BOOK REVIEW – ANSWERING ISLAM: The Crescent in Light of The Cross
I still distinctly recall my first serious conversation on religion with a Muslim. It was the spring of 1984 and he was selling electronics at a local flea market near Chester, VA. What I primarily recall about the conversation was how annoying and frustrating that meeting was. The man spoke overwhelmingly enthusiastically about Islam and was wholly negative and derogatory about both Christianity and America. However, all the chatter about Islam seemed so illogical to me: how the Qur’an was being memorized by millions around the globe, how Mohammed was the seal of the prophets and how amazingly quickly the religion was growing and dominating the world. These were among his chief arguments for its supremacy. His criticism of America was as enthusiastic as his ignorance of American history was profound. He was as convincing to me as someone who expounded on the merits of Cholera because it spreads so rapidly and easily and kills its victims so quickly. Another hallmark of the conversation was that he barely let me speak a sentence in defense of my faith or country without immediately launching into a virulent (often unrelated) attack on either or both. He was a prime example of someone who subscribes to the saying “I’ve made up my mind; don’t confuse me with the facts.” I left wondering why he had come to this country and who the idiot that let him in was.
Over the years I met more like him with similar results. Understandably I always came away with a thorough dislike of the religion. However, apart from the fact that the Muslims were so universally ignorant, rude and arrogant, I didn’t have a clear understanding of why I rejected their religion. I knew it was wrong, but wondered what was it about Islam that was so fundamentally wrong, besides the fact that it was obviously a violent, oppressive and exploitive personality cult. I tried reading the Qur’an to gain understanding, but in comparison the rich spiritual and literary qualities of the Bible it was so base and pedantic I couldn’t bear to read even half of it.
So, when I came across Answering Islam by Norman L. Geisler and Abdul Saleeb I finally found the answer in a useful form. This is a compact, fairly readable book that summarizes very well the fundamental flaws of Islam, its incompatibility with Christianity (and reasonable, scholarly thought as well). It gives a solid defense against the attacks by Mohammed, the Qur’an and Islamic scholars against the Christian scriptures and theology. It also provides a useful series of appendices that introduce some related topics like the major subdivisions in Islam, central Muslim practices, the so called Gospel of Barnabus and the like. What I benefited most from was a review of fundamental Christian doctrines such as salvation by Grace and the Trinity and a clear explanation of the Monophysite and Nestorian errors. (The latter are something I’ve yet to see in Sunday school.)
It’s not light reading, so for the benefit of the reader I summarize and explain it in the following review. This is not one of the “reviews for free books” I am have been doing but this is one from the heart.
BOOK REVIEW – Answering Islam, The Crescent in Light of the Cross
Authors: Norman Geisler and Abdul Saleeb
Publisher: Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI
Year Published: 1993
Category: Literature, Christian, Apologetic
ISBN: 0-8010-3859-6
ISBN-13: 978-0801064302
ASIN: 0801064309
Physical Attributes:
Price: $19.99 USD
Reading Time: 10 hours
Language: English
Construction: paperback
No. of Pages: 336 pages
Dimensions: 6" x 9" x 3/4" thick
Weight: 16.5 oz.
Cover Design: not attributed
Illustrations: some line drawings
Maps/Inserts: none
Appendices: three (see below)
Indexes: three: Suras, Persons and Subjects
Bibliography: yes
Biography: no
Glossary: yes, thorough!
Other: suggested readings
Other books by Norman Geisler (and some with other authors): If God, Why Evil?: A New Way To Think About The Question, Big Book Of Bible Difficulties, The: Clear And Concise Answers From Genesis To Revelation, Chosen But Free: A Balanced View Of God's Sovereignty And Free Will, I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist, Christian Apologetics, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1: Introduction/Bible, When Skeptics Ask: A Handbook On Christian Evidences, Christian Ethics: Contemporary Issues And Options, Introduction To Philosophy: A Christian Perspective, Conversational Evangelism: How To Listen And Speak So You Can Be Heard, Come, Let Us Reason: An Introduction To Logical Thinking, Popular Survey Of The Old Testament, A, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, God/Creation, General Introduction To The Bible, Roman Catholics And Evangelicals: Agreements And Differences, Inerrancy, Baker Encyclopedia Of Christian Apologetics, Systematic Theology, Vol. 4: Church/Last Things, Unshakable Foundations: Contemporary Answers To Crucial Questions About The Christian Faith, From God To Us: How We Got Our Bible, Making Sense Of Bible Difficulties: Clear And Concise Answers From Genesis To Revelation, The Apologetics Of Jesus: A Caring Approach To Dealing With Doubters, Conviction Without Compromise: Standing Strong In The Core Beliefs Of The Christian Faith, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3: Sin/Salvation, Christian Ethics: Options And Issues, Who Made God?: And Answers To Over 100 Other Tough Questions Of Faith, Is Rome The True Church?: A Consideration Of The Roman Catholic Claim, Correcting The Cults: Expert Responses To Their Scripture Twisting, Reasons For Faith: Making A Case For The Christian Faith, Is Your Church Ready?: Motivating Leaders To Live An Apologetic Life, When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook On Bible Difficulties, Philosophy Of Religion: Second Edition, Love Your Neighbor: Thinking Wisely About Right And Wrong, Thomas Aquinas: An Evangelical Appraisal, Creating God In The Image Of Man?, Bringing Your Faith To Work: Answers For Break-Room Skeptics, Why I Am A Christian: Leading Thinkers Explain Why They Believe, Living Loud: Defending Your Faith (Truthquest), Legislating Morality: Is It Wise? Is It Legal? Is It Possible?, Worlds Apart: A Handbook On World Views, Is Man The Measure?: An Evaluation Of Contemporary Humanism, False Gods Of Our Time: A Defense Of The Christian Faith, Signs And Wonders: Healings, Miracles, And Unusual Events : Which Are Real? Which Are Supernormal? Which Are Counterfeit?, Miracles And The Modern Mind: A Defense Of Biblical Miracles, What Augustine Says, The Roots Of Evil, Why Trust Jesus?: An Honest Look At Doubts, Plans, Hurts, Desires, Fears, Questions, And Pleasures, Biblical Errancy: An Analysis Of Its Philosophical Roots, Creation And The Courts: Eighty Years Of Conflict In The Classroom And The Courtroom, Origin Science: A Proposal For The Creation-Evolution Controversy, The Life And Death Debate: Moral Issues Of Our Time, Matters Of Life And Death: Calm Answers To Tough Questions About Abortion And Euthanasia, The Battle For The Resurrection, ETHICS: Alternatives And Issues, THE CHRISTIAN ETHIC OF LOVE, The Infiltration Of The New Age, Knowing The Truth About Creation: How It Happened And What It Means For Us, When Cultists Ask: A Popular Handbook On Cultic Misinterpretations, Passionate Conviction: Contemporary Discourses On Christian Apologetics, Philosophy Of Religion, Integrity At Work: Finding Your Ethical Compass In A Post-Enron World, Handmaid To Theology: An Essay In Philosophical Prolegomena, Worlds Apart: A Handbook On World Views; Second Edition, To Understand The Bible Look For Jesus: The Bible Student's Guide To The Bible's Central Theme, The Reincarnation Sensation, The Counterfeit Gospel Of Mormonism: The Great Divide Between Mormonism And Christianity, Perspectives: Understanding And Evaluating Today's World Views, Gambling: A Bad Bet : You Can't Win For Losing...In More Ways Than You Can Imagine, Bibliotheca Sacra: A Theological Quarterly: Volume 146: Number 582: April-June 1989, Systematic Theology: In One Volume, Decide For Yourself: How History Views The Bible, Christ: The Theme Of The Bible, Four Views On Eternal Security, Miracles And Modern Thought (Christian Free University Curriculum), The Battle For God: Responding To The Challenge Of Neotheism, 10 Questions & Answers On Atheism & Agnosticism, Yes! God Loves You More Than You Know, A General Introduction To The Bible, When Skeptics Ask A Handb00k Of Christian Evidence, False Gods Of Our Time A Defense Of The Christian Faith, Christ Will Build His Church: But What Is My Role?, Creator In The Courtroom "Scopes II": The 1981 Arkansas Creation-Evolution Trial, Signs And Wonders, What The Bible Really Says: Breaking The Apocalypse Code, Religion Of The Force, Cosmos: Carl Sagan's Religion For The Scientific Mind, Matters Of Life And Death, Apologetics In The New Age: A Christian Critique Of Pantheism, A Popular Survey Of The Old Testament, The Question: A Survey Of The Questions Asked By The World's Most Influential Leader, The Apologetics Study Bible: Understand Why You Believe, Problem Of Evil Audio Tapes, Civil Disobedience: When Is It Right? Should Christians Ever Break The Law, To Drink Or Not To Drink?: A Sober Look At The Problem, The Cult Of The Virgin, Creating God In The Image Of Man?, The New "Open" View Of God- Netheism's Danger, Why I Am A Christian: Leading Thinkers Explain Why They Believe, and others!
Summary: This is an apologetic book written by a convert from Islam to Christianity along with a credible and credentialed Christian author and scholar. It is structured in three parts: I - a summary presentation of Islamic teachings drawn from primary sources, II - an examination of these teachings for self consistency, historical accuracy and spiritual validity, and finally III - an examination of these subjects based on biblical scholarship and essential Christian theology with a defense of the latter. It concludes with four appendices: Muslim Sects and Movements, Muslim Religious Practices, The Gospel of Barnabas and Popular Muslim Accusations Against the New Testament.
Islamic Theology and Early History. .
Using sources from the Qur’an, recognized Islamic scholars and secular historical sources, the authors provide a summary of Islamic theology and practice in context without more than explanatory comment. It is a thorough but not exhaustive survey that provides the ideological framework and essential elements of this religion without attempting to deal with the many variations and alternatives. Since it uses almost exclusively Islamic sources and is written in a comparable style, I found it distracting and disturbing in its overly enthusiastic, exaggerated and repetitive presentation typical of Islamic literature. However, because of this, it truly captures the flavor of the original sources and provides an appropriate introduction for the second part. This first section is as clearly primarily written by Mr. Saleeb as the latter sections are by Mr. Geisler, so distinctive are the two authors’ styles.
The first part presents the argument that Mohammed was a prophet of God who claimed he was called by God via the angel Gabriel to restore true religion for all mankind because all previous and extant religions had become irreparably corrupted and unable to fulfill God’s purposes for His creation. This includes the claim that Mohammed was the final and most authoritative of all true prophets and that he revealed God’s complete and perfect will in a single complete and (the only) perfectly transcribed scripture, the Qur’an. It also presented the claim that Mohammed was authorized by God to both establish this religion and supplant all others, by violence if necessary. This new religion claimed many concepts common to Judaism and Christianity such as salvation from sin, the general resurrection of mankind for a day of divine judgment based on faith and deeds and the consequent assignment to alternate eternal destinations of mankind in either paradise (heaven) or hell. It differed fundamentally from Christianity by declaring that although Jesus was the Christ, it claimed he was neither the begotten son of God nor mankind’s sacrificial savior from sin. Rather, it claimed God had no human children and that Mohammed was the only qualified intercessor between God and man regarding forgiveness of sin. Moreover, it ultimately claimed that while all who accepted Islam would eventually enter paradise, only those who actively rejected Islam (i.e. Jews, Christians and the like) would be hopelessly condemned to hell. It even went so far as to try to establish divine authorization for Mohammed to deceive people, practice pederasty, polygamy, banditry, slavery and tax, exile, torture and/or murder his opponents.
Critical Analysis of Islam
The central portion of the book is a well devised analysis of the claims of Islam based on generally accepted standards and practices of textual and historical scholarship and criticism, as well as the internal claims of the Qur’an, related material and widely accepted principles from the Islamic community for textual criticism (frequently applied to the Bible but curiously set aside by Muslim scholars for the Qur’an). First the authors show clearly that the Qur’an is not only not self consistent, but does not rate the claims that it is comprehensive, perfect or supreme in its literary composition. Some examples given are the inconsistent principles regarding relations with other religions and man’s relationship with God, differing accounts of creation and contrary claims about the nature of the Christ. They present persuasive arguments that, contrary to Islamic teachings, the Qur’an in its present form is incomplete, has been substantially edited and can be found in several variants.
