Weighing the Evidence

When in dialogue with a Muslim, how often do we find ourselves put on the defensive, fending off the same five or six standard questions which seem to repeat themselves time and again? The objection to the Trinity leads the way, pursued hard on its heels by the disbelief that God could have a Son, followed by the contention that these doctrines were erroneously created by the apostle Paul, and therefore not part of the original canon preached by the “historical Jesus.” We play the part and answer as best we can, quoting from our Scriptures the oft-repeated responses we have been taught from our days in Sunday school. Yet, sooner or later we find ourselves returning to that which is our foundation—the Bible—just as they do likewise with the Qur’an. Therein lies the problem. Regardless of the topic we may choose, the discussion we have with Muslims leads back inevitably to that of revelation. Much as “all paths lead to Rome,” so do all apologetical discussions lead to the repository of our respective beliefs, the Bible or the Qur’an.

This should not surprise us, for both Christianity and Islam derive their sets of beliefs from their revelations. Yet we find that the two scriptures disagree in a number of salient areas. One need only compare how both the Bible and the Qur’an deal with Jesus, sin, atonement, and salvation to understand that they are quite different from one another.

So then we need to begin with the fundamental question: Which revelation is the true Word of God? Until we seek to settle that question we will not be able to judge the value of what the Bible and the Qur’an say. The answer, however, will not be simple. Read more