Grand Central Question: Answering the Critical Concerns of the Major Worldviews

by Abdu H. Murray, Josh McDowell (Foreword)

All religions and worldviews seek to answer the fundamental questions of human existence: Why am I here? What does it mean to be human? Why is there evil in the world and how do we deal with it? But not every worldview places equal emphasis on each issue. The main worldviews each tend to stress a different central question. Secular humanism focuses on: What is the inherent value of human beings? Pantheism emphasizes: How do we escape suffering? Islam's main concern is: How is God great? Abdu Murray digs deeply into these three representatives of major worldviews of our day: secular humanism, pantheism and theism (specifically in the form of Islam). This lawyer and former Muslim brings compassion, understanding and clarity to his analysis, comparing the answers of each view to the central message of Christianity.

Genres: Christian, Christianity, Philosophy, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Religion, Theology

261 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2014

Reviews

[Rod Horncastle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the author at an Apologetics conference. I loved that he currently lives in Detroit and deals with Muslim issues. I was excited to read this book.

So what's in it?
A healthy thorough look into the flaws of numerous Worldviews.

What's a worldview you ask?
The view a person stands on that matches their understanding of reality, purpose, meaning, origins, morality, destiny.

I'm guessing most humans give a lazy thought to their Worldviews. Too busy with Sex, Drugs, and Rock N' Roll. Or Lust, Pharmaceuticals, and rebellious sustenance. They assume secular science is taking care of the important issues... they'll just go to the Pub and drink/fight/lust/lie and indulge their pride.

I've been putting off this review for awhile. I didn't want to NOT give it my best. (it was a 5 star rating after all. Maybe Abdu Murray will let me Vacation in his Detroit house. I would love to visit there. I'm fascinated by Detroit.)
_____________________
Josh McDowell gave a great quote in the books Intro:
"If you care about truth, this book is for you. I say that regardless of whether you're a Christian or non-Christian."

Indeed, truth doesn't care. But nobody said it was easy or not hiding under a rock. Truth can take great effort to see and comprehend. That's what philosopher's have been trying to do for centuries. And many fail based on preconceived biases. (I hear Socrates and Plato may have had pedophile type issues they were really hoping to support. Don't blame me: this stuff comes from the textbooks.)
Here's another great quote by McDowell:
"I recommend this book to you because of the way Abdu has blended questions of the mind with issues of the heart...he tested the claims that other worldviews made. including atheism, Eastern religions, Islam and Christianity. He put them all to the test...he found that the Christian faith stood up to the challenges.

It's important to know that Abdu wasn't always a Christian. He's just as much in favor of questioning the claims of Jesus and the Bible as he is Islam and Atheism. I've had to deal with the same issues: how to not be deceived by in-house beliefs and culture. AS some have had to fight their way into Christianity - I've spent years trying to fight my way out of it. I embraced Christianity as an 8 year old child. I had few questions at the time. Since then i've researched my questions that validate Christianity. But that wasn't enough: I then went to Atheists and Muslims and Buddhists to attempt their 1000's of questions and complaints against Biblical truth. It's been a fun journey. There is no question i'm not willing to spend time with - and the answers are often simpler than I ever imagined. But we are desperate for books like Grand Central Question to help us along the way.
Side note: I often ask atheists how much time they spend questioning Atheism. The answer I ALWAYS get is: "Why would I do that? Atheism isn't a belief"
Which tells me they put zero effort into it. They just assumed they were in a correct default position based on...? A lack of effort. Then they complain about the Bible not being fair and just and loving and moral and altruistic and NICE. But they shouldn't boast about those claims. Nature doesn't guarantee those as atheistic values. Nature says "Eat or be Eaten! Asteroid will probably kill us all anyway. I really don't mind if you rape and pillage. Have a nice day!"
Yes, atheism is a worldview. It poorly attempts to explain reality while breaking its own rules. I have never met a 100% atheist. When you look carefully - they have endless superstitions.

When we get into the book:
Adbu deals with some serious life issues like, Truth often has a personal cost.
(pg.16) The Trouble With Truth.
"As my wife and I walked into the (hospital) hallway, I was reminded of the sober reality that truth has a cost. The cost may vary from person to person and from circumstance to circumstance, but there is no doubt that truth is costly...it shows us that while we often say that we love truth...we seldom actually mean what we say."