The authors then address the claims about Mohammed to be a prophet, a man of universal and unparalleled exemplary morals and the only suitable intercessor between mankind and God. First they show that Mohammed does not meet even standard Islamic principles for establishing prophet hood such as spinelessness, miracles, etc. Second they show that in conduct he was well below the best of ordinary men and nowhere near the standard set by Jesus of Nazareth. Then they provide convincing proof that Mohammed was neither the savior described in Old Testament prophesy and possessing neither the credentials nor having the necessary direct relationship with God that intercessors must have. (E.g. Mohammed never claimed to have communicated directly with God as true prophets do, but only through a spirit claiming to be the angel Gabriel.) The alternative, that he was in fact influenced by occult spirits, is strongly suggested.
There is also a parallel discussion of the assertions of Islamic scholars about the corruption of the Old and New Testaments and the claims that the same scriptures are misinterpreted by Jews and Christians. The authors show that scientific textual analysis and criticism in fact confirms the authenticity and accuracy of the canonical New Testament by the highest practiced standards and even more so than the same for the Qur’an. They further demonstrate that the bases for criticism by authoritative Islamic scholars are arbitrary and incorrect in both their premises and conclusions. They answer these claims by showing that the points of contention have already been satisfactorily settled by reputable scholars and theologians and are beyond reasonable controversy. Furthermore, they clearly show the arbitrary and self serving nature of the Islamic critics and give examples of retractions by some of the very Bible critics the Islamic scholars cite.
Christian Apologetics
The final section of the book presents fundamental Christian theology and compares it with the same from Islam. It pointedly exposes some of the characteristic and fatal errors of Islam. An example of this is the claim by Islamic teachings that God is the source of both good and evil. This implies that God is not just sovereign, but arbitrary and therefore denies the very existence and nature of evil relative to good. It also shows how the Islamic teaching that God cannot be known or understood leads to a built in agnosticism that denies that humans can have a relationship with God. Most importantly, though Islam accepts and teaches the Jesus is the Christ, was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life and will return as the Messiah, it denies emphatically the concept of original sin, that Jesus died on the cross for mankind’s sins as our savior and was begotten by God. This last point leads to the tragic result that orthodox Muslims are without atonement and doomed to suffer eternally for their sins in hell through rejection of God’s only source of Grace, Jesus Christ.
In its defense of the Christian perspective, the book both presents essential Christian doctrine and answers Islam’s attacks against it. Using textual and historical evidence, legal and scholarly criteria and even the Qur’an itself, the book dissects and discredits all the significant counter claims. The central claim of Islam is that Jesus didn’t die on the cross, but lived for some times afterwards is spurious at best and more clearly a patent lie aimed at discrediting the faith. For the eyewitness accounts of the apostles and other witnesses and the corroborating secular accounts assure us that not only did He die on the cross, but it was indeed Jesus who died. That he rose again on the third day is likewise confirmed in the gospels which are accepted as valid, eye-witness accounts. It is not, as some Muslim scholars propose, as in the account of the apocryphal Gospel of Barnabus that Judas died in his place and Jesus lived on earth for a time afterwards.
The next major attack on Christianity from Islam comes from its claim that the Biblical scriptures are corrupt beyond repair and that Jesus’ disciples, notably St. Paul, revised Jesus’ teachings to suit their own agenda and even added elements of paganism such as Mithraicism. This also takes another form, that the scriptures are intact, but misinterpreted. Citing solid scholarship and textual analysis as well as corroborating archeology, the authors show first that the New Testament is unique among ancient manuscripts in having not only faithfully preserved the original text without significant errors, but that it is a historically accurate document of the first class. Likewise, the claims of inconsistencies, irregularities and misinterpretations in scripture cited by Muslim scholars are surprisingly gross instances of ignorance and calculated misinterpretation of their own which have already been successfully addressed by responsible Bible critics cited by the authors. Moreover, they show that both the New Testament and the Old Testament were substantially established and have not changed since well before the time of Mohammed, who incidentally cited them in the Qur’an as reliable testimony. The authors also show that the claims of influence from mysticism are without basis since the teachings of the New Testament were well established before likely sources such as Mithraicism were established enough to influence the apostles and early church fathers. Moreover, that the mystery religions may have had common elements with Christianity, but are derived from different sources. Finally, the authors cite the historical record and textual and content analysis to show that a key piece of evidence supporting Islam’s claims, The Gospel of Barnabus, is clearly a medieval forgery likely of Islamic origin.
