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Finding Jesus among Muslims: How Loving Islam Makes Me a Better Catholic
Why should Christians engage in interfaith dialogue with Muslims? Does Islam have anything to offer Christians? What is Islamophobia, and what should we do about it? These are just some of the questions addressed in Finding Jesus among Muslims , an urgent new book from author Jordan Denari Duffner. Drawing from church teaching, the stories of saints and martyrs, and her extensive personal experiences living among Muslims in both the United States and the Middle East, Duffner explains why all Christians are called to participate in a “dialogue of life” with Muslims. Her intelligent and fresh approach makes Duffner a welcome voice on some of the most important social and religious questions of our day.
- GenresReligion
162 pages, Paperback
Published December 13, 2017
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75 people want to read
About the author
Jordan Denari Duffner
2 books10 followersJordan Denari Duffner is the author, educator, and scholar of Muslim-Christian relations. Her books are the newly-released "Islamophobia: What Christians Should Know (and Do) about Anti-Muslim Discrimination," and "Finding Jesus among Muslims: How Loving Islam Makes Me a Better Catholic," which came out in 2017.
Currently pursuing a PhD in Theological and Religious Studies at Georgetown University, Jordan is also an associate of the Bridge Initiative, where she previously worked as a research fellow studying Islamophobia. She is a former Fulbright researcher to Amman, Jordan, where she studied the impact of Christian television programming on Muslim-Christian relations.
Jordan's writing has won numerous awards, including Second Place in the General Interest category of the Association of Catholic Publishers' 2018 book awards.
Jordan's publications also including academic reports and book chapters. In 2016, Jordan wrote the Bridge Initiative report, “Danger and Dialogue: American Catholics Perceptions and Portrayals of Islam,” which included the first nationwide survey on Catholics’ views of Islam.
Jordan's writing on Islam and Catholicism has appeared in numerous outlets. Often consulting with journalists, Jordan gives talks on Islamophobia and interfaith dialogue to diverse audiences across North America. She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband.
Currently pursuing a PhD in Theological and Religious Studies at Georgetown University, Jordan is also an associate of the Bridge Initiative, where she previously worked as a research fellow studying Islamophobia. She is a former Fulbright researcher to Amman, Jordan, where she studied the impact of Christian television programming on Muslim-Christian relations.
Jordan's writing has won numerous awards, including Second Place in the General Interest category of the Association of Catholic Publishers' 2018 book awards.
Jordan's publications also including academic reports and book chapters. In 2016, Jordan wrote the Bridge Initiative report, “Danger and Dialogue: American Catholics Perceptions and Portrayals of Islam,” which included the first nationwide survey on Catholics’ views of Islam.
Jordan's writing on Islam and Catholicism has appeared in numerous outlets. Often consulting with journalists, Jordan gives talks on Islamophobia and interfaith dialogue to diverse audiences across North America. She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 14, 2019
This is a scholarly and yet intensely personal book written by a cradle Catholic who drifted away from the church in her teens and came back to it while at university, largely as a result of her interaction with Muslim students. To my surprise, it gave me almost as many insights into the Church of Rome (which I thought I already knew quite a lot about) as into Islam.
It has a Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur from the Roman Catholic Church, which means that it has been approved as true to the Church’s teachings on faith and morals. I wouldn’t normally be interested in that, but I was pleased to see it, because it means that I can be confident that the surprising things that I learned about Catholic teaching on other religions are approved by the church and not just the fancy of a single author.
There are a lot of challenges for Christians, particularly those in the West. I started noting down quotations that I wanted to share, but there were too many. So here are just two. One from near the beginning and one from the end of the book.
“We Christians cannot truly be in relationship with God while being out of relationship with Muslims.”
“Mushaaraka is what the “dialogue of life” is all about. Each of us is called to emulate this free-flowing spirit of communion in our relationships with others, including Muslims. We can do this anywhere in the world – in our neighbourhood churches, in the mosque down the street, or in a country across the globe. We should feel confident that wherever we go, God is waiting to greet us. All we must do is be willing to be surprised by God, and open ourselves to witness the sacred in unexpected places. Then perhaps, we might take off our shoes and find ourselves genuflecting on someone else’s holy ground.”
Appendices provide ideas for discussion (Perhaps this might be a topic for a church Lent study group?), some guidelines for embarking on dialogue with Muslims, a glossary, further reading and a prayer that can be used when Christians and Muslims pray together.
I would recommend this to any Christian who is interested in knowing more about Islam and/or wishes to engage with their Muslim neighbours in a spirit of mutual exploration with no attempt on either side to persuade anyone to change their faith allegiance.
It has a Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur from the Roman Catholic Church, which means that it has been approved as true to the Church’s teachings on faith and morals. I wouldn’t normally be interested in that, but I was pleased to see it, because it means that I can be confident that the surprising things that I learned about Catholic teaching on other religions are approved by the church and not just the fancy of a single author.
There are a lot of challenges for Christians, particularly those in the West. I started noting down quotations that I wanted to share, but there were too many. So here are just two. One from near the beginning and one from the end of the book.
“We Christians cannot truly be in relationship with God while being out of relationship with Muslims.”
“Mushaaraka is what the “dialogue of life” is all about. Each of us is called to emulate this free-flowing spirit of communion in our relationships with others, including Muslims. We can do this anywhere in the world – in our neighbourhood churches, in the mosque down the street, or in a country across the globe. We should feel confident that wherever we go, God is waiting to greet us. All we must do is be willing to be surprised by God, and open ourselves to witness the sacred in unexpected places. Then perhaps, we might take off our shoes and find ourselves genuflecting on someone else’s holy ground.”
Appendices provide ideas for discussion (Perhaps this might be a topic for a church Lent study group?), some guidelines for embarking on dialogue with Muslims, a glossary, further reading and a prayer that can be used when Christians and Muslims pray together.
I would recommend this to any Christian who is interested in knowing more about Islam and/or wishes to engage with their Muslim neighbours in a spirit of mutual exploration with no attempt on either side to persuade anyone to change their faith allegiance.
October 23, 2018
I bought this book with the intention of better understanding the Muslim faith and, although I’m not Catholic, to learn what similarities exist between the two religions. But it surprised me by revealing many unanswered questions about my own faith. This book has helped me define my own Christian beliefs.
July 28, 2021
An absolutely gorgeous theological and ethnographic analysis of the relationship between Catholicism and Islam. Every Catholic should be reading this book to truly understand the beauty of our shared Abrahamic roots.
Islamophobia runs rampant in the Catholic community and you couldn't find a better counterargument in Duffner's analysis.
Islamophobia runs rampant in the Catholic community and you couldn't find a better counterargument in Duffner's analysis.
August 29, 2018
This book was a really well written introduction for me into how a Catholic can interact productively with Islam and Muslims. Also has a lot of references and information that can be used outside the book.
May 19, 2022
Very informative personal experience from the author. I personally have some hesitation and reservations about some of the suggestions and experiences talked of in the book, such as practicing Islamic prayer as a Catholic or essentially ignoring some of the more important differences between Christian and Islamic belief, such as the Trinity and the divinity of Christ. Overall, however, and considering the book has the imprimatur, the book is very informative, and I would recommend it for those seeking to learn more about Christian-Muslim dialogue and the possibilities therein.
March 5, 2018
This is a must-read for all Catholics.
May 14, 2025
thought provoking and interesting
November 23, 2024
Nice to learn more about a different faith and importance of inter religious dialogue that so often does not happen
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews