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A Muslim and a Christian in Dialogue
Millions of Muslims and Christians are neighbors, and and they agree that they worship the one and only God. Yet they seldom witness to each other, and the issues they deal with are profound. Rather than an antagonistic interaction, Badru D. Kateregga and David W. Shenk pioneer another way--that of authentic dialogue between friends.
219 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 1, 2018
This was a nice overview of the faiths, but I could only really evaluate it from a Christian perspective. The writings regarding the fundamentals of Christianity were largely informed by a conservative Protestant perspective though they largely didn't offend orthodoxy. The diversity of Christian thought that the author lacked here led me to wonder how the Muslim perspective was shared. Ultimately, it was clear that the two faiths share much in common, but it was hard to evaluate serious philosophical differences or debates through the simplicity of the text. It may be a useful overview, but anyone serious about this subjects needs to do much more robust study. But the text is a welcome departure from the typical polemic tone of many books like it.
June 13, 2023
This book is exactly what the title says. It is a conversation. It is not a debate. It is likely not going to change your viewpoint on either or both of these religions.
The two authors are well spoken and experts on their religion. They are also friends. Each gets to explain a number of things and the other side gets a chance to respond and then clarification is added if needed. The conversation is respectful and polite.
I feel I learned from both of these men, even though I am knowledgeable in both religions.
The two authors are well spoken and experts on their religion. They are also friends. Each gets to explain a number of things and the other side gets a chance to respond and then clarification is added if needed. The conversation is respectful and polite.
I feel I learned from both of these men, even though I am knowledgeable in both religions.
January 16, 2020
I have recently finished reading “A Muslim and a Christian in Dialogue”. I found the book to be rather informative about the similarities and contrasts between Christians and Muslims. I will quote extensively from this book in the following review.
I agree with the Muslim view expressed in the following quote (all quotations are taken from the book being reviewed): “Sin is never inherited in Islam. People are judged by their merits…” (page 11). To me, this seems eminently fair and just, and the view that one inherits the sins of forebears is, I believe, a serious misunderstanding.
The Christian apologist here, David Shenk, says the following (p. 34): “Christians and Muslims worship the same God.” While I believe that this statement is true, I do not see how it can be defended given the incompatibilities between Islam and Christianity – from the vantage point of the opposing apologists.
The Muslim apologist quotes the following from the Qur’an (from p. 36 of this book): “And He it is Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They float, each in an orbit. (Qur’an 21:30-33)” It is certainly understandable that Mohammad would express such views in the sixth or seventh century A.D. After all, Copernicus was yet (almost a thousand years later) to be privileged to discover that the sun is the center of the solar system and the sun does NOT orbit the earth – as had been thought in Mohammad’s time. Does this invalidate the Qur’an? Well, it seems difficult to defend its infallibility with statements that are, literally and scientifically, false.
Another instance of the Qur’an’s unscientific statements is found discussed on page 38: “…The first man God created was Adam. He was the first human being to appear either in heaven or on earth….” Of course, the Judeo-Christian book of Genesis also indicates (which is where Mohammad most likely got his “information” about this) that Adam was the first human being on Earth. Modern science has monumental evidence that this is not true.
From page 45 I get this quotation: “All people are born as true Muslims, innocent, pure, and free….” This, I fear, is false, given that human nature is almost undeniably afflicted with strong evil tendencies. The same theme is continued on page 49: “…We see that arrogance, egoism, jealousy, and rebellion, which are the very sources of evil, were (and are) the exclusive possession of Satan….” I fear that Islam is a bit off base here, because human nature has (intrinsically) got powerful tendencies toward arrogance, egoism, and rebellion against God.
In a Christian clarification given on page 84, we find the following expression of a Christian outlook: “…The kingdom of God is present wherever people live in a right and joyful relationship with God and their fellow human beings….” I’m in agreement with this, and it shows that the kingdom of God is present where even Muslims are in a right relationship with God – irrespective of their particular religion.
The Muslim apologist, Kateregga, says the following (p. 86-87): “…No one is considered a believer unless he obeys the Prophet, through whom the Qur’an was revealed….” This seems to cast doubts on the claim that Muslims and Christians worship the same God, because most Christians would not seek to obey the Prophet Mohammad.
The Christian views are expressed as follows (p. 89): “…The Christian witness is that we receive peace and salvation by faith in what God has done for us through Jesus, the Messiah.” This seems to imply that salvation is not achieved by righteous living and obedience to God, but merely by faith in “the Messiah”. This is problematic.
The Muslim apologist says this (p. 99): “…Every word contained in the Arabic Qur’an is from God….” Of course, most Christians strongly disagree. They will, however, make the same claims for the Bible that the Muslims make for the Qur’an. Maybe it’s a misunderstanding to regard ANY human writings as infallibly the “Word of God”.
The Christian views are expressed as follows (p. 117): “Third, God has acted in history. His acts in history were especially evident to the people of faith who participated in the biblical covenant community….” I am convinced that God is very much present in our world ALL THE TIME. He continuously works with suffering, struggling, and (too often) evil humanity.
Christian views are again expressed (p.184): “…All true Christian worship recognizes Father, Savior, and Spirit who is present with us now. Christians recognize the triune nature of God in worship….” It is, however, not true that ALL Christians consider God as triune in nature. This is, admittedly, the dominant view among professing Christians, but is very dubiously biblical.
My final quotation here will be from the Muslim apologist (p. 287): “In Islam a wronged or oppressed person has the freedom to resist and retaliate by bringing the offender to book or dealing some punishment for him….” This is emphatically NOT what Jesus taught, and it is not how God directs my own life. Retaliation is NEVER JUSTIFIED.
To wrap up this review, let me point out that I learned a good deal more than I already knew about how Muslims and Christians view each other’s religion. I truly wish that both sides could humbly acknowledge the fallibility and flaws in their own worldview and peacefully relate to each other. Unfortunately, given human nature and its powerful proclivity toward self-promotion, dogmatism, and desires to see others acknowledge what one believes to be true, true peace between Islam and Christianity seems little better than a pipedream. One hopes for the best, and this book is a worthwhile effort toward ecumenism between Islam and Christianity.
I agree with the Muslim view expressed in the following quote (all quotations are taken from the book being reviewed): “Sin is never inherited in Islam. People are judged by their merits…” (page 11). To me, this seems eminently fair and just, and the view that one inherits the sins of forebears is, I believe, a serious misunderstanding.
The Christian apologist here, David Shenk, says the following (p. 34): “Christians and Muslims worship the same God.” While I believe that this statement is true, I do not see how it can be defended given the incompatibilities between Islam and Christianity – from the vantage point of the opposing apologists.
The Muslim apologist quotes the following from the Qur’an (from p. 36 of this book): “And He it is Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They float, each in an orbit. (Qur’an 21:30-33)” It is certainly understandable that Mohammad would express such views in the sixth or seventh century A.D. After all, Copernicus was yet (almost a thousand years later) to be privileged to discover that the sun is the center of the solar system and the sun does NOT orbit the earth – as had been thought in Mohammad’s time. Does this invalidate the Qur’an? Well, it seems difficult to defend its infallibility with statements that are, literally and scientifically, false.
Another instance of the Qur’an’s unscientific statements is found discussed on page 38: “…The first man God created was Adam. He was the first human being to appear either in heaven or on earth….” Of course, the Judeo-Christian book of Genesis also indicates (which is where Mohammad most likely got his “information” about this) that Adam was the first human being on Earth. Modern science has monumental evidence that this is not true.
From page 45 I get this quotation: “All people are born as true Muslims, innocent, pure, and free….” This, I fear, is false, given that human nature is almost undeniably afflicted with strong evil tendencies. The same theme is continued on page 49: “…We see that arrogance, egoism, jealousy, and rebellion, which are the very sources of evil, were (and are) the exclusive possession of Satan….” I fear that Islam is a bit off base here, because human nature has (intrinsically) got powerful tendencies toward arrogance, egoism, and rebellion against God.
In a Christian clarification given on page 84, we find the following expression of a Christian outlook: “…The kingdom of God is present wherever people live in a right and joyful relationship with God and their fellow human beings….” I’m in agreement with this, and it shows that the kingdom of God is present where even Muslims are in a right relationship with God – irrespective of their particular religion.
The Muslim apologist, Kateregga, says the following (p. 86-87): “…No one is considered a believer unless he obeys the Prophet, through whom the Qur’an was revealed….” This seems to cast doubts on the claim that Muslims and Christians worship the same God, because most Christians would not seek to obey the Prophet Mohammad.
The Christian views are expressed as follows (p. 89): “…The Christian witness is that we receive peace and salvation by faith in what God has done for us through Jesus, the Messiah.” This seems to imply that salvation is not achieved by righteous living and obedience to God, but merely by faith in “the Messiah”. This is problematic.
The Muslim apologist says this (p. 99): “…Every word contained in the Arabic Qur’an is from God….” Of course, most Christians strongly disagree. They will, however, make the same claims for the Bible that the Muslims make for the Qur’an. Maybe it’s a misunderstanding to regard ANY human writings as infallibly the “Word of God”.
The Christian views are expressed as follows (p. 117): “Third, God has acted in history. His acts in history were especially evident to the people of faith who participated in the biblical covenant community….” I am convinced that God is very much present in our world ALL THE TIME. He continuously works with suffering, struggling, and (too often) evil humanity.
Christian views are again expressed (p.184): “…All true Christian worship recognizes Father, Savior, and Spirit who is present with us now. Christians recognize the triune nature of God in worship….” It is, however, not true that ALL Christians consider God as triune in nature. This is, admittedly, the dominant view among professing Christians, but is very dubiously biblical.
My final quotation here will be from the Muslim apologist (p. 287): “In Islam a wronged or oppressed person has the freedom to resist and retaliate by bringing the offender to book or dealing some punishment for him….” This is emphatically NOT what Jesus taught, and it is not how God directs my own life. Retaliation is NEVER JUSTIFIED.
To wrap up this review, let me point out that I learned a good deal more than I already knew about how Muslims and Christians view each other’s religion. I truly wish that both sides could humbly acknowledge the fallibility and flaws in their own worldview and peacefully relate to each other. Unfortunately, given human nature and its powerful proclivity toward self-promotion, dogmatism, and desires to see others acknowledge what one believes to be true, true peace between Islam and Christianity seems little better than a pipedream. One hopes for the best, and this book is a worthwhile effort toward ecumenism between Islam and Christianity.
May 19, 2017
I have heard many wrong things about Islam from whom I think are mostly well intentioned but misinformed Christians. I think this book could help with that. I learned so much about the similarities between Islam and Christianity. I really appreciate the authors putting this together. I really liked hearing from both a Muslim and a Christian. And I liked the set up of the book, I just wish the writing style could have been a little different. I wish it could have been a little more personal, than factual. Though I understand why they wrote it that way.
January 19, 2023
This book was assigned for my study abroad semester in Amman, Jordan. I read the Muslim chapters as well as the Muslim responses to the Christian chapters. I love the mission of this book which is for people who belong to a faith to describe their own faith (and not have it described by someone else) but then you also get dialogue which is missing in a lot of theological books!
December 27, 2017
Two men well versed in their faithes share similarities and differences in this well organized book.
March 11, 2014
In this day of extremists and allegations of abuse on both sides, it is easy to draw all sorts of misconceptions about another religion. This book comes out of years of friendship and team-teaching a course on comparative religion at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. Each of the two authors presents the core beliefs of his own religion followed by the other explaining where his religion is similar or different. The dialogue is respectful without compromising belief. That is probably the greatest strength of this book: each religion speaks for itself and is not interpreted by an unbeliever. Thus the book has value not only for understanding your neighbor’s religion, but also for centering on the core values of your own if you belong to one of these two major religious communities. The Christian and Muslim chapters parallel one another in the core beliefs that are compared. A discussion guide in the back can help student or community groups to go deeper in their understanding of one another’s perspective.
Devout Christians and Muslims have much in common, including our belief in one sovereign God and the authority of holy books. When it comes to moral standards, we Christians may have significantly more in common with practicing Muslims than with secular society. The obvious difference between us is our view of Jesus Christ and the prophet Mohamed. Muslims view Jesus as a great prophet, but not the living Word of God. The Qur’an puts words in his mouth that predict the coming of Mohamed, the one to whom Muslims believe Moses referred when he said God would send another like him.
The Muslim belief concerning Jesus really comes down to a more profound difference in our views of who God is. While Christians believe that Jesus was the incarnation of the God who created people for relationship with him and has revealed himself in the Bible and in history, Muslims see God as the sovereign Lord and people as his servants. They believe God is gracious and merciful, but it is the mercy of a despot, not a loving Father. I was amazed at how easily Kateregga (the Muslim author) used the word “slave” without seeming to see anything negative in that. Perhaps it is me, the Westerner, who sees slavish obedience without relationship as a negative, but then it was the Christian view of God that shaped Western civilization and gave rise to modern democracy for all the Muslim talk of brotherhood. I was also shocked to learn that Muslims don’t believe in the sinful nature of mankind, only mistakes made by basically good people. That struck me as a bit naïve.
Of course, the terrorists you see on TV are no more typical Muslims than abortion clinic bombers are typical evangelicals. This book describes Christianity and Islam in their ideals, not the frail practice of adherents. It’s a fascinating book, a must-read if you have Muslims in your community or want to understand what you see in the evening news a little better.
Devout Christians and Muslims have much in common, including our belief in one sovereign God and the authority of holy books. When it comes to moral standards, we Christians may have significantly more in common with practicing Muslims than with secular society. The obvious difference between us is our view of Jesus Christ and the prophet Mohamed. Muslims view Jesus as a great prophet, but not the living Word of God. The Qur’an puts words in his mouth that predict the coming of Mohamed, the one to whom Muslims believe Moses referred when he said God would send another like him.
The Muslim belief concerning Jesus really comes down to a more profound difference in our views of who God is. While Christians believe that Jesus was the incarnation of the God who created people for relationship with him and has revealed himself in the Bible and in history, Muslims see God as the sovereign Lord and people as his servants. They believe God is gracious and merciful, but it is the mercy of a despot, not a loving Father. I was amazed at how easily Kateregga (the Muslim author) used the word “slave” without seeming to see anything negative in that. Perhaps it is me, the Westerner, who sees slavish obedience without relationship as a negative, but then it was the Christian view of God that shaped Western civilization and gave rise to modern democracy for all the Muslim talk of brotherhood. I was also shocked to learn that Muslims don’t believe in the sinful nature of mankind, only mistakes made by basically good people. That struck me as a bit naïve.
Of course, the terrorists you see on TV are no more typical Muslims than abortion clinic bombers are typical evangelicals. This book describes Christianity and Islam in their ideals, not the frail practice of adherents. It’s a fascinating book, a must-read if you have Muslims in your community or want to understand what you see in the evening news a little better.
February 16, 2016
In this day of extremists and allegations of abuse on both sides, it is easy to draw all sorts of misconceptions about another religion. This book comes out of years of friendship and team-teaching a course on comparative religion at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. Each of the two authors presents the core beliefs of his own religion followed by the other explaining where his religion is similar or different. The dialogue is respectful without compromising belief. That is probably the greatest strength of this book: each religion speaks for itself and is not interpreted by an unbeliever. Thus the book has value not only for understanding your neighbors religion, but also for centering on the core values of your own if you belong to one of these two major religious communities. The Christian and Muslim chapters parallel one another in the core beliefs that are compared. A discussion guide in the back can help student or community groups to go deeper in their understanding of one anothers perspective.
Devout Christians and Muslims have much in common, including our belief in one sovereign God and the authority of holy books. When it comes to moral standards, we Christians may have significantly more in common with practicing Muslims than with secular society. The obvious difference between us is our view of Jesus Christ and the prophet Mohamed. Muslims view Jesus as a great prophet, but not the living Word of God. The Quran puts words in his mouth that predict the coming of Mohamed, the one to whom Muslims believe Moses referred when he said God would send another like him.