In a fair turn about, the book continues with an expose on the claims of Mohammed to be God’s prophet, the Qur’an to be the only perfect and complete source of divine revelation and Islam to be a divinely inspired religion to supplant all others for all mankind for the remainder of time. First, they address the claim that Mohammed was sinless and an inspired, their qualifications for a true prophet. Both the Qur’an and the historical account of Mohammad show he was far from sinless: a slaver, murderer, bandit, polygamist, treaty breaker and inveterate liar just for starters. That he was inspired by God is unlikely in that he received his revelation not from God, but a spirit he called Gabriel whose conduct was more akin to a demon than an angel. They added that it was likely his wife who encouraged Mohammed to regard the revelation as divine rather than question its source. Moreover, there were no miracles confirming his prophet hood as could be expected. The only miracle he claimed was the writing of the Qur’an. Miracles historically ascribed to him can be dated no earlier than the century after his death when Muslim apologists created a body of literature ascribing miracles to Mohammed in answer to Christian criticism that Mohammed performed no miracles and was therefore illegitimate. The only significant prophetic statement in the Qur’an that may be corroborated, the Roman victory over Persia, was little more than an informed guess.
Regarding the inspirational source for the Qur’an and its completeness and preserved purity, the book explains the contrived nature of this teaching. First, the authors show that the claim that the Qur’an was received whole from the mind of God and extant before the beginning of time is belied by its own internal inconsistencies and irregularities. Two of which are the initial acceptance and then rejection of Christians and Jews as fellow believers, and the switch from commanding prayer first towards Jerusalem and then Mecca. Why, the reader is lead to ask, would a timeless, omniscient God need progressive, self correcting revelation in the final book of scripture? That alone ought to be enough, but it is further shown that the claim of literacy supremacy for the Qur’an is undone both by examples of substandard grammar and wrong science in the Qur’an itself and the work of other Arabic authors (not to mention authors in other language groups) who’s style and literary competence is arguably superior to Mohammed’s. Another well turned argument in the book is the account of how the Qur’an existed in a variety of fragmental forms at the time of Mohammed’s death, and these were cataloged and standardized by order of the reigning Caliph. They present a clear case that the official standardized version is likely incomplete and likely contains spurious material and stylistic editing by the respective scribes. Moreover, there are still variants of the Qur’an in circulation today, contrary to official claims.
Personal Comments
Personal Comments
What wasn’t addressed well was the claim of Mohammed and the Qur’an and hence Islam to completely reveal God’s will and address to condition of mankind. That is a central claim of Mohammed, that he is the final prophet with a complete message relevant to all mankind for the remainder of history. It’s obvious to me that neither the person of Mohammed nor the Qur’an are great enough to fit that bill. Even St. Paul in the New Testament leaves open the possibility of additional revelation to come for Christians! It would have been helpful for the authors to put the same effort into this subject that they put into the rest. To their credit, they did make some comparisons between Christ and Mohammed, but these were scattered through the book and less systematic than other subjects. In several instances they alluded to the oversimplified nature of Mohammed’s religious teachings and his tendency for “moral expediency,” but did not develop these subjects to my satisfaction.
Another weakness of the book was several instances of “hand waving.” Most of the book shows solid scholarship and complete, logical reasoning producing a solid, tight, fairly streamlined series of arguments. However, in a few cases where there seemed to be a dearth of sources to cite and where the authors were challenged to develop their own position, they instead glossed over the subject. There were also numerous instances where the same material was repeated verbatim in the different parts of the book. I can only guess that this was for emphasis. But the fact that the same quote from C.S. Lewis was used twice in the sections I identify with the respective authors suggest to me that they worked somewhat independently. I wish they’d cut the repetitious material and used the space to address the more weakly developed topics.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The book concludes with four appendices: Muslim Sects and Movements, Muslim Religious practices, The Gospel of Barnabas and Popular Muslim Accusations Against the New Testament. The former one was helpful to me because I am constantly confusing Sunnis, Shi’ites, Sufis and etc. No more. The clear and concise explanation of the origins and differences between them cut effectively through the mishmash of information I’d garnered from hearsay and news reports. The second appendix was equally useful in that it listed and elaborated on the required religious rites and practices of orthodox Muslims and this was also informative and clarifying. I hadn’t known the distinction between The Epistle of Barnabus and The Gospel of Barnabus before, and now I know all I ever wanted to know on these subjects thanks to the third appendix. The latter appendix was most helpful because through it I am now armed to defend myself against the main criticisms by Muslims of my faith (if they would bother to listen).