Earlier quote: (while talking with a sick Muslim man in the hospital)
"What would happen if you did become a Christian? What would your kids think or do?
"They would disown me. It is unforgivable and a shame for me to become a Christian."

I believe this same thing is honestly said amongst Atheists, Scientists, Professors, Businessmen, And those in the media and government. You can be applauded as a Buddhist or humanist baby aborting marijuana growing prostitute defending liberal --- but DoN'T be a Christian, that's just ludicrous.

Here's an interesting quote from chapter 1:
"The (World Trade Centers 911) memorial's second striking feature was not as obvious. Among... we saw several names of women etched in the bronze along with the inscription 'and her unborn child.' Yes, the unnamed unborn were listed among those who lost their lives in the tragedy. The loss of those unborn lives was just as meaningful."

Hmmm, if abortion is okay - then get those names off the list. Taking up valuable space with meaningless fetus tissue. Or are those children's lives sacred and having eternal value? I wonder what an abortion Dr. would say? Not that I'd care.

So that is a great example of how worldviews play out. They apply to our appreciation and understanding of reality. Every human seems to have some form of morality and empathy - but what is its objective foundation? OR is it simply borrowed from a Christian tradition? Often it's only taken off the (Christian) shelf when selfishly needed -- then quickly put back up before anybody notices. Remember: Nature doesn't care about your comfort or emotional necessities. WE can barely make a claim for it insisting on species survival.

This book deals with the basic worldviews:
Secular Humanism
Pantheism
Islam
Christianity

Quote (pg. 41)
"For one thing, saying that all worldviews are basically the same does not compliment them; it insults them. To tell a Muslim that their views about God are the same as a Christian's is to ignore Islam's deeply held doctrine that that God is a monad (One - no Father, Son and Holy Spirit). To tell a Buddhist that their belief's are identical to a Hindu's is to denigrate the fact that Buddha founded his religion in his rejection of some Hindu doctrines."

The Chapter on Secular Humanism is sure to offend all those who worship at its alter. And desperately they do.
Here's a fun quote: (pg. 55)
"In his book The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking...opens with the statement "philosophy is dead" to make his point that hard sciences, like physics and mathematics, are the only real methods for determining truth. Interestingly, Hawking spills quite a bit of ink in the pages of his book philosophically defending his position that there is no grand design to the universe... yet both Hawking and Hume saw off the very limbs on which they sit in relying solely on science as the supreme arbiter of truth."

Comically, science is only as good as those lusty, desperate for tenure, be published or punished, Scientists can quickly put forth (based on funding of course!)
Yes, there is a faith in science we now label SCIENTISM. People easily embrace this until the Arts (music, literature, love and loyalty) come into play. Such is the challenge of a Secular Humanistic worldview.

But to keep this about Jesus (Yes, It's a Christian book after all). Here's a fun quote (pg.58)
An encounter with a committed secular humanist:
I asked him "What is your main hangup with Christians"
S.H. "Christians are arrogant, they think they have the only way and that everyone else is going to hell."
A.M. "Arrogance?"...
Abdu Murray, "Well, you'd agree with the Secular Humanist manifesto III, which says that humans have the ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity, right?"...
"Well you believe that you have those abilities. You can lead an ethical life for the greatest good of humanity. That wonderful ability is inherent in you, right?"...
"I believe in Jesus as Savior: you believe in YOU. Now tell me again, who's ARROGANT?"

Another quote:
"But if history teaches us anything, it is that humanity is a dismal savior at best."

There's a great chapter called: Saying Nothing As loud As We Can".
Fun topics like - Accidentally on purpose. Morality in search of Moorings.
Under this we get (pg. 76)
"...many atheists are beginning to admit that there is no grounding for objective morality without a transcendent authority like God, who is beyond humanity. Consider the words of Joel Marks, professor emeritus of philosophy at University of New Haven, who readily acknowledges-and even argues-that morality simply does not exist in a universe without God:

"The long and short of it is that I have become convinced that atheism implies amorality; and since I am an atheist, I must therefore embrace amorality. I call the premise of this argument "hard atheism"...So was I, until I experienced my shocking epiphany that the religious fundamentalists are correct: without God, there is no morality... I believe, there is no morality."

Wow, an honest atheist. Clueless as dirt. But at least he's honest. Good thing he's not in charge of teaching our young. Oh wait?! Good luck with that. What could possibly go wrong?
______________

Part 2: Eastern and Western Spirituality OR the Gospel.
Ah, escaping the escapism. AS you'll see, questioning spiritual insanity and contradictions are an endless challenge. Is life an illusion? Is suffering all that needs to be done away with?
As Ravi Zacharias has said, "Eastern thinking claims to embrace contradictory thinking - but then they insist on a logical and coherent answer from Christians." Funny indeed.

Part 3: Islam or the Gospel.
Some great thoughts on Islam from a one time Islamic scholar. He questioned the Bible for years -- then eventually he began seriously questioning the Quran. I've chatted with many Muslims who simply spout "the Quran is a miracle". It's hard not to laugh, so I do. I don't go around declaring the Bible to be a miracle (although in a few ways maybe I should).
I've read the entire Quran. Sorry, just some bizarre middle-eastern poetry with bits of abused borrowed Bible stories tossed throughout. Not much of a miracle.

Abdu shows us that the Quran has a LOT to say about the validity of the Bible. It seems not many Muslims fully comprehend this. The Quran tells us to trust the Bible because it's God's word.

Quote: (pg. 179)
"According to the Quran, there must have been a divine message, called the Gospel, that Christians could have turned to and judged by in the seventh century, at the time the Quran was spoken by Muhammad. And if that is the case, the Gospel couldn't have been corrupted at the time of the Quran. Otherwise those verses would make no sense, because God would then be commanding Christians to judge by a hopelessly corrupted text. In fact, the passage concludes by saying that those who do not judge by what God has revealed are rebelliously evil. In those verses, the Quran could not be more clear that the Gospel was a trustworthy message from God that Christians could - and should - turn to for guidance and truth... I read and reread that Sura (5)"

There's a good chapter on God's Triune Greatness.
The Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the foundation of relationships. Any God that has existed eternally without healthy relationships ---- just might be an insane deity that has been alone too long.

So which worldview makes the most sense and honestly deals with our reality? Read the book to find out.
You either have A God, or some gods, or no god. But every claim needs to be carefully investigated and applied. Don't assume your worldview is beyond question. The Grand Central Question.
Thanks Abdu. Loved your book.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Every worldview addresses the fundamental "why" questions of human existence and the author contends that the worldviews of secular humanism, pantheism, and Islam each have a "grand central question" and that the grand central questions posed by these worldviews find their deepest and most satisfying answers in the Christian gospel.
Abdu Murray grew up as a Muslim, trained as a lawyer, and spent years questioning the beliefs of those around him--atheist, Christian, pantheist--until he was confronted with some questions of his own that led to a his embracing the Christian faith.

In this book, Murray begins with the important and costly search for truth, acknowledging that this could lead to great loss--of respect, of family, even of life--and leaves us with the question of what the truth is worth for us. He then explores the idea that every worldview in some way addresses some basic questions including:

1. What explains existence? Or is there a God?
2. Is there an objective purpose and value to human existence?
3. What accounts for the human condition?
4. Is there a better life or salvation from our present state?

He contends that each of the belief systems--secular humanism, pantheism, and Islam--is particularly concerned with one Grand Central Question that receives the greater emphasis in that system. For secular humanism, it is the question of the basis of human dignity when there is no God. On what can the inherent value of humans be grounded? For pantheism, it is the question of how do we escape (and explain) suffering? Finally, for Islam, it is the question of the greatness of God, and how one might worship a great but unapproachable God.

In three sections, Murray expands upon the central question for each worldview, showing how the worldview attempts to address this, the shortcomings of those explanations and why he believes the Christian gospel provides the most cogent and satisfying explanation. For the secular humanist, simply asserting the intuition of our worth may not be enough if we come up against superior beings considering us expendable. Appealing to fine-tuning arguments of design, Murray proposes the grounding of our worth in God as his image bearers.

Likewise, pantheism argues for the elimination of desire as the basis for the escape from suffering. Yet this does not do away with the reality of suffering. Christian faith speaks of a God who enters into our suffering, and rather than trying to deny or transcend its existence offers meaning in suffering as well as an ultimate deliverance from it.

Finally, and perhaps especially valuable because of the author's own prior beliefs, is his exploration of Islam. He particularly explores the idea of "God is greater" and proposes that the very things Islam denies are in fact what offer the greatest possible God, a God who is One not only as we are but uniquely one essential deity in three persons, a God whose love arises from the eternal relations of the three, and a God who may be approached in worship because he approached us in his Son. Furthermore, this Jesus did not have a substitute die on the cross, hardly a sign of greatness, but died as the substitute for humanity.

