Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Today as never before, the world’s second largest religion is shaping our culture, and words such as jihad, imam, Quran, and fatwa have entered our vocabulary. While all Muslims are no more alike than all Christians are alike, there are certain fundamental beliefs that all Muslims hold in common—some of which Christians would agree with, including belief in one true God. But is it the same God? How does the God of Muhammad differ from the God of Christianity?
Written in a clear, passionate style that is conciliatory, balanced, and uncompromisingly biblical, this book describes and contrasts the distinctives of Christianity and Islam. Its author, a noted historian and theologian who has studied Islam for many years, writes with an eye on helping Christians better understand how to interact with Muslims.
Top Highlights
“But the answer to the question ‘Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?’ is also no, for Muslim theology rejects the fatherhood of God, the deity of Jesus Christ, and the personhood of the Holy Spirit—each of which is an essential component of the Christian understanding of God.” (Pages 69–70)
“The doctrine of the Trinity is the necessary theological framework for understanding the story of Jesus as the story of God. It is the exposition of the Old Testament affirmation ‘God is one’ and the New Testament confession ‘Jesus is Lord,’” (Page 59)
“The Council of Nicaea in a.d. 325 declared that the Son was of the same essence as the Father.” (Page 58)
“What is called Islamic fundamentalism is only one stream of a much larger phenomenon, namely, the recovery and reassertion of Islamic identity based on a return to the founding principles of the Muslim faith. This means applying Sharia, the law of God based on the Quran, to every aspect of life—to its social and political, as well as religious, dimensions.” (Page 23)
“Today there are approximately seven million Muslims and more than 13,000 mosques in North America.” (Page 23)
Timothy George is the founding dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University. An executive editor of Christianity Today, George has written more than twenty books and regularly contributes to scholarly journals.