A few weeks ago I learned about this amazing book on the Trinity, edited by a group of apologists against Islam. Obviously the Trinity takes centre stage in Christian vs. Muslim debates but even if Islam didn’t exist, the Trinity would still hold equal importance in our faith. This volume is edited by Michael R. Burgos Jr. and it’s a delight to read.
My icon of St. Athanasius of Alexandria
People who know me personally often ask what theologians to read. Obviously there are many good Christian theologians throughout the 2,000 years of the Christian faith. I’ve always said that 1,000 to 1,300 AD was the golden age of Christianity. While I still stand by that, there have been great thinkers throughout the history of the Church.
The Quran – The Holy Book of the Islamic Faith
In my last post, I talked about how popular Muslim speaker Yusuf Estes said some absolutely ridiculous things about the origins of the Catholic Church. I mentioned that it was sad and pathetic that so many Muslims would swallow this nonsense hook, line, and sinker. However, I also mentioned that more sober minded, well read and educated Muslims would find this equally absurd as us Christians do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOZ_x5hN7sg&t=1s
On the weekend, David Wood and Anthony Rogers did a livestream on YouTube. The YouTube was to refute a claim that Yusuf Estes made on some television show that I believe was filmed in Dubai. In this clip Estes said that the Catholic Church was started by Alexander the Great in Rome three centuries before Christ. He also claims that this is on the Catholic website.
St. John of Damascus
When Christians and Muslims debate, Muslims are pretty good at framing the debate. It seems like the vast majority of the time, the topic is either neutral or the Christians are on the defensive. Hardly ever is the Islamic position attacked.
Islamic apologist Mohammed Hijab
I’m currently reading through the book Our God is Triune. It’s a collection of essays from a handful of Calvinist scholars who make a strong case for the deity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity. Expect a review of this book soon. Reading this book gives me a suggestion for Muslim apologists.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwpWN9azF-s
A few months ago, I denounced the label of conservative. One of the reasons is that I no longer have anything in common with them. In the province of Ontario which contains about 40% of Canada’s population, there has been news of a recently established party called the Islamic Party of Ontario. Many political commentators on the right and also on the left are in a mass panic over the establishment of this party.
I’ve always believed that if you’re a true believer in the enlightenment and you follow it’s teachings to their logical conclusion you’ll be like the Marquis de Sade in terms of sexual morality and a Jacobin when it comes to religion. America, being the most complete enlightenment state ever created has been doing its best to spread enlightenment values globally. No one is immune. Obviously Christians aren’t immune and neither are the Muslims.
There is this apologist who appeared on YouTube about a year ago. His channel is called Islam Critiqued. He seems to have a very good grasp of the Old Testament and the Hebrew language. His knowledge is pretty impressive. I recommend his channel to everyone dealing with Islam.
John 8:58
If one looks at Islamic apologetics today and ten years ago, it’s quite different. The only Muslim still doing debates is Shabir Ally and he’s become pretty liberal. I would say that he’s a breath away from becoming a Quran only Muslim. Sami Zaatari and Osama Abdullah aren’t even debating anymore. I’ll also give my hats off to Adnan Rashid, Zakir Hussain and Mohammed Hijab for stepping up and taking their place.