He concludes with the proposal that the Christian gospel does not address one Grand Central Question but provides answers that address the range of questions about human existence that intellectually satisfy and can spiritually transform.

I appreciated the idea of a "grand central question", although I wonder if proponents of these worldviews would be comfortable with this rubric. His discussion showed evidence of many dialogues with people who hold the views he is addressing, but I wonder if the book would have felt more authentic if he had dialogue partners from these three "worldviews" responding to his proposals.

I think what set this book apart was the sensitive and insightful exploration of Islam, including his narrative of how careful study of the Qur'an actually led to his examination of the gospels. I hope he will write further on Muslim-Christian engagement, which seems so important and needed in our day.

[Michael Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murray’s Prologue sets the stage for the importance of the content to follow. He urges us to understand the cost of truth. It’s hard for people to change worldviews. Such changes usually have deep personal costs.

Chapter 1 articulates three main worldviews (theism, pantheism, secular humanism) as well as three tests (comprehensiveness, consistency, and cohesiveness) for use in the evaluation of worldviews. He then introduces four fundamental questions that worldviews should address and by which we should examine them (How did we get here? Why are we here? Why is there suffering? Is there salvation from our present state?). This is the framework in which he will examine the three worldviews in the remainder of the book.

Chapters 2 – 4 are an examination of the secular humanist worldview.

In chapters 5 – 6, Murray sets forth the pantheistic worldview and finds that it fails to answer the question of whether humans can escape the reality of pain and suffering.
In chapters 7 – 10, Murray, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity, examines the Muslim theistic worldview and compares it with the Christian theistic worldview.

Evaluation
1) Practical Focus

Helpfully, Murray begins by focusing on the cost of truth. Unbelievers often have to weigh the practical consequences of the decision we are asking them to make. Changing worldviews often entails leaving a community, a way of life, an upbringing, or a family. Murray illustrates this well with stories from his own life.

Murray does not, as some apologists, resort to psychologizing (i.e., exploring why someone “really believes” what they believe rather than admitting they have good, practical reasons). To chalk up their reticence to believe to emotional and subconscious motivations is an injustice to them and a missed opportunity to engage them meaningfully.

2) Categorizing the Particularities

Murray is attempting to solve one of the greatest problems faced by would-be apologists who must prepare to address such a bewildering variety of issues. How can anyone other than a full-time, professional apologist hope to master all of the myriad facts, evidences, arguments, counterarguments, etc.? Distilling the various particularities (what he calls, “the cacophony of questions”) into general categories to be addressed at a higher level, rather than down in the weeds of the particularities, would seem to be of immense benefit. It’s a valid desire to reduce the chaos of the minutiae and impose order. His worldview analysis and reduction of all views to three main worldviews is his attempt to do that, to cut through the morass to see things as part of a larger whole that can be addressed more holistically.

Yet, as Murray says in chapter 1, a worldview must, “address all facets of life’s main questions, from broad ideas to the minute details” (emphasis added). That being true, there are likely as many worldviews as there are humans on earth. Those minute details make general categories challenging to maintain while still dealing honestly with the particularities. How do we ensure our generalizations don’t run roughshod over the details of someone’s worldview? It’s a balancing act that’s hard to maintain, but Murray does an admirable job for the most part.

However, reducing all the various belief systems to three main worldviews is likely not as helpful an analytic or apologetic tool as he might hope. For each of the three worldviews, he regularly admits that many the people he groups within the same worldview do not agree with each other or with his analysis of their position. Some secular humanists do manufacture purpose out of nothing, but some do not. Some are perfectly clear that there is no purpose or meaning. Not all pantheists agree on much of anything. If that is the case, and Murray admits that it is, these high-level categories seem to be of limited (though real) value. The apologist must still be prepared to deal with the particularities of the individual she speaks with.

Finally, and frankly, who hasn’t been frustrated by an unbeliever telling you that “all Christians believe” something that you don’t believe. When unbelievers lump all Christians together with the likes of Westboro Baptist Church, abortion clinic bombers, racist nationalists, and anti-intellectual book burners, we are rightly offended that they are not listening to us or seeing us in our particularity. We must exercise great caution not to do the same to them by using worldview analysis as a procrustean bed into which we force their individual beliefs. While such analysis can provide a useful conceptual framework for the apologist, but I am less sanguine about its use in an apologetic conversation.

3) Commensurability and Comparison

What are the criteria by which we judge between any two worldviews? Murray does not address how he chose his categories and questions. He posits his questions but does not explain why they are the right questions to ask.

To illustrate, imaging you and I are avid bakers. We challenge each other to a cake baking contest. I create a seven-tiered plain yellow cake with baroque decorations and vivid colors. You create a two-tiered, elegant cake with amazing flavor, subtle colors, and delicate ornamentation. When it’s time to judge them, I declare the cakes should be rated on height, elaborateness of decoration, and boldness of colors. You would rightfully feel like the deck was stacked against you. I’ve chosen criteria that will surely make my cake look better than yours.

In like manner, an unbeliever, when confronted with Murray’s four questions (which act as criteria for evaluating worldviews), might perceive them to be tendentious. In other words, he’s emphasizing questions that make the Christian worldview look good. Are there other criteria and questions to be asked? How can an apologist make the case that these are the criteria that should be used? Are there criteria an apologist and his secular humanist (or pantheist or Muslim) interlocutor can agree on? Murray doesn’t explore these questions, but they’re important for making full use of his method. For instance, a secular humanist might ask why epistemology is not one of the criteria. While Murray’s four categories and questions might be important, we may be asked how we “know” anything about them or how to answer them.

Questions I Am Left With

1. How much reduction (amalgamation of various views into large, high-level categories) is useful? If not all pantheists or humanists (or even Muslims) believe the same things, what is the value of grouping them all together?
2. When engaged in the apologetic task, when does the apologist need to abandon categories for particularities?
3. How can we help someone see their own worldview (especially to make their implicit worldview more explicit) without offering them a distorted picture of it?
4. How can we determine non-arbitrary, non-question-begging criteria by which to compare or evaluate worldviews?
5. What is the best way to compare them? Are they commensurable at all?
6. What are the best questions we can use to start a conversation with a Muslim but won’t make them defensive?
7. Is there a single Christian worldview? Do all Christians have to agree on all details? Is there such a thing as a “mere Christian” worldview? How much difference is allowable between Christians with regard to worldview?

It would be helpful to see Murray explore the wide difference within each of his three worldviews and parse out those differences into narrower subcategories. While I see the value of viewing these issues from a higher level with less emphasis on the countless details, it seems reductionist in the extreme to consolidate them all into three worldviews, especially since it places every theistic religion in the world in the same category as Christianity, which clearly does not do justice to the particular beliefs of Christians.

[Jim Lyster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Murray last weekend at Break Forth in Edmonton, Canada when he presently the material in this book in a lecture format. Hearing him tell his story, and then reading the written material added an extra dimension to understanding. I really appreciated how the Grand Central Question approach allowed Murray to critically and appreciatively look at the competing world views and find the compelling answers to all of them in the gospel. A very good read.

[Tim Baumgartner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! This book DID as the subtitle says: Answer the critical concerns of the major worldviews.

Former Muslim-turned-Christian lawyer, Abdu Murray clearly demonstrates the BEAUTY of the gospel of Jesus Christ by explaining the essentials of secular humanism (atheism), pantheism (Most popular/traditional forms of Hinduism, Buddhism, New Age, & Scientology), and Islam, and then using this information to compare with the central message of Christianity.

Using this idea of "Grand Central Station," which is very busy and crowded, as bus/subway terminals are, Murray uses this metaphor as a way to discuss the following central questions:

Secular humanism focuses on: What is the inherent value of human beings?
Pantheism emphasizes: How do we escape suffering?
Islam's main concern is: How is God great?

I was already aware of these worldviews, but this book exposed me to some new ways of viewing and addressing them through some resources I was unaware of.

IF any of you reading this knows how to answer the questions above, OR have questions about Christianity, I would welcome them wholeheartedly! I LOVE talking about these things...

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful read! Abdu masterfully addresses the most fundamental questions of the major worldviews with all the skill of the lawyer he is. Furthermore, as I have found true on more than one occasion, as a former Muslim, he writes some of the clearest succinct explanations of the profound wonder which is the Christian Trinitarian view of God. Abdu adeptly weaves the arguments together in simple meaningful ways with sensitivity to the broad diversity of potential audience perspective while remaining uncompromising with what is objectively true. I recommend this book highly to any reader of any background who wants to have a willing honest conversation with the ideas. In fact, I dare you to read it! 😊 The book is so good, I plan to read the book again and might even make it perennial.

