Publication Date

Spring 4-24-2017

School

School of Divinity

Major

Religious Studies

Keywords

Islam, Christianity, Yahweh, Jesus, Allah

Abstract

The question of whether or not Muslims and Christians worship the same deity has become a heated debate in many theological circles. This debate, in particular, is a growing question for Christians in the West, as large numbers of Muslims are entering the population, and the answer given helps to determine interactions with them.

This study was made by a review of various literature materials. Primary sources included translations of the Qur’an and the Bible. Secondary sources included books written by prominent Christian apologists. An important book used was by Yale theologian, Miroslav Volf, which took the opposing side of the argument being presented in this thesis as well as his debate with Nabeel Qureshi on the same subject. As this particular topic is seeing a renewed interest in theological circles, much of the work is available in audio recordings from experts on the topic.

The conclusion of the research was that the two religions, in fact, hold to two separate concepts of deity and, as a result, do not worship the same god. This argument primarily came down to two major Christian doctrines. While many other differences could be discussed between the two religions, it is the Christian belief in the Trinity and the person of Christ, which essentially separates it from Islam. Finally, how people answer the question, of who God is, affects how they relate to persons of different religions since the doctrines in conflict are of soteriological importance to both groups.

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