On September 11, 2001, I awakened to the morning news on KNBC in Los Angeles. Anchorman Kent Schocknek reported that a large airplane had struck the World Trade Center in New York City. An odd sight, since this part of Lower Manhattan wasn’t on the flight path for any of the major airports in New York.
Of course, within just a few hours, we all knew what happened: That plane (along with three others) was hijacked by Muslim terrorists. In an instant, our national sense of safety and invulnerability was shaken as never before.
Enter John Steinreich, a disciple in the Los Angeles Church of Christ. Like myself, and many Americans, he possessed little knowledge of Islam, and even less interest in studying it. But as he witnessed the fall of the towers, he wondered: Was this the work of true believers, carrying out the divine will as revealed in true Islam? Or could it be simply the acts of a lunatic fringe, pursuing their own selfish goals under the cover of religion? Steinreich was determined to find out.
In his newly released book, The Words of God? Steinreich has conducted extensive research into the history and teachings of Islam, particularly as described in its holy book, the Qur’an. This volume can be a valuable resource for any disciple who desires to understand this growing world religion, and in turn reach out to their Muslim friends and neighbors.
There are, indeed, some significant similarities between Islam and Chrtistianity. Both are monotheistic, both recognize Abraham as an ancestor and prophet, and both look to Jesus as a wise man, even if Islam regards him as inferior to Muhammad.
Both religions, in their true form, are fervently evangelistic. Yet while Christians are exhorted to “wipe the dust from their feet” in an unresponsive city, Muslims are told that all unbelievers must be enslaved or killed.
I did find a few weak arguments in Steinreich’s exposition. For example, he explains the doctrine of the Trinity (which Muslims reject because it implies that Christians believe in three gods) with the familiar analogy of water as liquid, steam, and ice; one substance in three forms. But I’ve never liked this comparison because, unlike a given quantity of H2O, the Christian God is threefold, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, all at once, all the time.
The book ends as I hoped it would, by reminding us that Muslims are not our enemies. The overwhelming majority are good peaceful people who simply desire to be left alone as they worship their god. And like many professing Christians, they haven’t studied their religion deeply to truly understand what it stands for. Rather, our battle is with the hostile and exclusivist teachings of the Qur’an, and the false concepts that many Muslims might have about Jesus.
Overall, The Words of God? is well written, organized, and easy to understand for the Christian who desires to be informed about the world we live in. And I hope that’s all of us.
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