[Frank Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent apologetic book, which is crafted in a way I have not seen before. Rather than trying to answer every question, the author focussed in on the main question that 3 different world views seek to answer. Those world views are atheistic humanism, pantheism, and Islam. As a former Muslim, the section on Islam is outstanding. The section on humanism is also very good, while the final section may be excellent, but pantheism is not a world view I know well, not know anyone who espouses, and thus I cannot really comment on it. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in Christian apologetics, as well as anyone from those three backgrounds who may be interested in arguments for Christianity.

[philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to enjoy watching apologists debate, whether it was atheists, Muslims, new age/pantheists, etc. At some point, it just became theater. There were several good ones, but generally, I felt like they by and large lacked substance.

This book quantified secular humanism, Pantheism, and Islam down to their core (Grand Central) question. It felt like everything I was spiritually and intellectually looking for in those debates.
It was also entertaining and enriching, but so were the debates.

Praise God.

[Meagan | The Chapter House · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a powerful read! Academic at times, but worth the effort to engage with and challenge my own thinking in many respects. Murray's strength especially lies in those sections where he takes on Islam, having grown up in that faith and later converting to Christianity--but all of it is insightful and thought provoking.

"Does truth matter more than comfort?"--the ultimate Grand Central Question Murray asks, at the end of the book. Certainly a takeaway that will stay with me in the future.

[Curran Harms · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was AMAZING!!!!!!! Abdu Murray did a wonderful job showing the Grand Central Question of every worldview. I would say the epilogue is by far my favorite section of this book. If you never heard of Abdu, I suggest you read this book. He is part of RZIM with other Christian Apologetics Speakers. He is an amazing speaker.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book outlining the three major non-Christian worldviews: Secularism, Eastern religions, and Islam.

The book exposes the fatal flaw in each, and then shows how Christianity ably speaks to that flaw in each religion.

I don't know much about this other, but this is a good introductory-level study of worldviews.

[Jeff Leinen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

A great book that compares and contrasts how major worldviews attempt to address the big questions. I liked this Kindle book so much I bought the book for my library.

[shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great explanation of current world views

Great explanation of the questions current world views must answer. A greater understanding of these world views will help us in our fulfillment of the Great Commission.

[Robert Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for a speed run through atheism, polytheism (Hinduism Buddhism etc.) and Islam.
A great follow up to No God But One by Nabeel Qureshi because both authors are Islamic converts to Christianity. They both bring a very in-depth apologetic towards Islam from the Christian position.

[Kevin Lopau · Rating 5 out of 5]

You should read this book if you are a Christian, but especially if you are not.

The author has valid insights and honest criticisms. He gives a very comprehensive interpretation of scripture and realistic understanding of the issues with alternative ideologies and beliefs.

[Mark Greathouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent consideration of major faiths of the world by an author who converted from Islam to Christianity.

[Tyler Timmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murray covers the aspects and facts that make christinaity unique in comparison to humanism, religious pluralism, and Islam. Including how Jesus answers their grand central questions.

[Clay Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a few years, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Abdu looks at the major questions of life - who are we? Why are we here? etc. Every worldview or religion attempts to answer all of these questions. But certain worldviews focus on one more than others. Abdu looks at how Islam, pantheism, and secular humanism take their best stabs at answering a major question of life, but ultimately fail. In the ashes of this failure, Christianity swoops in and answers the question better every single time. Wonderful apologetic read.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immensely satisfying.
In "Grand Central Question," Murray identifies and addresses the main concerns of three major Worldviews today: Secular Humanism, Eastern/Western Spirituality, and Islam. Each worldview is explained clearly, examined thoughtfully, and evaluated logically.
In each section, his aim is to explore whether each worldview possesses the necessary means to solve its own concerns. He then contrasts each worldview with the Gospel, and seeks to demonstrate how the Gospel offers much more satisfactory solutions.

I can't help but compare this book to Ronald Nash's "Worldviews in Conflict," written about 25 years ago. It was still in a Cold War context, still subscribing to a modern mindset. It primarily dealt with logical atheistic arguments, lacked depth in its analysis of New Age, and did not even touch on other religions. Instead, his aim was to prove a Theistic worldview (not differentiating Christianity from other theistic religions).

In contrast, Murray offers the experience of a converted Muslim, educated in the United States as a lawyer.
In dealing with Secular Humanism, he identifies their central concern to be the inherent value of human beings. By interacting with the writings if New Atheists, humanist societies, etc, he demonstrates that their desire for meaning, purpose and value is groundless - while the Gospel provides the necessary foundation for morality and the value of human life.

In dealing with Eastern/Western Spirituality, Murray offers surprising insights. He demonstrates that much if this philosophy is rooted in the pantheism of Hinduism. He clarifies a muddy mixture of philosophical beliefs by identifying common themes: desire leading to suffering, resulting in karma, and the aspiration to escape the "illusion" of bodily, individual existence through emptying oneself of desire, enlightenment of one's divinity, and ultimately, becoming nothing and all at the same time. In contrast, he offers the Gospel as a compassionate alternative that recognizes the reality of suffering, and offers a real solution.

Finally, Murray deals with his religion of origin, Islam. He demonstrates, in great detail, how the Qu'ran affirms the inspiration and preservation of the Bible, and then shows how the two sacred texts contradict each other when it comes to the nature if God. The Muslim idea of God is so transcendent that it is impossible for Him to be known and loved. Moreover, without the Trinity, they are mired in tension between God's justice and mercy - only the Gospel demonstrates how God can uphold justice while offering mercy.

All in all, this book was very informative, and left me satisfied in the areas it covered. I would highly recommend it as a resource to deal with the most current issues of belief today.

[Patrick S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murray's book is a good example of why Christians need to encourage books written by people of different backgrounds. Murray, who is part of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, was a lawyer and Muslim who became a Christian and works in apologetics. Zacharias' ministry isn't well known for looking at worldview based arguments so Murray's venture into the area was surprising.

Murray's writing doesn't add too many things new into the subject if you've reading books on the topic before. However, if this is your primer it is a good one. A unique item from Murray is his devotion to looking at polytheism in a worldview (adding Buddhism into the mix as well). I haven't seen too much space devoted to it from other writers on the topic but Murray makes the case for polytheistic systems not being internally consistent or able to explain what they must from the world.

However, I think Murray shines most when he looks at Islam. Considering this is his previous religion that's not too surprising. The gold chapters were Murray's coverage of the Trinity and Jesus as God. That is not to say that his coverage of the trustworthiness of Scripture and the character of God isn't as insightful. Those chapters really show why we benefit from reading what we might have once read before or have come to hold as our own belief from another writer.

Murray, at times, does fall back on an evidential argument instead of maintaining focus on presuppositional ones a few times. However, this was still a worthwhile book and I learned a few good arguments especially when it comes to the topic of Islam. Final Grade - B+

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthwhile read. Murray, who I recently heard speak, gives a helpful perspective of four major competing worldviews, Naturalism, Pantheism, Islam, and Christianity. His approach is to present how each of the first three seek to answer the primary question each uniquely addresses, and to contrast that with how Christianity answers the same question. This is not an exhaustive comparative religion book, but nevertheless gives a very useful succinct view of each worldview. Murray himself is a Christian who has converted from Islam.

[Mary Thoresen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I re-read this a second time so that I could take notes. Mr. Murray so well brings up what the major religions and spiritual belief systems each hold up as a major theme. He then presents how this question is answered and addressed in the Bible. Questions that might seem to find contradictions; when they are dissected, actually find their answer.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murray does an excellent comparative analysis of secular humanism, pantheism, Islam. Clearly outlines why these worldviews ultimately fail to reliably account for reality by comparison to Christianity. Highly recommend.

[Afiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its easy to understand, I would say the ending chapters were the best and most informational. I was looking for a more in-dept read but that didn't stop this from being a good book for glossing over the issues of major worldviews.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://deeperwaters.wordpress.com/201...

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review here: http://thoughtsprayersandsongs.com/20...

[Mark Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book, and a lot of help on how to reach different people for Christ!

[Stephen Bedard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely helpful look at three world views, specifically secularism, pantheism and Islam. Abdu Murray writes with both scholarly rigour and compassion for other views.

[Glenn Harris]

Abdu Murray is a rigorous thinker, and an outstanding apologist and writer. The book definitely holds the attention of the reader!

[Steffi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and an easy read!! Highly recommended for those wanting to understand more about the different worldviews and to answer the Grand Central Question!