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Stromata 45 (2004): 1-17 Is Elohim Allah? STROMATA Volume 45, 2004 Stromata 2004 Volume 45 ΣΣ Student Body of Calvin Theological Seminary 3233 Burton Street SE Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546-4387 © Student Body of Calvin Theological Seminary 2004 Stromata “…a vehicle for scholarly expression,” edited for the Student Body of Calvin Theological Seminary Executive Committee of the Student Senate Nathan F. Kuperus, President Pil Won Min, Vice-President JinHee Lee, Treasurer Troy W. Bierma, Secretary by Jordan J. Ballor, Editor Jeffrey A. Snapper, Review Editor Cover design by Leslie Yarhouse Σ The views expressed in Stromata reflect the personal judgments of the individual writers. They do not necessarily represent the position of the editors, the Executive Committee, the Student Senate, or the Student Body. Individual writers retain responsibility for the accuracy of all references. Cover art inspired by Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, or Miscellanies, Book III, vol. II, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo: The Christian Literature Publishing Company, 1885-96). Back issues of Stromata from 2001 to the present are available online at: http://www.calvinseminary.edu/pubs/stromata.php All printed issues of Stromata are held at the Hekman Library, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Contents Articles Is Elohim Allah? Wageeh Y. F. Mikhail ……………………………… 1 Sectarianism and Canonization: Qumran to Yavneh Steven J. Koster …………………………………….. 18 Richard Baxter’s Directory for Mission: Puritan Mission Theory in Motive and Method Brian A. DeVries …………………………………… 43 William Hasker’s Emergentism: A Novice Account David J. Zehnder …………………………………… 77 A Critique of Alvin Plantinga’s EAAN: Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism Jeffrey A. Snapper ………………………………….. 93 Still Coherent: An Affirmation of Christ’s Full Humanity without Jeopardizing his ‘Necessary’ Impeccability Simon Sang-Kyun Ko ……………………………… 116 Sermon Being Under Authority: Three Essential Questions for the Christian Life William H. Jensen ………………………………….. 136 Review Essay Grant H. Palmer. Insider’s View of Mormon Origins Glenn A. Evans …………………………………….. 145 Editorial……………………………………………………………. 152 Stromata 45 (2004): 1-17 Is Elohim Allah? Wageeh Y. F. Mikhail The purpose of this paper is to serve as a discussion of the missiological implications of the doctrine of knowing God in both Christianity and Islam as two religions believing in one true God. It should be made clear, at this point, however, that the route the researcher takes is not systematic, in terms of looking at the historical and theological aspects of this issue, though these aspects will be pointed to in some capacity. The main emphasis of this paper is, however, missiological. The researcher is much concerned about the missiological implications of this issue when wisely used in the dialogue between the two religions. He therefore pleas for a deep appreciation of the theological heritage Christianity and Islam have in common—especially of the belief in one God. Preliminary notes First, God loves people and reveals Himself to them in numberless ways. Despite their religious affiliations, people remain the subject of divine love. This divine love necessitates, in turn, that people strive to love each other, as a natural result. A major part of this mandate demands understanding, without which love becomes just an abstract and ideal thing. This premise leads to dynamic dialogues and productive talks. To illustrate, one might use the simple fact that some Muslims still think Christians worship three gods: the Father, the Son, and the Virgin Mary. This, to be sure, is based on the Qur’anic attacks on an ancient Christian heresy which was in existence during the rise of Islam. It taught that God married the Virgin Mary and physically produced Jesus. Therefore, assuring Muslims that this is not the biblical Trinity, but an ancient heretical doctrine to which no one holds anymore, is imperative and essential for a productive discussion on the Trinity. Therefore, in order to love one another and thus manifest God’s love, each is to understand the theological convictions of the other. 