The Muslim belief concerning Jesus really comes down to a more profound difference in our views of who God is. While Christians believe that Jesus was the incarnation of the God who created people for relationship with him and has revealed himself in the Bible and in history, Muslims see God as the sovereign Lord and people as his servants. They believe God is gracious and merciful, but it is the mercy of a despot, not a loving Father. I was amazed at how easily Kateregga (the Muslim author) used the word slave without seeming to see anything negative in that. Perhaps it is me, the Westerner, who sees slavish obedience without relationship as a negative, but then it was the Christian view of God that shaped Western civilization and gave rise to modern democracy for all the Muslim talk of brotherhood. I was also shocked to learn that Muslims dont believe in the sinful nature of mankind, only mistakes made by basically good people. That struck me as a bit nave.
Of course, the terrorists you see on TV are no more typical Muslims than abortion clinic bombers are typical evangelicals. This book describes Christianity and Islam in their ideals, not the frail practice of adherents. Its a fascinating book, a must-read if you have Muslims in your community or want to understand what you see in the evening news a little better.
Devout Christians and Muslims have much in common, including our belief in one sovereign God and the authority of holy books. When it comes to moral standards, we Christians may have significantly more in common with practicing Muslims than with secular society. The obvious difference between us is our view of Jesus Christ and the prophet Mohamed. Muslims view Jesus as a great prophet, but not the living Word of God. The Quran puts words in his mouth that predict the coming of Mohamed, the one to whom Muslims believe Moses referred when he said God would send another like him.
The Muslim belief concerning Jesus really comes down to a more profound difference in our views of who God is. While Christians believe that Jesus was the incarnation of the God who created people for relationship with him and has revealed himself in the Bible and in history, Muslims see God as the sovereign Lord and people as his servants. They believe God is gracious and merciful, but it is the mercy of a despot, not a loving Father. I was amazed at how easily Kateregga (the Muslim author) used the word slave without seeming to see anything negative in that. Perhaps it is me, the Westerner, who sees slavish obedience without relationship as a negative, but then it was the Christian view of God that shaped Western civilization and gave rise to modern democracy for all the Muslim talk of brotherhood. I was also shocked to learn that Muslims dont believe in the sinful nature of mankind, only mistakes made by basically good people. That struck me as a bit nave.
Of course, the terrorists you see on TV are no more typical Muslims than abortion clinic bombers are typical evangelicals. This book describes Christianity and Islam in their ideals, not the frail practice of adherents. Its a fascinating book, a must-read if you have Muslims in your community or want to understand what you see in the evening news a little better.
December 17, 2012
Half of this book is written by a Muslim, half by a Christian. They do not debate, but rather try to come to consensus as to what each faith believes, trying to find areas which overlap, and others which are opposed. I love the respectful and earnest tone which both take. My understanding of Islam is much better for having read this.
"[T]he point where Muslims and Christians painfully part company ... is deeply theological ... the Christian view of incarnation seems to compromise God's transcendence and sovereignty while at the same time exalting a mere man to God-like status.... The gulf between Christians and Muslims is further widened by the Christian silence on and nonrecognition of Muhmmad as the Seal of the Prophets, and the final guidance (the Qur'an) that was revealed to him by God." This is the best statement of the difference between the faiths that I've found, and it was written by Kateregga, the Muslim.
"[T]he point where Muslims and Christians painfully part company ... is deeply theological ... the Christian view of incarnation seems to compromise God's transcendence and sovereignty while at the same time exalting a mere man to God-like status.... The gulf between Christians and Muslims is further widened by the Christian silence on and nonrecognition of Muhmmad as the Seal of the Prophets, and the final guidance (the Qur'an) that was revealed to him by God." This is the best statement of the difference between the faiths that I've found, and it was written by Kateregga, the Muslim.
October 4, 2010
Helpful insights into our commonalities and differences
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews