Last week we began session four with a look at Religious Pluralism and the fact that all religions, or faiths, cannot all have paths to God and Heaven, as is put forth by this view. This is because they are all foundationally, fundamentally and salvationally different on all of the most important views such as who God is; our origin and purpose in life; and where we go when we die. They can all be false, but they cannot all be true because they are contradictory in nature.

This week we are looking specifically at the differences between Christianity and Islam, because many will say that they are just different paths to the same outcome, but is that true? Let’s take a look at what these two monotheistic religions believe:

Overview notes from the presentation:

Christianity and Islam

Questions that define the differences:

Who is Allah vs. God?
Who is Muhammad vs. Jesus?
How does the Qur’an compare with the Bible?
What is the role of women?
What is the view of Heaven and Hell?
What is the view sin and forgiveness?
How important is shame and honor?

Note: See appendix below titled: Apologetics’ to Islam, Comparative Analysis Paper for answers to these questions and more

General overview:

Historically

Islam claims roots going back to Abraham, but that’s where the similarity stops
Islam claims Ismael was the promised seed (with no evidence)—Christianity and Judaism claim the promise is through Isaac (with a lot of evidence)
Islam did not exist until the time of Mohammad in early seventh century AD, 600 plus years after the time of Jesus
Mohammad was highly influenced in his early life by both Judaism and Christianity, but was rejected by both with his claims of being a prophet
Mohammad is said to have received Allah’s word from an angel while alone and in a trance-like state and all of his revelations were in private; Jesus publically fulfilled Old Testament prophecy; publically proclaimed His message; publically performed miracles; publically died on a cross, and publically rose from the grave in the Resurrection—His witnesses are in multiple

Theologically
Islam

A religion based on the “prophet” Mohammad’s writings and life
Islam requires human effort through works in an attempt to please their god, Allah
Muslims must obey the rules and regulations written in the Qur’an and additional ‘holy’ books based on the life of Mohammad and Muslim traditions
Muslims must work their way to paradise (weighing the scales), and in the end can only hope that Allah wills them in (his will is unknown and love is not one of his 99 characteristics)
Martyrdom through jihad is the only exception to the scales of good works that guarantees entrance into paradise, for males only
Leaving Islam will get a Muslim disowned by their family, and killed in many cases

Theologically
Christianity

A faith based on the Creator-God who reaches down and personally comes into His creation extending love, mercy, and grace through His Son Jesus, guaranteeing us eternal life in Heaven in relationship with Him
God makes this gift available to all who will freely receive it; it is not by anything we can work for but by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus who atoned for our sins on the cross and then defeated death in the Resurrection
God has provided, through Jesus, a way for us to get back to the original loving, face to face relationship humans had with Him in the Garden before the fall
God also works in believers through His Holy Spirit who teaches and leads into all truth which is found in His Word, the Bible, written by God-inspired men and witnessed to by hundreds and thousands over the centuries
This Triune Christian God has also given us His Word in written form through multiple, not singular, inspired writings—The Bible

Five reasons why a former Muslim became a Christian

1. Only Christianity offers intimacy and promises a relationship with God as Father.

Every other religion has a god/gods that are distant, uninterested or nonexistent.

2. Only Christianity offers a Savior—Jesus.

All other religions have guides, gurus, prophets, leaders etc.

3. Only Christianity has grace.

In every other religion you can find mercy if you do something for it, but not grace. (Mercy=not getting the penalty I do deserve; grace=getting something I don’t deserve after receiving mercy for the crime).

4. Only Christianity accepts you as you are.

All other religions say you have to do something to be accepted.

5. Only in Christianity does God die for man.

In all other religions man has to die for his god without the promise of eternal salvation.

