Christian God & Muslim Allah 1/2

(or) same thing, different name…

In an interview for christianitytoday.com made in 2011, Miroslav Volf, professor of theology at Yale Divinity School, was asked this question: “Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?” he answered: “I think that Muslims and Christians who embrace the normative traditions of their faith refer to the same object, to the same Being, when they pray, when they worship, when they talk about God. The referent is the same.”[1] Afterwards he goes on to explain his position to a greater detail, yet his initial statement remains.

In a world of multicultural societies full of pluralistic prospects we experience a natural tendency to link similar looking concepts and consider them to be the same. We incline to connect ideas that are foreign to us to those we are already familiar with, thus looking rather for similarities than differences. Today many would share Volfs perspective and suggest that the Muslim “Allah” and the Christian “God” is virtually the one same god, only perceived from different angles. In the following lines I will not attempt to give, what is in philosophy called, “a killer” argument, that would decisively disqualify one of the alternatives. No, the intention of this paper is more modest. Both similarities and differences of the two theologies will be highlighted and the conclusion, whether the referent is the same, will stay with the reader.

Only one God

With regard to the broad spectrum of world religions Islam and Christianity is at this point truly very close to each other. In fact this parallelism is taken to be one of the most impressive. Yet this is not to say that a great deal of other religions do not recognize a figure of a high god. Egyptians worshipped Ra, Isis or Osiris, while Greeks gave their praise to Zeus or Jupiter.[2] Nordic people among others feared Odin and Thor while in China “Yu-huang-shang-ti” was originally taken to be the greatest sky deity. Hinduism exalts Brahma, Vishnu and Siva while Mahayana Buddhism follows the example of Buddha. Hiebert, Shaw and Tienou further in their book offer a list of several other tribes that hold this belief: “In sub-Saharan Africa, belief in a creator God is taken for granted by almost everyone. The Masaii call this god “Engai,” the Yoruba “Olorun” [“ Lord of the Sky”], the Dinka “Nhialic,” the Mende “Ngewo,” the Ibo “Chukwu,” and the Fon “Mawu.”[3] The overriding issue with all these other belief systems is that they at the same time recognize multiple high or lesser gods or goddesses, ending up in polytheism. Their belief is nowhere confined to only one god. On the contrary both Islam and Christianity make indisputable claims about only one true God.

Bible claims:

Det. 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” Mk. 12:32: “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 1 Cor. 8:4: “…We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” Exod. 20:3: “You shall have no other gods before me.”

The last verse is mentioned as one of the Ten Commandments given by God directly to Moses when he was on the mountain of Sinai.

Quran claims:

Surah 112[1] “…He, Allah, is One. [2] Allah is He on Whom all depend. [3] He begets not, nor is He begotten. [4] And none is like Him.” Surah 57 [3] He is the First and the Last, and the Outward and the Inward; and He is Knower of all things. Surah 4[48] “Lo! Allah forgiveth not that a partner should be ascribed unto Him. He forgiveth (all) save that to whom He will. Whoso ascribeth partners to Allah, he hath indeed invented a tremendous sin.”

The last verse in Islam is associated with an unforgivable sin called “shirk” (associating). As suggested, Allah, if he pleases, can forgive other sins yet if someone breaks his commitment to the only one God, he falls beyond Allah’ remission.[4] Thus it appears that this strong monotheistic attitude is an undeniable bond between the two religions.

 

The week deal

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“Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.”

Elton Trueblood

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Matt. 4:19; 9:37

 

Christian Leader; Who, What or How is that? 2/2

How should culture affect the way we lead?

Does it mean then that Christian LC should by all means remain indifferent to the culture surrounding it? In no way! In its very beginning church was founded on the structures of the Roman Empire and spread its functions over the Europe long after the empire collapsed. Hierarchy was the dominant organizational pattern over centuries which people understood and could easily relate to.[1] It does not mean that these patterns and structures are the only suitable structures for Christian leadership, just as much it does not mean that Aramaic is the only suitable language to be used in Christian fellowship because Jesus spoke it. The point being made is that when a firm biblical ground is established under our leadership, we can proceed to choose LC that is most appropriate to our context. While not all cultures are equally valuable[2] many aspects of cultures are not intrinsically evil or good, wrong or right, thus there is a wide variety to choose from.

Today we may encounter a good deal of styles and leaderships. They are called Transformational, Transactional, Entrepreneurial, Servant or Situational Leadership. Styles are Autocratic, Bureaucratic, Charismatic or Democratic.[3] Adding all the differentiations from the beginning of this paper, one needs to be very careful in assembling the proper LC. At this point it might be simply concluded that the appropriate LC is the one that will work in a given context.

Cross-Cultural Leadership

As we experience increasing fluctuation of people across the globe a new term in leadership is gaining attention, namely Cross-Cultural Leadership. Here admitting the lack of mutual understanding is the common ground for any further planning and cooperation. A great sensitivity in listening, sharing and identifying the differences is crucial. Here our deep-rooted expectations and attitudes must be left behind so as the new collective and functioning culture might ever be created.[4] Yet, it shouldn’t be a surprise that for the sake of co-operation one must never

 

Christian Leader; Who, What or How is that? 1/2

Never before were people so occupied by the theme of leadership as today. If Christian leaders do not pay attention to this gentle relation between leadership and culture we might find ourselves sooner or later lost in the mixture of biblical teaching and cultural influences.

Leadership in its Complexity

Before we dive straight into the topic of leadership I believe it must be remarked that this single subject could be easily spread over thousands of pages and dozens of books due to its variety. Any further discussion about leadership will strictly depend on the very group of people it is exercised over, considering their socio-economic background, history, geographical location, intellectual level, age group, but among others also religion, denominational ranges and individual personality traits.[1] All these contribute somehow to a resulting sum of attitudes, expectations, perceptions, customs, practices and the whole atmosphere in, from or towards a Leadership Culture (further only LC) in any given environment. LC will substantially influence matters such as assertiveness, gender differentiation, terms of hiring (Nepotism[2] and Cronyism[3] vs. Meritocracy[4]), power distance (top-down or flat), focus (task or people), mutual mindset (collectivistic or individualistic), communication (specific or diffuse), time horizon, space orientation, desired leadership traits, emotional relation and decision making processes all the way to the very core definition of what is leadership.[5]

For instance, taking into consideration only the attribute of power distance, while openness and room for discussion given by a leader is well appreciated in most parts of Africa and Western Europe (flat), in many Asian and Latin American situations this would be perceived as a weak leadership. On the other hand,

 

From a Gallery

“Weapon” by Monika Guttmanová

I have been struggling with words like “have to do this or that.” I thought that to be a Christian is to DO. Now I know, I have had wrong understanding.. Until I burnt out.

Thanks to God’s grace I have learned what Jesus’ words mean: “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body.” (1 Col. 12:12)

Every one of us in Christ’s body has their place. I am not meant to be in all kinds of places. No, there is an exact place for me in Jesus’ wonderful body and exact weapon which only I possess to fight for His kingdom. What a great freedom and rest we can have in fellowship.

What do YOU see when you look at this painting? Let us know here

 

The week deal

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“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”

Amy Carmichael

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Pr. 3:27; Matt. 6:3-4; James 2:15-16;

 

Suffering, Please Enjoy

…a contemplation by Mads Bak Pedersen

What a suffering task to write about suffering! Hopefully not, because the Bible is full of it. I believe that there so many dimensions inside the suffering realm, but I also believe that suffering without a cause is waste of time and does not lead to any good at all. The great thing for me to reflect on and find out is how suffering and pain are presented in Bible in 2 Cor. 1 and if it works anything good into anything. Can you praise while experiencing pain? Does it make sense for those experiencing it? At last the question: how can I then apply it to any kind of church?

We know from the OT prophecy about Jesus Christ in Isa. 53 that he in many ways was meant to go through all these sufferings according to Gods will (vv. 10). He experienced our pain and suffering, was crushed, pierced, oppressed and afflicted. He was then raised, lifted and exalted. After he had suffered, he saw the light of life and was satisfied vv. 11. It seemed foreseen that this indeed was the will of the Father. So this was how Christ lived and we are called to live like him (1^st letter of John 2:6). It is not only in holiness and righteousness, but in death and in life (2^nd Cor. 4:10-12). It is appointed for a Christian to suffer in light of scripture.

The two main reasons for it in 2 Cor. 1 is; for God to comfort and those comforted by Him to be comfort others, and secondly to not trust in our own, but in God. In Paul`s situation, suffering did not seem like something, he was questioning God about. We know from chapter 12 in the same letter, that Paul three times asked God to take away the torn in his flesh but he got the confirmation that “My grace is enough”.

In Ph. 1:19-21, we see that he knew that no matter if he died or lived his main purpose was to display Christ in everything he did, and that’s why he knew the great reason for his suffering. He also knew that other Christians were meant to suffer (that’s why he writes that his comfort will help his brothers and sisters).

Gods compassion

- in Scripture

Paul proclaims God´s compassion and comfort before talking about suffering. In the midst of suffering, suffering does not stand out as the main outcome. Paul wanted the fellowship of suffering with Christ (Ph. 3:10). Why? To be one with him and so close to him that nothing else mattered.

God especially is known as a God of compassion. Psalm 145:9 says “the Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made”. Even those who are not reconciled with God, he shows compassion. “His compassion never fails” (La. 3).

- in 21^st century

In 2007, 23 South Korean Christians were kidnapped by Taliban. Some of them died down there, while others were set free. This is a summary (my own) from the teaching on “suffering” by Francis Chan, where he takes up the situation from Afghanistan with the Taliban.

“Everything was taken from them. But one of the girls still had a bible or some scriptures she handed out to her fellow brothers and sisters, so they could be encouraged. They stood in a circle and surrendered their lives to Christ and some of them were saying: “no matter what brings you glory and honor, I will do it. If my death brings you honor, let it be so. If my life brings you honor, let that happen to me”. They experienced sacrificial love towards each other. Nobody wanted to be the last to say: “I will die first”. The amazing thing about this story is not that some of them died (we know that Christians die for their faith every day). But here is the thing: When those who survived came back to South Korea, one of the pastors experienced people from the trip to come to him, saying: “don´t you wish that we were down there in the hands of Taliban? Because I was so close to Jesus, so intimate with Him. I have tried to pray and fast, but it is not the same. I want to go back there””.

It blows my mind hearing and writing this, because I want it. I want to experience as Stephen said: “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Ac. 7:56).

“You gotta see this (suffering with Christ) as a good thing, because it brings you closer to Christ”.                                                                                                                         Francis Chan

When I look at churches in general in Denmark, I am asking myself this question: Why are we not experiencing the same kind of persecution as in the Bible, the First Church and in other countries today? Could it be that people around us do not even know we are Christians? And if they do know, are they then confronted with our faith? I believe that each individual person have to ask him- or herself these questions. An application could look like this:

Did Jesus say that people following him would suffer? (Mt. 16:24: Mt. 10) Are you suffering?

Do you only read those scriptures that you want to read?

Or do you also take them in, you do not even want to believe in?

Are you living for this life or the next? (Php. 1:21)

Did Christ come to save, so you could have the best life ever now? (John 14:6)

My conviction and what I believe the Bible testifies is that to suffer for Christ is biblical for all Christians. That does not mean we cannot be happy and rejoice. Gods comfort and compassion, the Gospel itself and that all the means of suffering are serving us to conquer by him, “who have loved us” (Rom. 8:31-37). As John Piper puts it, “What I think more than conquers means is that a conqueror has his enemies lying subdued at his feet. More than conquers do not only mean that they are at my feet, they are serving me. They are not only in chains, in prison, they are serving. My persecution, my famine, nakedness and my loss as painful and tearful they are, they work as my servants. God works them all together for my good (vv. 28). That good is the foundation of my happiness.”

Related articles

• Why Does God Allow Christians to Suffer? (congruentculture.wordpress.com)
• Our Suffering Is Not In Vain (thebiblequotes.org)
• Advent Wk 1: Only the Suffering God Can Help (thecosmiccathedral.wordpress.com)