Review of “What Every Christian Needs To Know About
The Qur’an” by James R. White.
It’s
been 10 days since the terrorist bombing in Boston Massachusetts and as many
people know, the two men who perpetrated this crime are Muslims and for a lot
of people just simply being a Muslim means you’re a terrorist.
We have flashbacks to
911 and other terrorist attacks preformed by Islamic fundamentalists but most
Christians know little to nothing about Islam or the Qur’an. Many of us get our
information on this subject from the news media which isn’t a very reliable source
of accurate information.
So what are Christians
to do? Well, there have been a few good books and resources for Christians but
they’ve been few and far between, at least that’s been my experience, but James
White has recently written a book that will certainly help in our understanding
Islam.
His
new book is called “What Every Christian Needs To Know About The Qur’an” and is
a scholarly, well balanced and truthful look at Muhammad, the Qur’an, and some
of the important issues related to the Christian. The book is well organized
and well written. There are tones of end notes which make it a treasure chest for
deeper study. It even has a small glossary in the back along with a wonderful bibliography.
It should be noted this
book isn’t intended to discuss everything you could ever want to know about the
Qur’an as Mr. White clearly states “It is not my intention to write an
exhaustive compendium of Qur’anic knowledge. Almost no one could, and certainly
I could not, even if I wished to do so. My aims are far more focused and
modest.” His aim is to deal with the major issues that relate to the Christian.
Let
me say plainly, the title is “What Every Christian Needs To Know About The Qur’an”
not “An Idiots Guide To The Qur’an”. I read one review of the book that
complained that it was “…so academic that it would be difficult for “every
Christian” to follow.” Please understand this is information we NEED to know
not some simplistic book on how to talk to a Muslim friend over a cup of
coffee. We need to be called to a higher level as Christians not to a dumbing
down. You can read this book! It’s not necessarily an easy read but you can
read it.
Let me mention two things that I learned from
this book (there were many).
. 1) That the Qur’an is not the only authoritative
source for the Muslim and that the Qur’an is not really a parallel to the Bible.
“…in the Christian mind it would be a mistake to
make a direct connection to the role of the Bible, for the true parallel
between the Qur’an and Christianity is to be found in Jesus Himself, the Word
of God. As we will see, Muslims view the mechanism of ‘inspiration’ very differently
and have another source of authority (hadith)
that, at least in function, more closely parallels the Bible than does the Qur’an.”
(Page 13)
2) The importance of and understanding of Tawhid. What is Tawhid and how does that idea govern the Muslim and why is that
important to the Christian?
“Ask any sincere follower what defines Islam, and
they will answer quickly. Tawhid, the
glorious monotheistic truth, the heart of Islamic faith, is to the Muslim what
the Trinity is to the Christian: the touchstone, the nonnegotiable, the
definitional.” (Page 59)
In light of the times
we live in I think this is a must read for every Christian. Again it’s not
simplistic and it might take some time to read through it but you will be much better
equipped to talk with Muslims and understand more accurately what the key
issues that separate us are.
I highly recommend this
book to all Christians and especially those who are preachers and teachers.
You can buy it Here
About the author: James
White is the director of Alpha and Omega Ministries, a Christian apologetics
organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the author of more than twenty
books, a professor, an accomplished debater, and an elder of the Phoenix
Reformed Baptist Church.