Watch Nabeel Qureshi’s testimony here:

Dramatic Journey from Islam to Christianity – Nabeel Qureshi

Going Deeper

Get the trilogy of books by Dr. Nabeel Qureshi: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus; No God But One; and Answering Jihad

Appendix

Apologetics’ to Islam, Comparative Analysis Paper

Introduction

According to Matthew 28: 18-20 “Jesus came and told his disciples that he has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Sharing the faith:

In order to develop strong Christian Apologetic skills when speaking to people of the Muslim faith (or any other belief system), it is critical to understand their perspective, culture and background before engaging. Prior to beginning a relationship with a Muslim, or group of Muslims careful consideration of the following must be taken:

Get to know them personally, develop a relationship first.
Listen to their perspectives on life and their religion (there are different sects in Islam).
Love them as Jesus would love them.
Show them that you sincerely care, not just that you want to win an argument.
Let them begin with a polemic/apologetic question, and then you can respond in kind.
Be careful how you introduce new ideas (keep it simple; one point at a time).
In your apologetic/witness, keep a focus on Jesus and the love God has for us.
Encourage Bible study when they have become interested.
Aim for the heart and encourage the mind.
Like Jesus did with the Pharisees, answer their question, only if they are willing to answer yours. You must give assurance you will listen to them, if and only if they will likewise listen to you. This will lead into effective apologetics as well as a lasting relationship.
Keep your eye on the person by reading them carefully, you can tell when moods change and when a receptive attitude is changing to a rejecting one. You can always come back another day.

A great starting point with Muslims is the discussion of Jesus, whom they believe to be a great prophet and the writer of the New Testament. The Qur’an also teaches that Jesus’ birth was foretold and announced by angels; that he was born of a virgin, that he lived a sinless life, and that He was given the power to perform miracles and even raise people from the dead. They also believe that He is appointed to return to earth and usher in the end times, but they do not believe that He is the Son of God, that is blasphemy for them.

From a Christian perspective you can show that He is the fulfilled promised of a Savior from what happened at the fall, that He fulfilled all of the Hebrew prophecies in the Old Testament, and that He is the one that can restore that original relationship we had with God in the Garden of Eden.

Another great starting point is with the Qur’an because it has many passages that actually support Biblical authority! There are more than a dozen passages that testify that the Bible (the book), like the Qur’an, is a revelation from God. Check out the Qur’an Suras (chapters) examples: 2:136; 4:136; 29:46; 10:94; 5:43; and 5:47-48.

Resource: To understand the connections in the Qur’an that supports Biblical authority get “The Ambassador’s Guide to Islam” by Alan Shlemon. Order it at www.str.org or call 1-800-2-REASON.

Historical differences

Christianity continues the historical narrative that began in the Old Testament based on the fulfillment of God’s Covenant Promise, and the hundreds of prophecies contained within these Scriptures, by Jesus. Christianity’s massive following took off immediately after the death and resurrection of Jesus and spread rapidly over the next several centuries. Even through severe persecution and death of many of its followers Christianity grew and became the official religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century. Today, Classical Christianity follows Jesus Christ and the teachings of the early Church who knew Him. Christians follow the Bible that consists of the Old Testament history and prophecy pointing to Jesus, and the New Testament teachings after His fulfillment of those things. Unlike Islam, there is no promotion of violence in Christianity, yet believers are mandated to share and defend their faith (Matthew 28:18-20 and 1 Peter 3:15).

Islam shares some of the early beliefs with Judaism and Christianity, such as God’s creation, including stories of Adam and Eve; Cain and Abel and Abraham as the one God gave a Covenant to, but they split sharply at the births of Ismael and Isaac. Islam says it is Ishmael not Isaac as the promised son and the near sacrifice (however there have been some historical documents uncovered recently that show some early Muslim beliefs correctly have it as Isaac not Ishmael). The problem is that they cannot retrace the lineage of Ismael nor can they show the Covenant promise being given to him. Islam also reveres Moses as a great prophet, but they cannot connect Moses to the lineage of Ishmael. We know that Moses can be historically traced to the tribe of Levi who was a son of Jacob (Israel), a son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. The religion of Islam started with the life of Mohammad (AD 570-632). It is said that he was mysteriously given the writings or sayings of the Qur’an in a vision with the angel Gabriel. It is reported that Mohammad received his first revelation from the angel around AD 610 (seven centuries after Jesus). In AD 622 Muhammad established a political order and central authority and became a military leader who lead some 27 battles and planned 55 others that included mass killings, rapes and forceful conversions to Islam.

Note: There are remarkable similarities between Islam and Mormonism, including Mohammad and Joseph Smith’s similar experiences with an angel (Gabriel), and both of whom had personal animosity towards Christianity and/or Judaism. Islam and Mormonism both claim that they are correcting Christianity, as do most of the modern cults we see today, all of which have one specific leader who has denied or twisted the teachings of the Bible.

1. Who is Allah vs. God?
Islam	Christianity
In Islam, God/Allah is portrayed in the Qur’an as unapproachable and as a god who makes no attempt to communicate with His creation. Allah demands blind faith and complete obedience to his rules and regulations and he does not communicate with his people; he has only given revelations through his prophets and angels, with Muhammad being the greatest. Allah guides or leads astray whomever he pleases and man is, and always will be, bond-slaves of Allah. Allah is one-dimensional and neither desires nor is able to have a relationship with his creation. Muslims have 99 names for Allah’s character, not one of those names shows him to be a god of love. Muslims believe that Allah will only love those who do his will, and that he hates those who do not do his will. Allah may will or not will someone into paradise, it is his prerogative, the only guarantee is being martyred through an act of jihad. A follower of Allah must contemplate the scales of his life and hope that the weight of the good side outweighs the bad side so that he may be considered for paradise by Allah. Prayer is a requirement, not a relationship.	God is the great “I AM”/YAWH. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present. He is the Creator of all things. The God of the Bible is real and knowable, and we see this in His fingerprints throughout human history and through His actions in our lives and the lives of those who have gone before. God’s relationship with man began in the Garden of Eden where God walked and talked with Adam and Eve until they became deceived by Satan and committed the great sin that caused our separation from God. In the Old Testament the only way to God was through the law that pointed to the need for a Savior, and God sent His Son to redeem us and fulfill that need once and for all. Our God reveals Himself through His creation, through His Word—the Bible, through the example of His Son Jesus, and He continues to reveal Himself to us through His Holy Spirit. God is relational. He desires to have a personal and intimate relationship with us; He is near to us; and He is intimately involved in every detail of our lives. He is a just and forgiving God as seen through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross for forgiveness of sins and the renewal of our original relationship. He listens to our prayers and prayer is a means of relationship with Him. Our God is a Father and he is merciful, forgiving, loving, and full of grace; He condescended himself through His Son Jesus to be a sacrifice on our behalf so that we could be with Him in His house (Heaven) for eternity. God has also given us His Holy Spirit to guide us into all righteousness, and to help transform us back into the image that we lost in the Fall; He does this by changing our hearts, our minds and our spirits (born again).
2. Who is Mohammad vs. Jesus?
Mohammad	Jesus
Muslims believe that Muhammad was the greatest and last prophet sent by God. Muslims believe that Jesus was a great prophet sent of God, but not as great as Muhammad. Muhammad was born in 570AD in Mecca, his father died around his birth and his mother died when he was six; he was raised by his grandfather and then by his uncle. Muhammad died suddenly of a strange fever in Medina in 632 AD (age 62—some say he was poisoned by a Jewish woman who’s family was killed by his forces) Mohammad worked as a shepherd, then as a merchant trader for his wife who he married when he was 25 and she was 40; she was instrumental in pushing him to accepting that his seizures were visions and that he was to be a prophet of God. Mohammad had at least 9 wives, one was 7 and he was 52, they consummated their marriage when she was 9. Muhammad worshipped at Mt. Hira in the caves where he is said to have received revelations from the Angel Gabriel in 610AD; he would have seizures or fall into trances during the revelations. The most famous vision is of his flying on a winged horse to Jerusalem and being taken up to the 7^th heaven to receive the Qur’an. There are no witnesses to any of Muhammad’s visions. Muhammad was illiterate and could not write–he only recited sayings from his visions to his followers who wrote them down on bones, leaves, rocks and other similar materials. There were at least four Caliphs (Muslim leaders) who later recorded different information from these recitations. Only two versions survived and the others were apparently burned due to political infighting. Mohammad spent 10-15 years in Mecca then migrated to Medina with his followers around 622 AD where he found support as both a religious and political leader; it was during this period that he established political order, created a central authority and became a military leader. Mohammad tried to be a prophet to both Jews and Christians, but both groups rejected him; this most likely lead to his fierce rejection of Jews and Christians as “infidels.” During Muhammad’s war campaign he lead some 27 battles and planned 55 others that included mass killings, rapes and forceful conversions to Islam. Muslims are to follow the example set by Muhammad; they want to say they are a religion of peace, but if you look at his life it was full of violence, war and forceful conversions to Islam, and that cannot be abrogated. The Qur’an holds a high view of Jesus, for example, it teaches that Jesus’ birth was foretold and announced by angels; that He was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life with the power to perform miracles and even raised people from the dead, and is appointed to return to earth and usher in the end times; they believe that he was a great prophet of God (but not as great as Mohammad); but they do not believe that he is the Son of God. Muslims believe that it is a great sin to think that Allah could have begotten a son as “Allah cannot beget nor is begotten.” Muslims do not believe that Jesus is God nor do they believe in the concept of the trinity, they wrongly view Christians as believing in three gods; the doctrine of the trinity is one of the great divisive issues and not believing in the oneness of Allah is the greatest sin of all worthy of death. Muslims do not believe that Jesus died and was resurrected; instead they believe that God took him up before he was crucified and some believe that God replaced (Judas) on the cross instead of Jesus. Many Muslims hold on to theories that have now been disproven by both Christian and non-Christian scholars such as the swoon theory, the wrong tomb theory and the conspiracy theory.	