Understanding Islam and Christianity: Beliefs That Separate Us and How to Talk About Them

by Josh McDowell, Jim Walker

For years, international apologist Josh McDowell has been alert to the challenge of Islam―and how Muslims’ objections to Christianity can raise deep doubts in believers’ minds. His recent on-the-ground research with Muslims in the Middle East has crystallized into this practical resource focusing on Jesus and the gospel. Aided by Islam expert Jim Walker, McDowell lays out the evidence on the crucial With all this, as well as backgrounder appendixes on the basics, believers will have authoritative evidence from Scripture and history to intelligently deal with Muslims’ questions about and challenges to Christianity.

Genres: Christian

304 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

Josh McDowell is a bestselling Christian apologist, evangelist, and author of over 150 books, including Evidence That Demands a Verdict and More Than a Carpenter. Once an agnostic, he converted to Christianity while investigating its historical claims. He went on to earn degrees from Wheaton College and Talbot Theological Seminary. For decades, McDowell has been a prominent speaker with Campus Crusade for Christ, addressing issues of faith, character, and youth culture worldwide. His work emphasizes historical and legal evidence for Christianity and tackles challenges posed by skepticism and non-Christian beliefs. He lives in California with his wife, Dottie, and is the father of four children, including fellow apologist Sean McDowell.

Reviews

[Larik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Understanding Islam and Christianity
I have read a lot of books by Josh McDowell and according to our pastor he is one of the best theological writers out there. So, it was a given that this book was a must read for me, but besides my high respect for Josh McDowell, I picked this book because I used to have a friend that was from muslim family, but I know nothing about their belief nor about Quran. I did my best and converted my friend to Christianity but I was just like so many others that come to Muslims with 180 degree disagreement. We don't even ask about their faith we just plain out say they are wrong. Did you know that they believe in the same God we do? Do you know that they believe in Jesus? That there are so many similarities between the religions?? The sad part is the key difference between the two-- believing Jesus is the Son of God. They dont and that cuts out their salvation. They live a life that is constantly weighted on the scales. For each sinful deed or thought they have to do something good to balance the scale. Can you live with that kind of stress? Can you imagine not being able to just ask for forgiveness for your sins and go on but to do good things for all the bad?? I know I couldn't.
Do you know why in reality they curse christians and kill them? Do you know the truth about crucifixion or the resurrection? And so-so much more..
This book holds so many answers..
Josh McDowell took Bible, Quaran, Thorah, and history and proved the truths about everything we believe today.
My father isnt a Christian and lately he started trying to prove the Bible wrong. Well this book brought forth a great debate and I finaly managed to prove to him that we Christians aren't practicing a blind faith but have proven facts that solidify Bible and all it is teaching!! ;)
Dear reader, do you have doubts and questions about all this religious business? Do you want to know the detailed history of each of these Great Books? Read this book and find answers to all your doubts.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Harvest House Publishers, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would give more information about Islam, but, it mostly was documenting why Christianity is correct and refuting the concerns/questions Muslims have about Christianity. Written very much in a text book style with a lot of commentary by "experts", it was difficult to read.
I read this and discussed with a small group and while some parts were interesting, overall, it was too deep and difficult.

[Lewis Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too difficult to read and fully understand the various points made by both authors. It felt to me like it was written for a theology major (or Masters of Divinity student), rather than for a general public audience. I gave up after chapter 9 (of 14 chapters).

[Ricardo Silkworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book does not cover the totality of Islamic theology and focus on various other things like the five pillars of Islam or the application of Sharia Law, it does focus on probably one of the, if not most decisive thing that separates the two faiths- the divinity of Jesus. As a believer/ follower of Christ who works for a Christian missions organization, that runs into Muslims frequently on the campus I work on, I really need to understand key points of difference in Islam and Christianity such as the ones mentioned in this book.

Josh and Jim do a great job showing the points of agreement Muslims and Christians may have with Christ as an example, but also talk about what makes Jesus unique, in terms of his claims of being more than a prophet, but the Son of God too. I love how the book also not only addresses issues centered on Jesus, but also on the formation of the trinity and formalizing of the New Testament canon.

In addition time is taken to examine the prophetic and biographical back ground of the Muhammad, the man who played a critical role in the start of Islam in the 7th century. I found it extremely helpful that Islamic claims of Muhammad being foreshadowed in the bible are also addressed.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a Christian as a great way to start investigating the beliefs and claims of Islam compared to Christianity or as a way to supplement one's current understanding of the two faiths. I would also say this could be a great way to help a Muslim to understand your faith as a Christian.

[Chickadee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book to read, and while I thought I knew the main differences between Islam and Christianity, this book really opened my eyes to some details that I had not read before.

I saw another review that complained about this book being limited in topics.

The author clearly states on Page 13, that this book addresses the **most frequently** discussed topics between Muslims and Christians. This is not being marketed as an exhaustive reference, so you may be disappointed if you are expecting a wide variety of topics.

The topics covered are the ones most frequently debated or discussed between the two religions, such as: Was Jesus crucified?
Was Jesus the divine Son of God?
Is the New Testament reliable?

These topics and others are covered, and I think the authors provide a lot of "meaty" information on these subjects. As a Christian, I appreciated the chapters that cover (and prove) the reliability of the New Testament. If you enjoy apologetics, these chapters are excellent.

When readers finish this book, they will understand that while Muslims may use a few similar semantics, they do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, nor do they believe in the Trinity. It's pretty cut and dried, and educational if you are looking to further your studies.

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is very limited in scope, covering only a few topics, such as Jesus, Mohammed and the reliability of the Bible. I think the title is a misnomer. There are so many topics not covered, such as beliefs in heaven, jihad, Christians living under Muslim rule, etc. There is a lengthy defense of the Bible as reliable but it is at the end of the book, which is odd, since the authors use the Bible a great deal in the earlier parts of the book to defend Christianity. I would think the authors would prove the reliability of the evidence before using the evidence.
I am not sure who would benefit from this book. For Christians, there are only a few topics on Islam covered. For Muslims, the Bible is used as proof so much before it is proved reliable at the end of the book, I am not sure they would get far into reading the book.
You can see my full review at http://bit.ly/17bs4EJ.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is written from the Christian point of view and it explains some of the differences in the beliefs of Christians and Muslims using Christian scripture and writings from Christian theologians. I think it's intent may be to help Christians present their views to Muslims. It may be helpful to some people in that regard. I think that Muslims may be offended by the book though. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great evaluation of Islam from a Christian perspective