1 It has been said that one main reason Christians do not like to claim God as Allah is because of the long history of Muslim persecution—particularly in the Middle East. This long and aggressive history towards Christians in the Middle East makes it hard for Christians to say, “Yes, we worship the same God.” Christians in the Middle East desperately need God’s love to heal their history from this bitterness, which is the main hindrance to Muslim evangelism. Second, the sensitivity of the issue is a key element in this discussion. Some evangelicals, sadly, have been arguing that Islam is a religion initiated by the devil. They claim that the God of Islam, Allah, is not the God of the Bible. Allah, according to them, was a tribal idol, which was worshiped even before Muhammad in the Arabian Peninsula. Others say that Allah was the moon god of ancient Arabia. This destructive attitude towards Islam is futile and thus, it is of no value whatsoever. Reformed people, nevertheless, are more sensitive to issues dealing with other people’s systems of beliefs. The presupposition here is that Christians from a Reformed worldview know that there is just one true God to begin with. Therefore, they are not called to takfeer (designate the others as disbelievers), but to tadkeer (remind) the entire world that there is a God, a true God. Third, there should be no doubt that the issue of the uniqueness of Jesus is not questionable. Jesus Christ is not another founder of another religion; He is God incarnate. His work was not to teach people how to be good; His work was, and still is, to redeem people and thus, to give them peace with God. In that sense, then, one does not feel embarrassed to say that Christianity is an exclusive religion. We cannot have inter- religious dialogue at the expense of Jesus’ uniqueness. If the uniqueness of Christ is disregarded, then Christianity is left with nothing. Yet, the plea—the missiological plea—is for relevant communication of the gospel. There are, no one should deny, some major differences between Christianity and Islam. “In Islam,” Pope John Paul II says, “all the richness of God’s self- revelation, which constitutes the heritage of the Old and New 2 Testaments, has definitely been set aside.”1 Not to mention, there is no cross in Islam. It is “not a religion of redemption.”2 Yet, the Christian-Muslim dialogue is still possible. The Thesis Having noticed the aforementioned points, the thesis of this paper, therefore, is that Christians and Muslims know and thus worship the same God. Both worship Allah whose will and love is revealed in human history. There are, doubtlessly, some clarifications, which will be discussed later in the paper. Nonetheless, it should be avowed at this part of the paper that this knowledge has no redemptive value for it lacks the salvific dimension. This thesis will be discussed thoroughly in the subsequent areas of argumentations: Biblical, Theological, Epistemological, and Linguistic. It will be concluded, then, with some missiological implications. The Biblical argument Two biblical passages are considered here. The first is Paul’s conversion story and the second his evangelistic message at Athens. Paul’s conversion The Book of Acts records the story of Paul’s meeting face to face with the risen Lord Jesus. On the road to Damascus, where Paul was going to persecute Christians, the Lord appeared to him. Being overwhelmed with this experience, as a result, Paul’s career was altered and his concept of zeal, God, and ministry was ultimately changed. It has been argued that Paul did not begin to worship a new God after his conversion. He was already introduced to the God of the Old Testament, yet his concept of who God was, was totally and fundamentally revolutionized after meeting Jesus. God became known in a different way. Muslims, like the pre-conversion Paul, have some knowledge of God. Theirs, like his, is not full however. Their knowledge of 1 Quoted in Richard J. Plantinga, ed., Christianity and Pluralism: Classic and Contemporary Readings (Malden: Blackwell), 365. 2 Ibid. 3 God, primarily taken from the Old Testament, carries some truths. For that reason, it should not be denied that the Qur’an has some truth about God. This truth comes from the credibility of the primary source, i.e. the Old Testament. The very fact that so many Qur’anic stories and accounts were taken from the Old Testament shows that Muslims already worship the God of the Old Testament—again, not in a full recognition of His attributes. Yet one should accentuate that neither their knowledge nor Paul’s, though based on biblical texts, were full. Paul’s experience further affirms that a personal meeting between Christ and Islam has to take place in order for Muslims to come to know God in full. This personal meeting is valid only if the knowledge of the historic New Testament Jesus is attained.3 Paul’s knowledge of God and His worship were not completed until he was introduced to Jesus. This meeting gave him a new concept of God. After being so self-confident because of his keeping of the Law, he became more dependent on God.4 When Muslims meet Christ, their knowledge of God takes a dramatic change. God’s “beautiful” names, for example, become even more beautiful and His character becomes “real.”5 Paul’s experience thus, can be seen as a paradigm for Muslims. It, however, emphasizes that without Jesus Christ, the knowledge of God is incomplete. Like Paul’s renewed and well-directed zeal, Muslims’ zeal for Allah will be much greater than before. Once Jesus is in the center of their worldview, the zeal for Allah takes a different twist.
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