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The Wisdom of Islam and the Foolishness of Christianity
A unique Christian response to nine common philosophical objections to Christianity made by Muslims.
- GenresIslamPhilosophy
246 pages, Paperback
First published April 23, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 17, 2018
Absolutely brilliant book. Well writen and informative.
April 16, 2016
Islam and Christianity are frequently discussed through a political or cultural frame. Richard Shumack takes a different angle and focuses in on the philosophical differences between the two religions.
It’s a helpful approach as, in my experience as a Christian interacting with Muslims, many Muslims’ most heartfelt criticisms of the Christian faith are philosophical in nature. Questions about the possibility of God lowering himself to become a human being, the intellectual tenability of the Trinity, and why the death of Jesus was necessary for God to enact forgiveness are three such topics which arise frequently. Each are dealt with in this book, along with other matters relating to ethics, politics and the possibility of certainty in our convictions about God.
Shumack is a follower of Jesus and he wants Muslims and Christians to have some robust debate about their areas of difference. He is trying to argue his point. But he does so in a friendly and kindly manner. I found his work helpful for my own understanding of both Christianity and Islam (I became oddly more sympathetic to each of them as I read it) and also especially useful when giving talks or conversing about religious pluralism and the uniqueness of the Christian faith; it helped me better pinpoint and describe why certain aspects of what I believe make sense in light of questions raised by audience members and conversation partners.
If you are a Christian seeking better understanding of Islam’s main criticisms of what you believe, a Muslim curious about the points of difference between Islam and Christianity, someone looking into the case for Christianity, or just a curious bystander in conversations about world religion and the possibility of God, then I recommend this book to you.
It’s a helpful approach as, in my experience as a Christian interacting with Muslims, many Muslims’ most heartfelt criticisms of the Christian faith are philosophical in nature. Questions about the possibility of God lowering himself to become a human being, the intellectual tenability of the Trinity, and why the death of Jesus was necessary for God to enact forgiveness are three such topics which arise frequently. Each are dealt with in this book, along with other matters relating to ethics, politics and the possibility of certainty in our convictions about God.
Shumack is a follower of Jesus and he wants Muslims and Christians to have some robust debate about their areas of difference. He is trying to argue his point. But he does so in a friendly and kindly manner. I found his work helpful for my own understanding of both Christianity and Islam (I became oddly more sympathetic to each of them as I read it) and also especially useful when giving talks or conversing about religious pluralism and the uniqueness of the Christian faith; it helped me better pinpoint and describe why certain aspects of what I believe make sense in light of questions raised by audience members and conversation partners.
If you are a Christian seeking better understanding of Islam’s main criticisms of what you believe, a Muslim curious about the points of difference between Islam and Christianity, someone looking into the case for Christianity, or just a curious bystander in conversations about world religion and the possibility of God, then I recommend this book to you.
October 20, 2015
This is the best book I have read comparing Islam and Christianity. Although Schumack writes from a Christian perspective, his knowledge of Islamic philosophy and his treatment of the religion is respectful and sympathetic. He quotes many Islamic thinkers and gets to the heart of the differences between the two religions and doesn't resort to simple proof-texting. Schumack focusses on the areas that Muslims typically find difficult to accept - notions of the Trinity and the inerrant supremacy of the Qur'an over the Bible and law vs love as the primary ethic. I would recommend this book highly to anyone who wants to know more about both religions and especially if the wanted to understand the true differences.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews