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After some major arm twisting, we finally got Denise to contribute a BT Exclusive and spread some of that unique Surphside fragrance over on this side of the internet. This is part one of a two-part series that will be added to the BT Exclusives page after part two posts later this week. More of her writing can be accesed on her blog http://surphside.blogspot.com Thanks Denise! [BT MODS]

Begin Part One: Can a Christian Also be a Muslim?

Can a Christian also be a Muslim? Do the Muslims believe the same God we do? Can a professing Christian continue to pray Muslim prayers, use Muslim prayer beads, continue attending the mosque and still be faithful to Jesus Christ?

You’d think this would be an automatic “Of course not!” but the times, they are a changing!

Jesus said: Matt. 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

When you find compromise on doctrine, often you will find a relationship at stake.

There are “evangelical Christians” who believe Allah is God and that the Muslims along with the Roman Catholics and Cults, while lost because they don’t trust in Jesus Christ, they do have God. Their view of God might be a bit distorted, incomplete, partial, etc., they say, but nonetheless, they have the same God as Christians have.

At the end of this post I’ll provide some (dated, although extremely relevant) videos of Bob Morey for a summary of Islam and how Allah isn’t God at all. They’re certainly worth the time to review!

In contrast, a seminary professor, Imad N. Shehadeh, wrote in Bibliotheca Sacra (161 January-March 2004) (bold, my emphasis) :

“However, while Islam today has much in common with Christianity on the essential attributes of God, there is a wide divergence on His moral and relational attributes. Muslims and Christians may speak of the same subject, the true God, but they have different concepts of Him. ‘Theologies, and Scriptures for their source, are agreed about His being. They diverge in understanding the predicates they make of Him…when freely assuming that the God of the Gospels, and Allah of the Qur’an are the same Lord. Emphatically so, as subject of all the predicates made. And one, too, in many of the Muslim/Christian predicates such as Lord, Creator, Sovereign, Sustainer, in power wisdom, mercy and truth.”

“Jews have an incomplete picture of God’s nature…Muslims have an inaccurate picture of His nature (based on the Qur’an and the Hadith)…. So while Christians and Muslims believe in the same God, they conceive of His nature differently, each claiming that they have the true concept. So in short, Muhammad began with the one and only true God, Allah.“

“Though Muslims and Christians may believe in the same God as subject, the nature of God as conceived by Islam is not at all identical to the nature of God within the Judeo-Christian faith.”

Shehadeh signed the liberal and ecumenical  “A Christian Response to ‘A Common Word Between Us and You”, which was a letter signed by 100 “Christian” theologians in response to a letter written by 138 Muslim clerics and theologians to reach out and find common ground with Christians.

Shehadeh’s seminary of which he is president, is ecumenical:  “By our interdenominational character, we seek to enhance church unity by serving the local church, and promoting interfaith dialogue and understanding“. (Taken from here)

If you still aren’t quite familiar with him, his endorsement is on the back of Gregory Harris’ book “The Cup and the Glory”.

At The Shepherd’s Conference in 2003, (held at Grace Community Church where John MacArthur is pastor/teacher),  Dr. Bill Barrick, professor of Old Testament at The Master’s Seminary and  member of the Evangelical Theological Society, spoke on Islam and used the following quote from Timothy George to help answer the question, “Is Allah God?”: (emphasis mine)

“Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? The answer is surely Yes and No. Yes, in the sense that the Father of Jesus is the only God there is. He is the Creator and Sovereign Lord of Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius, of every person who has ever lived. He is the one before whom all shall one day bow (Phil. 2:5-11). Christians and Muslims can together affirm many important truths about this great God-his oneness, eternity, power, majesty. As the Qur’an puts it, he is “the Living, the Everlasting, the All-High, the All-Glorious” (2:256). But the answer is also No, for Muslim theology rejects the divinity of Christ and the personhood of the Holy Spirit-both essential components of the Christian understanding of God. No devout Muslim can call the God of Muhammad “Father,” for this, to their mind, would compromise divine transcendence. But no faithful Christian can refuse to confess, with joy and confidence, “I believe in God the Father … Almighty!” Apart from the Incarnation and the Trinity, it is possible to know that God is, but not who God is.”

