In any conversation between a Christian and a Muslim, one of the first disputed topics is the authenticity of the Bible. Usually Christians are told they have a falsified or corrupted Bible, or that the Bible they possess today is not actually the authentic and inspired text—it was altered and replaced by a forged one. The claim goes on to affirm that Christians cannot rely on the present Bible, which exists in hundreds of languages and translations, but they should seek the knowledge of the true God from the one and only preserved divine text—the Quran. Moreover, some educated Muslims usually refer to several scholars adopting the historical-critical method or higher criticism who undermine biblical authority.
This conversation leaves Christians for the most part disappointed, unsure, and puzzled, while Muslims feel superior. This claim ends any attempt to use the Bible in a continued dialogue with Muslims. However, what Muslims do not consider is that such an argument violates not only plain reason and historical evidence, but also their own scripture—the Quran. If Muslims truly believe Islam’s scripture, they should also affirm and advocate the authenticity, inerrancy, and trustworthiness of the Bible, in both its Old and New Testaments. Read more
Among the conclusions that can be drawn from this article is that Christians who engage in conversations with Muslims need to become better acquainted with the Quran and what it teaches. As in the case of the Bible in Christianity, a particular interpretive tradition has grown up around the Quran in Islam. This tradition does not always reflect what the Quran actually says. Such Christians also need to be knowledgible in the different ways the Quaran is interpreted.
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