John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus is the only way to heaven as he says in John 14:6: “I am the way, truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.” Jesus is full God and fully man; He is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity and the concept of the Trinity does not take away the sovereignty of God. The Trinity means that God is three in one—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; He is not three gods, nor is He one God acting in three different ways. The Bible tells us that God is three distinct persons and that they are one in the being of God. Christians look at this as one of the mysteries of God, but this mystery is explained in numerous verses of the Bible, both Old and New Testament and the conclusion is God is one in being, but He exists in three persons. Jesus came to earth to lay down His life for our sins, so that we could have a way back to the original relationship with God that we lost in the fall and Jesus fulfilled this Old Testament Promise from God, and Jesus offers this free gift of grace and salvation for anyone who would willingly receive it and follow Him. Jesus died on the cross for our sins; rose on the third day to sit at the right hand of God and He will return to rule His kingdom in the last days. Jesus is the promised Messiah as evidenced by His fulfillment of over 300 prophecies from the Old Testament hundreds of years before His time (Read Isaiah 53 as an example). Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life and was the only one who could become the blood sacrifice that would permanently atone/cover our sins so that we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven. The crucifixion and resurrection are historical facts, with little doubt even among non-Christian scholars. The Resurrection Apologetic: Jesus was tried and executed by crucifixion: No historian, either Christian or secular, argue this fact and it is supported historically by both Biblical and non-Biblical sources. Jesus died and was buried in a tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea: There are undisputed Biblical and non-Biblical historical sources that include these facts: The type of beating He endured, the loss of blood, the type of torture, the spear penetrating His side with blood and water flowing out (pericardial fluid that is present upon death), the pounds of sticky spices applied at the death, the linen wrappings, the guards at the tomb, the witnesses, and the attempted cover up by the Jewish authorities. The tomb was found empty (and by women first): Women did not have a level of prominence or respect in the Jewish culture and were usually considered second class, and the disciples could have changed the claim to themselves as being the first to discover the tomb empty, but they did not, they simply told the truth. The body was definitely missing as evidenced by the number of witnesses, including the women, the guards and later the disciples, and the deal made between the guards and the Sanhedrin proved that the tomb was empty; they did not want to get in trouble with the Roman authorities because the punishment was death for losing the body; if the body had been moved, or they had the wrong tomb, all they would have had to do was to produce a body to snuff out the commotion about a resurrection, no one ever did, and no one ever could, because He rose. Multiple eyewitnesses – Jesus appears to over 500 people: Various groups, independent of each other, saw Jesus after the resurrection: Mary Magdalene, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, the disciples hiding in the upper room, a second appearance to the disciples with Thomas present and 500 people at one time (See 1 Corinthians 15:3-8). Luke records in Acts that Jesus appeared to various people in various places over the next forty days; and finally that He appeared to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. Peter and Paul as they preached, said to people: “You know what has happened.” They said this because the crucifixion and resurrection account was all over Judea at this time. *Original disciples sudden* change because of Jesus’ resurrection:** The disciples left the crucifixion as scared and dejected followers who went into hiding and within a matter of days they became visible, outspoken, confident defenders of Jesus, His teachings and His resurrection—only Jesus’ appearance could account for that boldness. The followers of Jesus believed so deeply in what they saw and heard that most went to their deaths (and all endured torture) for refusing to deny what they knew to be the truth, and people will not die for a known lie, yet not even one disciple or future disciples would denounce Jesus and His resurrection because, as witnesses, they knew it was the truth. Paul’s experience with Jesus converted him from being a persecutor of Christians to an evangelist of the Gospel, and his acts included miracles in Jesus’ name, as did those of Peter and John. (Acts 7-28) Jesus’ half brother James went from a skeptical relative to the leader of the early Church.