It was interesting to me to see the two literary styles side: eastern and western. The contrast was stark to me. For Saleeb’s style appeals to the simpler side of the mind in that it is repetitive, emotional, exaggerated and leaps perilously from point to point. Geisler’s style is understated, systematic, logical, intellectual and thorough. (As a western thinker I naturally gravitate to the latter.) To be fair, both authors do a credible job of citing reputable and verifiable sources and build a convincing case. The was clearly a substantial work which is of value to the Christian because it provides them with a practical defense of the faith and inoculates them against the errors of Islam. However, I do not see this book as being very effective in persuading Muslims to convert to Christianity.
I write this for two reasons. Saleeb recounts his conversion from Islam to Christianity and cites the main reason as being the love shown to him by Christian visitors to his country. That has been and remains the scripturally based method for winning people to Christ – love. I expect a typical Muslim’s reaction to this book would be akin to mine when reading the Qur’an or Part I of the book, distinct antipathy; since the logical and literary approaches are so alien to my world view and thought processes. Where it would be useful to a Muslim is the case where God has already called them and opened their eyes to the inadequacy of Islam, they have already rejected it and are looking for the truth. Then this book will be very helpful to them in disinfecting them from the teachings of Mohammed and planting the wholesome seed of the Christian faith in ready, fertile ground.
In general I recommend this book for Christians and Muslims as well as anyone else with a sincere and mature interest in the subject. It provides a balanced perspective, sound reasoning and research, adroitly composed logic and more references than most people could ask for. I have to respect an author that writes so broadly and prolifically and has collaborated with so many other accomplished writers. I hope I shall have time to read a few more of Norman Geislers works.
Epiologe
Epiologe
This all brings me back to 2005, the most recent time I met with a Muslim to debate matters of religion. He was a professor of sorts who was invited to a local (and very liberal) church in Austin, Texas to participate in an “interfaith dialogue.” I was among a handful of others who allowed him to speak first and he took some two and a half hours to subject us to a rambling, disjointed criticism of Christianity specifically and western society in general. (Since he read from notes, I wonder just how badly it would have gone had he spoken extemporaneously!) I wasn’t prepared by reading this book, but I had some similar conclusions and observations and tried to get him to answer them. The fellow deflected the questions, announced we were out of time and promptly left. Again I wondered why he had come to this country and what idiot had let him in. Naturally I remained unconvinced of the superiority of his religion and understandably frustrated by his methods. I have concluded that accommodating or listening to the Muslim point of view is fruitless and I shall content myself with praying regularly for them and showing them Christian love when and if an opportunity presets itself. In the meantime, I shall not give an ear to their teachings and make every effort to resist their advances. For they appear unfamiliar with the wise and popular proverb “Saying it's so doesn’t make it so!”
I think I shall also look into finding a way to make my own fuel for the car so I can stop subsidizing this dangerous nonsense at the fuel pump..
Finally, it seems a major omission of the authors not to address the most fundamental flaw of all in Islam.They deny the Lordship of our Savior,
Jesus Christ, the Son of God[1].
Yet it is in the scriptures, “While he was yet speaking, behold, a radiant cloud overshadowed them.
And, behold, a voice out of the cloud saying, This is My Son, the Beloved, in
whom I have been delighting; hear Him. Matthew 17:5 LITV (Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35, 2 Peter 1:17
Psalm 2:7; Genesis 22:2; Isaiah 42:1; Deuteronomy 18:15) This is repeated
three times in the gospels, and again in the epistles of the Apostle Paul.
In short, every person claiming to follow Mohammed in effect calls God a liar, thrice. It is little wonder that Muslims do not receive the Holy Spirit, but the spirit of antichrist.
I think I shall also look into finding a way to make my own fuel for the car so I can stop subsidizing this dangerous nonsense at the fuel pump..
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