Islam & Christianity: Do you Know the Differences?

Islam & Christianity: Do you Know the Differences?

Posted on by confidentchristianity@gmail.com

Islam is increasingly becoming the major topic of discussion in the United States. The Mosque at Ground Zero, The Christmas Day Bomber, The Gunman at Ft. Bliss here in Texas, and the recent Burn the Qur’an Day all filled the airwaves and blogosphere. Alarmingly, many professing Christians do not know the major differences between Islam & Christianity. Mary Jo Sharp recently had two formal debates with Muslims.

The first was with Ehteshaam Gulam in Michigan (June 2009) on the topic: “Did Jesus Die On The Cross.” This debate took place in a local church. The second was with Tabasum Hussain, Ph.D. in Ontario, Canada (February 2010) on the topic: “Women: The Qur’an & The Bible.” This debate took place in a local mosque.

The debates are lengthy, but are necessary in order to fully expand upon the stark differences between the two religions. The Sharp-Gulam debate can be watched in its entirety on a single YouTube video. The Sharp-Hussain debate is divided among four separate YouTube videos.

Feel free to take notes and use the information from these debates as you equip yourself and others on these topics of discussion.

“DID JESUS DIE ON THE CROSS?”

“WOMEN: THE QUR’AN & THE BIBLE”

Dearborn 4 Found NOT GUILTY!

Dearborn 4 Found NOT GUILTY!

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All four found NOT GUILTY in the Dearborn trial except for Negeen’s”disobeying the lawful order of a police officer” (which is now on appeal). THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!

Continue to pray for David Wood, Nabeel Qureshi, Paul Rezkalla, & Negeen Mayel.

Roger

UPDATE: Answering Muslims post. Click HERE.

Should We Use Evidence in Witnessing?

Should We Use Evidence in Witnessing?

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In a recent blog post, Dr. Clay Jones of Biola University gives a biblical perspective on using evidence as testimony to the truth of Jesus Christ.

Here’s a sneak peek:

“In 1993 I started working for Simon Greenleaf University (now Trinity Law School) which offered an M.A. in Christian apologetics (Craig Hazen was the director). Much of my job was to promote the school and although I had studied Christian apologetics since my sophomore year in high school, I decided I needed to see whether an apologetic witness had strong Biblical precedence. It does. As I poured through the Scripture I found that Jesus and the apostles preached the resurrection of Christ as the sign of the truth of Christianity.”
Book Review: “Choosing Your Faith” by Mark Mittelberg

Book Review: “Choosing Your Faith” by Mark Mittelberg

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Choosing Your Faith In a World of Spiritual Options Over the past couple of years, I have attempted to teach apologetics at an accessible level for the local church. Sometimes I hit and sometimes I miss this mark. So, I have continued to look for a well-reasoned, introductory apologetic work with a more pastoral tone. I look for a book that would serve as a springboard for church members into an investigation of their beliefs. I believe that Mark Mittelberg’s new book, Choosing Your Faith, fulfills this role. Mittelberg offers apologetic arguments, he calls “arrows,” that point towards belief in the Christian God, but he also offers a fresh look at how people choose their faith. He outlines six different paths to belief (or non-belief): 1) The Relativistic Faith Path, 2) The Traditional Faith Path, 3) The Authoritarian Faith Path, 4) The Intuitive Faith Path, 5) The Mystical Faith Path, and 6) The Evidential Faith Path. Mittelberg explains the benefits and problems with each one and what faith structures adhere to the different paths. He concludes that the Evidential Faith Path must be the one that tests all others, because it is based in logic and experience. As he states on page 155, “As we have seen, logic and experience are inescapable tools—you can’t deny them without using them—so we might as well accept them and learn to use them well.” Overall, I found the book to be a very readable and understandable introduction to apologetic arguments. When my own church members or seminar attendees ask me where to start, I will definitely point them to this book along with Timothy Keller’s book, The Reason for God. I specifically found the paths to faith helpful in understanding the differing backgrounds of those with whom I speak to about the Christian God. I also found Mittelberg’s book a revealing insight into my own beliefs and into how I came to faith in God. Thanks, Mark! MJ

Book Review: “Radical” by David Platt

Book Review: “Radical” by David Platt

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Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream
In America, the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for Christians has turned into the pursuit of more and more stuff to entertain ourselves and make ourselves more and more comfortable. As American Christians, we have become so inwardly focused that David Platt, the pastor of Brookhaven Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, argues we are now worshipping a Jesus of our own creation; a Jesus that highly resembles us. In his book, “Radical,” Platt calls for a turning away from the materialism that has ensnared the American church and a return to the radical command of Jesus to use our individual lives and resources to impact the world. This book has challenged me to rethink my priorities at an even more difficult level: at the level of my financial expectations and my material wants. It has also encouraged me in my own writing as I, too, have found myself questioning the American Christians who are prone to grumble over petty things while her brothers and sisters in Christ around the world go daily without food, clothing, or shelter. I hope this book will encourage you as a reminder that your treasures are to be laid up in heaven not here on earth where they can rot, be destroyed, or stolen. And to take this admonition literally, trusting in the truth of Jesus’ words. Also, I hope you will be encouraged to notice your brother and sister in Christ, even those in your church, who need your help as members of the same family of God.