Introduction to Episode 3

How the Church might fruitfully engage with Islam?

Listen in to a conversation with Dr. Nayla Tabbara, a distinguished scholar of Islam with a focus on the mystical tradition of Sufism. Together we will address the theme of the theological relationship between Christianity and Islam, and the question of whether Muslims and Christians worship the same God principally from a Christian perspective. I will ask Dr. Tabbara for her insights on this question from an Islamic perspective. Does the belief in a Trinity, or in the divinity of Christ, render it impossible for Muslims to consider Christians monotheists?

This episode we will also address the question of sin and salvation. At the heart of the Christian Gospel is the message that God, whose love for creation is overflowing, chose to be with humanity through the Incarnation, and to save us in the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. Muslims generally reject the reality of Christ’s crucifixion, so how do they see the way in which God acts out his mercy and judgment?

Finally, we will think about what assessment the Church might make of the Qur’an and Muhammad, the central aspects of the Islamic faith. Muhammad comes after Jesus, and the Qur’an in places criticizes Christianity. How can the Church still find meaning in the Qur’an and still esteem Muhammad, whom the Qur’an describes as a “mercy for the worlds”? What assessment can the Church make of Muhammad’s ethical behavior?

Think about how the Church is called not only to be in dialogue with Muslims but also to proclaim the Gospel. Are dialogue and proclamation in conflict? How can Christians proclaim the truth of their faith while still respecting the faith of Muslims, and indeed learning from the faith of Muslims? We might find inspiration in the example of blessed Charles de Foucauld, who lived for decades among Muslims in the Algerian desert. He wrote: 

“The one thing we owe absolutely to God is never to be afraid of anything.”

1 minutes