3. How does the Qur’an compare with the Bible?
Qur’an	Bible
The Qur’an is viewed as the sacred holy book that has never been corrupted, changed or tampered with. Muslims view the Qur’an as being sent down from heaven and given to Muhammad in its original holy form, and Muhammad recited it (he was illiterate) to his companions who wrote it down on leaves, bones, stones etc. Muhammad declared Arabic script the divine language, yet it is one of the most difficult languages to understand, therefore the Qur’an is basically untranslatable. Four successive Caliphs (Muslim leaders) had different forms or copies of the Qur’an, and the third Caliph burned 15 codices of the Qur’an written by Muhammad’s companions, as no two were exactly alike. Muslims claim that the two surviving copies are primary sources from the seventh century, but upon careful examination using coinage of the times the earliest possible date is eighth century, therefore the Qur’an can only be considered a secondary source. The earliest version is Ibn Ishaq’s with a date of 735 AD, and this is 100 years removed from the events, and does not qualify as a primary account (no eyewitnesses alive to confirm). The other Sacred Books of Islam (Sira, Hadith, Tafsir and Tariq) have no primary sources. The first source for the Hadith is 250 removed, and the Tafsir and Tariq are 300 years removed, and the claim is early oral transmission of the information. These secondary sources were written by Arabs in other regions and cultural areas away from the actual events and therefore away from criticism for their accuracy, and most of the men who wrote the first sources were Persian. The Hadith, written in 870AD, is the collection of “presumed” true sayings by Muhammad. However, Bukhari, who wrote the Hadith, is recorded as throwing out 592,603 (99%) sayings as spurious, and kept only 7,397 (1.2%), (How can Muslims be sure that he kept the right ones?) The Qur’an has numerous contradictions but Islam uses the idea of abrogation (later passages take precedence over earlier ones) to explain these contradictions, however, the Suras (chapters) are not in chronological order so how can one decide which ones can abrogate for others (especially when it comes to peace versus violence)? Sunnis vs. Shia: There are extensive historical, cultural and doctrinal differences, however some basic notes include: *Sunni:* “One who follows the tradition of the prophet ”*Shi’a:* “A groups or supportive party of people—Shia-t-Ali or the party of Ali. The division originated over disputes as to who should succeed Muhammad: Sunnis believe leaders should be elected from those capable and they followed the first three Caliphs; Shi’a believe leaders should be from the family of Mohammad and they are followers of Ali, Mohammad’s cousin who was the forth Caliph. Over the years this division has lead to many differences in doctrine and the idea that the end of times will be ushered in by the 12^th Imam, or the Mahdi, is promoted by most who follow the Shi’ites’ teachings. There are other sects in Islam that follow versions of both Sunni and Shi’a.Most Muslims are Sunni, but Shi’a are the majority in Iran (90%) and in Iraq (70%).	30 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, while eyewitnesses were still alive, we have written primary sources in the New Testament. The Bible’s primary sources are considered to be historically accurate, even among non-Christian scholars. Two years after the resurrection, there is testimony from more than 500 people who saw Jesus and most of the New Testament books were written by these eyewitnesses. The Bible has 230 pieces of available evidence for its authenticity that are pre-Islamic, and these include two complete manuscripts: Codex Syiaticus and Codex Alexandrius. The Bible was widely accepted well before the time of Muhammad and has not changed in content or context. There are more than 25,000 (and growing) manuscript fragments from which the text of the present Bible has been established. Historical and literary accuracy is based on primary sources that include eyewitness accounts because the Bible was written in close proximity of the actual events where content can be disputed, and it was not. The Bible has been scrutinized by scholars more than any other literary or historical source and passes with flying colors. The Bible was written in well-known languages, Hebrew and Greek, and has been accurately translated to date. The Old Testament was widely accepted before the time of Christ and we have the same document today (confirmed by the Dead Sea Scrolls). The Christian Bible contains the Old and New Testaments with 66 books by 40 authors. It was canonized in the 4th century by the Church leaders based on what had been in use since the first century, the internal confirmation from one book to another (cross-references), and historical facts of authorships. An easy way to share Bible historicity and authenticity is the acronym MAPS-S: M=Manuscripts. 25,000 (plus) early New Testament manuscripts with over 5800 and climbing (due to new archeological finds) in the original Greek language and the scholarly field of textual criticism finding 99.5% agreement within them indicating an exact match to the autograph. Bibles today, like NASB, NIV or KJV, have only been translated once from the original language. A=Archeology. 25,000 (plus) archeology finds that have confirmed Biblical accounts. None have been found that disprove any historical, geographical or physical accounts in the Bible. P=Prophecy. 300 (plus) specific, incidental and repeated prophecies from the Old Testament that were fulfilled in the life and times of Jesus Christ. None of the Old Testament prophecies have been disproven and many are still to come. S=Science. The Bible has amazing scientific authenticity and makes no claims that are considered scientific absurdities. S=Saved Lives. Millions of saved lives are seen through the centuries evidenced by changed lives confessed by the saving work of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