-Timothy George, “Is the God of Muhammad the Father of Jesus?” Christianity Today 46/2 (Feb 4, 2002): 34 (source)

George, the editor of “I-don’t-know-what-kind-of” Christianity Today, was also a key player in the Evangelicals and Catholics Together document (ECT). In addition, he is founder and dean at the ecumenical Beeson School of Divinity. He is very pro-RCC, as seen in an interview with him: “Pope Gave Evangelicals the Moral Impetus We Didn’t Have” It’s no wonder he thinks “Christians” have a common god with the Muslims; he’s got a common god with Roman Catholicism! If you think there’s truth in RCC then you will think there’s truth in other false religions as well.

Dr. Bill Barrick, in his review of the Caner brother’s book, “Unveiling Islam”, shows his affinity for Shehadeh’s and George’s view:

“The nature and identity of Allah as compared to the God of the Old and New Testaments is a controversial topic (102-8). The Caners reach a conclusion slightly at odds with that of Timothy George (”Is the God of Muhammad the Father of Jesus?” Christianity Today 46/2 [Feb 4, 2002]: 28-35) and Imad N. Shehadeh (”Do Muslims and Christians Believe in the Same God?,” Bibliotheca Sacra 161/641 [Jan-March 2004]: 14-26). Based upon this reviewer’s fifteen years of ministry among Muslims in Bangladesh and exhaustive study of the Scripture’s theology, the view of George and Shehadeh is preferable to that of the Caners.” -The Master’s Seminary Journal, August 2005

However, the Caners correctly say, “Christians and Muslims do not worship the same God unless Muslims wish to agree that Jesus is God and Lord. The popular notion that Jews, Christians, and Muslims  all worship the same God is blasphemous to all three religions and found only in modern pluralism,”  Unveiling Islam , p. 207.

“Is Allah triune? If not, then we are not talking about the same God. Does Allah have a Son? If not (see surah 19:88-92), then we are not discussing the same God.” Unveiling Islam, p. 108.

Exo 3:13  Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14  God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

God’s name is NOT Allah. It is I AM, YAWEH. To change His name is to rebel against HIM and His authority.

Frankly, I find it dishonest yet typical, that when discussing the issue of whether Allah is God or not, only those attributes which seem to be parallel with those of God are proclaimed by the ecumenical folks, and not the other attributes (except the fact he is not triune-that is admitted, yet if admitted, then clearly it’s not the same God!), which damn Allah and all Muslims. Such descriptions of Allah not discussed but nevertheless are declared by Islam are:

• Allah commanded Satan and the angels to worship Adam (Surah 2:34; 7:11; 38:75-76)
• Allah had to create mercy and ordain it on himself (Surah 6:12; Surah 6:54)
• Allah’s light had to be perfected (Surah 9:32; 61:8)
• Allah IS mutable
• Allah has no Son
• Allah is the greatest of deceivers (Surah 3:54; 8:30)
• Allah teaches sexual immorality is a reward in paradise (72 virgins are given as well as “fresh boys”) (Surah 52:24; 56:17; 76:19; 37:48; Hadith :the Book of Sunan (volume IV)
• Allah commands the beating of wives if they are rebellious (Surah 4:34)

When Muslims speak of “God”, THIS is of whom they speak.

Yet Scripture says, Isa 40:25: To whom then will you compare me that I should be like him? says the Holy One.

The problem with the view of commonality between Islam and Christianity is that it’s based on the Quran, which is an illegitimate source.  The Quran is demonically inspired, teaching nothing but doctrines of demons. Now why would a Christian say Muslims worship the SAME GOD using a demonic handbook to prove that they do?

Scripture asks rhetorically, 2Cor. 6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols?

That would be a big, fat, “nothing!” answer. Is this not obvious? Islam is not of Christ therefore…say it with me guys….they have no accord with Him. They have NO agreement with Him. There is NO portion that a believer shares with an unbeliever.

Not only are “Evangelicals” saying there is accord, agreement, a sharing of portions together with God-haters, but they are going further by boldly declaring that one can be a Muslim Christian, a Messianic Muslim, even a biblical or sub-biblical Muslim.  Mission organizations are pushing this now.

Here are those videos from Bob Morey I promised earlier. Watch them to be better prepared to handle what I’m bringing in part two where I give real life examples of “Christian Muslims!”