important instrument. Authentic and genuine love is the powerful message that can build bridges and pave the way for the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of the people around us,” said Mouneer.

An American-born Muslim, Nabeel Qureshi, shared his own spiritual journey as the only son of devout and loving immigrant parents: a Pakistani father and an Indonesian mother. He was raised in a patriotic American home.

His mother taught him to be an ambassador for Islam and he was shocked that none of his school friends talked about their faith, even if they went to church. While in college he met David.      

“David had a passion for God that I understood. I knew he cared for me. And I knew he’d take the bullet for me.” Their friendship lasted over the four years of university as Qureshi struggled to test the reliability of the New Testament and the truthfulness of the Qur’an. Finally he prayed: “God what is true? Who are you really? If you’re Jesus, I want to know.”

He asked for a dream and was given one vision and three dreams that successively pointed to the Gospel and Jesus. He says, “I met a God who loves me unconditionally as a father.” But he also knew “this would be the end of my family….I needed time to mourn.”  He said that because Islam had an honor-and-shame culture, his conversion would bring shame on his family. He was right. His parents were devastated. Qureshi noted that in 37 years of living in America no Christians had ever invited his devout Muslim mother into their homes.

The Rev. Fouad Masri, founder of the Crescent Project, was born into a Christian family in war-torn Lebanon. He focused on how to reach out to Muslims in practical ways. “We are to be ambassadors for Christ; we represent him.” He advocated showing unconditional love. “Be compassionate and respectful. Many have said, ‘We came to Christ because we saw his love.’ Create a friendly atmosphere. Don’t argue. Don’t criticize Muslim beliefs. Find similarities in the two faiths and then use biblical bridges.”

“Many Muslims are ready to talk about Jesus but you need to take some initiative and open up the conversation. Don’t criticize Muhammad but lift up the beauty of Jesus. Don’t criticize the Qur’an; instead offer them a New Testament.”

Because Islam teaches that the Gospels are corrupted, most Muslims have never read them. “Assure them that by trusting Jesus they can know their sins are forgiven and that they can go to heaven.” Many Muslim converts to Christianity first have a dream about Jesus so Masri suggested you might also pray that God would give them such a dream.  

Engage even those who have converted to Islam, he said. “Ask them why they converted.”

Panel Discussion

During the closing panel discussion Qureshi said that, as Christian leaders, they were not “naïve to the risk of terrorism” from Islamic extremists and that the San Bernardino attack in California on Dec. 2, 2015 will not be the last terrorist attack on American soil. Yet fear of ISIS should not stop the sharing of the Gospel among Muslims. Archbishop Mouneer agreed, saying that to stop the flow of Syrian refugees would be “very inhumane.” Moreover, if a nation did not accept any refugees there is a risk too.   

Masri claimed that more Muslims have come to Christ in the last 15 years than in the last 14 centuries. This is partly due to new technology and social media. At the same time, old-fashioned face-to-face friendship and Christian hospitality are crucial to all Muslims, including refugees. Muslim women in particular are often very lonely. “Don’t stop sharing the Gospel,” said Masri. “Muslims have never been this open.”

Wm. Lane Craig www.reasonablefaith.org

Michael Nazir-Ali Frontiers in Christian-Muslim Encounters

Philip Jenkins The Great and Holy War

Yvonne Haddad Christian-Muslim Encounters

Nabeel Qureshi Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus

Fouad Masri Connecting with Muslims www.crescentproject.org

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Qur’an with an Arabic/English parallel text, (a version recommended by Bishop Nazir-Ali).