4. What about the role of women?
Islam	Christianity
The position allocated to women in the Qur’an demote women to that of a possession, for example: Complete obedience is required of the wife—rebellion can be punished by a beating.Men can have up to 4 wives (although Muhammad had at least 9) and an unlimited number of slave-girls. Men have double the inheritance of a woman. Paradise is not guaranteed for women. Men will have beautiful young virgins waiting to serve them, not much if anything is said for what women will receive. Of 23 countries with the worst record of jobs for women, 17 are Muslim; of 11 countries with the worst record of disparagement of opportunity for women, 10 are Muslim; and of 12 states/nations with worst record of unequal treatment of women, 7 are Muslim.	Christianity promotes equality between men and women as exampled by Jesus and the role of women in early Christianity: Women were disciples of Jesus. Women were prominent in the Bible, especially in the discovery of the empty tomb found by the women disciples first. Women were prophets and taught in Jesus’ time as exampled by Anna and Priscilla. Jesus viewed women equally (which at the time was culturally unacceptable) as exampled by the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Every promise in the Bible is equally give to women as it is to men.
5. What about Heaven and Hell?
Islam	Christianity
Muslims refer to heaven as paradise and they believe that it is granted from Allah for those who do his will. Rewards are seen as perfection of the pleasures of this world and these pleasures are mainly for men. The only known guarantee of paradise is if you are martyred for the faith through jihad. Hell is the place where all sinners and infidels are sent at the will of Allah.	Heaven is a place where we will spend eternity with Christ and we will be a part of His kingdom and rule with Him after his second coming. Anyone who accepts the gift of grace and salvation, given to us by Jesus Christ through His sacrificial death on the cross, will be able to be with Him in Heaven when they die. We cannot work or do anything to earn this gift. Those who have already died are with Him now. Hell is a place of never-ending separation from God and eternal suffering for those who have rejected the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
6. What about sin and forgiveness?
Islam	Christianity
Muslims believe that man does not have a sin nature and that man is free to do good or evil. Muslims believe that only Allah can and decide what is good and evil, and only Allah judges sin because they believe he is the author of good and evil and uses it at his will. Since Allah created man weak, our tendency to sin results from the act of Allah and we do not have a way to get out of that nature. Muslims have to hope that they have done enough good (the scales are tipped in their favor) and have followed all the laws of Islam, if so then Allah may forgive them and let them into paradise.	Man’s nature, since the fall, is sinful although we used to have a close and intimate relationship with God in the Garden. We choose to sin and we would be lost to eternal physical and spiritual death, but our loving God has provided a way out through the payment made by the sacrifice of His only Son on the cross. Without this sacrifice and the price being paid, we would be subject to only the Law, and no one can perfectly follow the Law, therefore all have been condemned to eternity in hell, forever separated from God. Justice is God giving us what we deserve; but through Jesus we get mercy, which is God not giving us what we do deserve, and grace, which is God giving us what we don’t deserve, and that is eternal life with him.
7. Shame and honor
Islam	Christianity
In Islam, honor and shame are very important aspects of their culture. Families have been known to kill their own (mainly the girls) who have shamed them for things such as not wearing their burka; leaving the faith; living a western lifestyle etc. Sons/relatives have been honored for killing those who have shamed the family. Muslims have been honored for giving of their lives in martyrdom such as suicide bombings, and this, according to Islam, is the only guarantee of paradise (heaven). There is no guarantee of the afterlife in Islam because it is based on the following of rules, regulations and traditions that, only if Allah wills, may get you to paradise. The worst thing in a Muslim’s view is, not guilt and needing to be restored to God, but it is being shamed and losing honor in their family or community.	Christians can point to two stories in the Bible that address shame and honor: 1. God originally walked with Adam and Eve in the garden until they were shamed when they ate of the fruit of the tree. They hid from God, yet God still provided a way back to that relationship with Him through the Promised Covenant in the Old Testament. 2. The story of the prodigal son who was shamed after spending his inheritance, yet his father lovingly took him back and honored him. In both cases they shamed the Father (God). In both cases the Father (God) shows love, forgiveness, mercy and most importantly grace. Our God is a loving, forgiving and relational God who will welcome us into His Kingdom at any point, here and now, and this is an eternal offer as well.

