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Copyright 1994 by the Christian Research Institute.
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"Answering Islam: An Interview with Norman L. Geisler" (an article
from the Interview column of the Christian Research Newsletter,
Volume 7: Number 1, 1994) by Ron Rhodes.
The editor of the Christian Research Newsletter is Ron
Rhodes.
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_Norman L. Geisler is a theologian, teacher, and the dean of
Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has
recently co-authored a book with Abdul Saleeb entitled *Answering
Islam: The Crescent in the Light of the Cross* (Baker Books). In
this issue of the *Newsletter,* Dr. Geisler is interviewed on a
variety of issues related to this book._
*Newsletter:* _Why do Christians need to be concerned about
Islam?_
*Geisler:* One out of every five persons on the face of the
earth is a Muslim. _One out of every five!_ In the United States
Islam is growing at an astronomical rate. There are more Muslims
than Methodists in the United States.
These are people who are diametrically opposed to
Christianity's most central belief -- that Jesus Christ died on the
cross and rose from the dead. Historically and theologically, many
Muslims have been committed to the annihilation of unbelievers --
which includes us.
Muslims believe Christians have committed the unpardonable sin
of attributing "partners" to Allah -- namely, belief in the
Trinity. In Saudi Arabia they recently cut somebody's head off for
blaspheming the prophet Muhammad, which, by definition, my
co-author (Abdul Saleeb) and I do on practically every page of our
new book. Islam is a serious threat to Christianity.
*Newsletter:* _But this book is not written in a hostile
fashion towards Islam, towards the Qur'an, towards Muhammad, is
it?_
*Geisler:* No, it's not. We take an objective, dispassionate,
scholarly approach in dealing with (1) what Muslim's believe (and,
by the way, we believe a Muslim could pick this book up and agree
with how we've described Islamic beliefs); (2) a Christian response
to Islamic beliefs; and (3) an apologetic defense of what we
believe as Christians.
*Newsletter:* _Muslims are monotheists, right?_
*Geisler:* Yes. Monotheism is the belief that there is one God.
Jews and Christians are monotheistic. But Muslims are the most
rigid monotheists in the world. They believe there's not only one
God but that there's only _one person_ in God (i.e., God doesn't
have a son). They confuse unity and singularity. Any other persons
associated with God is considered blasphemy. It's the great sin.
God has no partners, Muslims say.
*Newsletter:* _So, to say that Jesus Christ was the Son of God
and that He was equal with God would be considered anathema._
*Geisler:* You just lost your head in Saudi Arabia!
*Newsletter:* _Muslims say Muhammad was a prophet. And Muhammad
in the Qur'an said Jesus Christ was a prophet. Assuming that
prophets do not speak error, wouldn't this present a logical
problem for Muslims? After all, according to John 14:6, Jesus said,
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me." So, Jesus the "prophet," being
one-hundred percent correct, refutes Muhammad and all of Islam,
right?_
*Geisler:* That's correct. And that's a good approach to use.
But you need to keep one thing in mind here. What Muslims say to
that line of reasoning is that while they believe in the Christian
Gospels, which represent Christ, they've been corrupted down
through the centuries. And so Christians must answer that
allegation.
We do this in our book, _Answering Islam,_ by showing that we
have manuscripts of the New Testament that go back hundreds of
years _prior_ to the time of Muhammad. Now, keep in mind that
Muhammad referred to the New Testament Gospels _of his day_ -- and
indicated their reliability. After all, he said to Christians: "Go
and look in your own Gospels."
Well, if the Gospels of his day (A.D. 600) were accurate -- and
we've got manuscripts that go back even before that -- then they're
in a pretty tough dilemma to explain why you shouldn't follow the
logic you suggested above: Jesus is a prophet; He always teaches
the truth; and if He taught He was the _only way_ to God, then how
can Christianity not be true?
*Newsletter:* _What specifically does the Qur'an teach about
Jesus Christ?_
*Geisler:* It's strange that while Muslims think Jesus was only
a man -- a prophet superseded by Muhammad -- at the same time the
Qur'an teaches that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Word of God,
a speaker of truth, a sign unto men of mercy from God. It teaches
that Jesus was virgin born, sinless, performed supernatural
miracles (including raising people from the dead), and bodily
ascended into heaven. All of this is affirmed of Jesus Christ in
the Qur'an. The crucial thing Muslims _don't_ believe is that Jesus
died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead.
One must emphasize to the Muslim that the Jesus of the New
Testament claimed to be God, not just a prophet. We have a whole
chapter in our book on the deity of Christ. Jesus said, "I and the
Father are one" (John 10:30). In John 8:58 Jesus said to some Jews,
"Before Abraham was, I am," thereby claiming to be God (cf. Exod.
3:14). He received worship on many different occasions. One of His
disciples bowed before Him and said, "My Lord and my God" (John
20:28), acknowledging His full deity. Jesus forgave sins, which
only God can do (Mark 2:5-7). Jesus resurrected people from the
dead, which only God has the power to do (John 11:38-44). So Jesus
in many different ways is shown to be God, not just a prophet. The
Bible and the Qur'an are irreconcilable on these ideas.
*Newsletter:* _Interestingly enough, the Qur'an does not claim
Muhammad was a miracle worker, does it?_
*Geisler:* You're right! And that's a very important apologetic
point. Nowhere in the Qur'an does it record Muhammad performing any
supernatural feats of nature. In fact, he disavowed such an
ability. When asked, "Why don't you perform miracles like the other
prophets did?" he responded: "_This_ is my miracle, the Qur'an."
The Qur'an is said to be the _only_ miracle of Muhammad.
*Newsletter:* _Speaking of the Qur'an, this book does not
portray God as a heavenly Father, does it?_
Geisler: No, it doesn't. There are 99 names for God in Islam.
We have them listed in our book. Out of the 99, there is no mention
of "Father." And the reason for that is that Muslims are rigid
monotheists. They believe that being a Father implies that he has
a son, and that is considered blasphemous. God has no partners.
*Newsletter:* _What is the Islamic concept of God in terms of
human beings relating to him?_
*Geisler:* The Islamic God is very remote, very transcendent.
He is not immanent; he's not personally involved with his
creatures. The main thing in Islam is not fellowship with God, but
service and allegiance to God. There is no fatherly concept of God
at all. It's very different from the concept of God found in the
Christian Bible. In Christianity, believers are adopted into God's
family (Eph. 1:5) and can personally address God as Father (Rom.
8:15). It's a relationship of great intimacy. Not so in Islam.
*Newsletter:* _Islam and Christianity, then, set forth clearly
different views of God and Jesus Christ, among other things. Both
systems cannot be true._
*Geisler:* Right! There's a big difference between the two
systems. The answer to the question of truth is of eternal
importance. If there's a substantial difference between the two
systems -- and if your eternal soul depends on a correct choice of
one system or the other -- then it behooves everyone to examine
seriously all the evidence and make a truly informed decision.
We can't just say, "Well, I believe it, I was taught it, I was
reared that way." The question is, _Which one is true?_ If Islam is
true, Christianity is false. If Christianity is true, Islam is
false.
Remember what Jesus Christ said: "I am the way, the truth, and
the life, and no one comes to the Father but by me" (John 14:6). If
Islam is right, then _Jesus Christ was lying_ when He said that.
Muslims say Jesus was a prophet, and prophets can't lie. So they're
in a real dilemma here.
*Newsletter:* _Any closing thoughts for Christians who want to
become equipped for the work of apologetics?_
*Geisler:* One of my teachers -- a man who spent some twenty
years in the Middle East, and made a great impression on my life --
used to say that with regard to education and preparation for
serving Christ, _Get all you can! Can all you get! And sit on the
lid!_ Then you'll have everything you need to defend the faith as
opportunities arise. Becoming equipped for the work of apologetics
is an absolute necessity for Christians today.
_For a catalogue of Dr. Geisler's tapes you can write
Powerhouse, P.O. Box 859, Clayton, CA 94517. To contact Dr. Geisler
personally you can write him at: Southern Evangelical Seminary,
5801 Pineville-Matthews Rd., Charlotte, NC 28226-3447;_ or phone:
(704) 543-9475.
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End of document, CRN0072A.TXT (original CRI file name),
"Answering Islam: An Interview with Norman L. Geisler"
release A, July 31, 1994
R. Poll, CRI
(A special note of thanks to Bob and Pat Hunter for their help in
the preparation of this ASCII file for BBS circulation.)
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