NOTE: All of the above information was accumulated through note-taking and readings from the Apologetics to Islam Class at Biola University:

Lingel, Joshua, Christian Apologetics to Islam, Coursepack. Biola University, 2008.

Lingel, Joshua, Introduction to Islamic Beliefs and Christian Apologetics. Biola University, 2008.

Reflection

Practice knowing the books of the Old Testament and their categories

What are the 39 books of the Christian Old Testament and their categories, in order? (clue: 5-12-5-5-12)
What are the major events, who are the major players and what are the major Covenants in the book of Genesis?

Bible Study

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us.

Read Genesis Chapter 30 through Chapter 32 – Then, to the best of your ability, answer the following questions. NOTE: The answers are found in the text (except for “Going Deeper”)

Leah and Rachel’s conflict; Jacob and Laban’s conflict; Jacob journeys back to Canaan; Jacob wrestles with the LORD

(Genesis 30:1-24) In the first part of this chapter Leah and Rachel continue their competition for Jacob’s affection, and in having children:
1. What did Rachel do when she saw Leah have so many children while she had none at this point, and how did Leah respond in kind?
2. Make a chart that shows the twelve sons of Jacob in order of their birth, and who their Moms were:
3. Going Deeper: Add the meaning of the sons’ names to your chart – Discuss any of the names, or meanings, that stood out to you.
(Genesis 30:25-43) In this section of the chapter, Jacob asks Laban to give him what he owed him so he could leave with his family.
1. Describe how Laban tried to get Jacob to stay?
2. What offer did Jacob make to Laban?
3. Jacob is said to be the first “Geneticist.” What did he do with the flocks to get them to reproduce and flourish?
4. Discuss: How do you see God’s hand in this event?
(Genesis 31:1-21) In the first part of this chapter, Jacob makes a decision to flee from Laban.
1. Why did Jacob decide it was time to leave, and who did he council with in making that decision?
2. How did Jacob follow through on their decision to leave?
3. Discuss: Do you think Jacob was trusting in the LORD at this time, and why?
(Genesis 31:22-55) In the second half of the chapter, Jacob and his family take off without telling Laban.
1. What did Laban do when he discovered Jacob was gone, and what did God say to Laban in a dream?
2. Describe what happened between Laban and Jacob when Laban caught up with them; what had Rachel done to make things even worse?
3. What agreement, or covenant, did Laban and Jacob make with each other, and how did they confirm it?
(Genesis 32:1-32) In this chapter, Jacob is on his way home, but he fears his brother Esau’s reception.
1. Describe the things that Jacob did to appease his brother Esau before he got there?
2. Who did Jacob wrestle with, and what was the outcome?
3. Going Deeper: What new name did Jacob receive, what does it mean and why is it important?
4. Discuss: What changes have you seen in Jacob, and how would you characterize his relationship with God now?

Join us next week as we continue our study of the Old Testament!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15