John C. Rankin (January 20, 2009)

   Is it possible for biblically rooted Jews and Christians to communicate with Muslims who believe in the Qur'an?

   This is more than an academic interest. My conviction is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the basis for healthy relationships, whether at the personal level, in local communities, and in international politics. Thus, in the love of God, and love of all neighbors as myself, I am deeply interested in honoring the equal humanity of all people fully.

   When, for example, we look at the never-ending crises in the Middle East, and the horror that is life in Gaza (regardless of your perspective on theology and politics), how can we make a difference where mercy, freedom and prosperity triumph for all?

   Honest communication is the basis for any good possibilities. Only if all of us are able to define our terms up front and honestly, fully accountable to any and all questions, and then willingly listen well to the terms defined by the others, can this happen.

   Biblically rooted Jews and Christians share the belief that the Hebrew Bible is given by Yahweh Elohim (the Hebrew transliteration for the LORD God), is trustworthy in all it claims, and its text has been faithfully stewarded by Abraham, and the Israelite and Jewish community across four millennia.

   The key difference between a Jew and a Christian is the question of the Messiah’s identity.

   Biblically rooted Jews believe that the Tenakh (an acronym for the Hebrew Bible, consisting of the Law, the Prophets and the Writings) is trustworthy in all it claims, has been faithfully stewarded by the Israelite and Jewish community across three and a half millennia, and that the Messiah is yet to come (whether as a singular person or fulfilled in the corporate nation of Israel).

   Biblically rooted Christians believe the New Testament is given by the Lord God, is trustworthy in all it claims, including the centrality of Jesus as Lord and Messiah in fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures, and its text has been faithfully stewarded by the Christian community across two millennia.

   Muslims believe that the Qur’an is revealed by Allah to the last Prophet, Muhammad, it fulfills and supersedes the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, is trustworthy in all it claims, and its text has been faithfully stewarded by the Muslim community across its 1400 year history.

   In international politics today where Jews, Christians and Muslims interface, the deepest questions are rooted in the interpretations of the Bible and the Qur’an. In looking carefully at the theological assumptions in place in both, only then can questions of political implications be fully understood and addressed. Any shortcuts in this regard will shortcut political health for all concerned.

   From my perspective as a Christian, here are some key biblical assumptions, most succinctly summed up, followed by questions for the Muslim ummah (community) to consider.

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╬   The Bible is the uniquely true storyline, defined by the teachings of creation, sin and redemption. The order of creation is located at the beginning, in Genesis 1-2, and is entirely good; the reversal of that order (or sin, best defined as broken trust) is introduced in Genesis 3; and the order of redemption (a word that means to buy back out of slavery to sin) is introduced also in Genesis 3; the battle between sin and redemption lasts until Revelation 20 when redemption – provided in the death, resurrection, ascension and second coming of Jesus – triumphs, and in Revelation 21 the new heavens and new earth arrive.

╬   In music theory, it is equilibrium, tension and resolution that produce beauty and satisfaction in the human soul, and serve as a predicate for worship; and which is parallel to the reality of creation, sin and redemption.

• Does the Qur'an have any unique story line within it, any definition of a good order of creation, any definition of how sin or broken trust came to pass, and any definition of redemption and how it is accomplished? In Surah 1 (Al Fatihah or "The Opening"), being theologically definitive for the whole Qur'an, we find no definition of an order of creation unpolluted by sin or broken trust, and indeed, the presence of judgment and wrath are both present in "The Opening." Is there some other place in Islam where the good order of creation is proactively defined? Is it likewise assumed?
• What does the Qur'an say about music if anything, why is there no music in Muslim worship?

╬   There are ten positive assumptions in the biblical order of creation that define everything there is to know, out of which flows the six pillars of biblical power, four in the order of creation and two in the order of redemption, and which in sum produce the six pillars of honest politics.

• Does the Qur'an have any parallel proactive foundation?

╬   First, the biblical order of creation has a positive view of God's nature, the Creator, Yahweh Elohim, who in his name is greater than space, time and number – this being the source of his Trinitarian nature as fulfilled in the New Testament. The Three who are One reflects Diversity in service to Unity, the necessary glue for marriage and the necessary checks and balances on power for any healthy social order. Yahweh Elohim's power is unlimited, and his nature is the power to give blessings to all people. This power to give is also reflected by Jesus in his various statements concerning the Golden Rule – treat all others as you wish to be treated yourselves, Jew or Gentile.

╬   The power to give is the first of the six pillars of biblical power, and hence the first of the six pillars of honest politics, where:

      The power to give affirms that the unalienable rights given by the Creator belong to all people equally, and leaders in human government should serve such a gift.

• In the Qur'anic understanding of Allah, does his name indicate that he is greater than space, time and number? Or is he better understood as singular in nature, "without companions" as the Qur'an notes often, thus a "monad." If Allah is singular, how can he be greater than the concept of number? And how can a monad deity have any checks and balances within himself for marriage and the social order to learn from? Does this mean that Allah and Islam equal unity without diversity? Does the Qur'an have any parallel to the Golden Rule toward those outside the Muslim ummah?
• Is there anything unattractive in the first pillar of honest politics to the Muslim ummah, and if not, does the Qur'an proactively define any parallel to this first pillar?

╬   Second, the biblical order of creation has a positive view of communication, where:

      Yahweh Elohim reveals himself with integrity, beginning with the proactive words, "Let there be light." The Word of God reveals truth for all to understand Yahweh Elohim's will, the nature of his creation, and our place in it. The Word of God comes by the power of the Holy Spirit through members of the covenant community, and is trustworthy in all it claims, as Yahweh Elohim is consistently communicating with his people. In the Gospel of John, we learn that Jesus is the Word, the Communication (logos in the Greek), Jesus is God in human form, and comes to us as the Light and Life, able to relate to us personally, giving the right for all people to become children of God. In the Bible, light and darkness are defined in three capacities where darkness by definition flees the light – physics, ethics and the spiritual warfare between Jesus as the Light of the world, and Satan as the prince of darkness.

╬   The power to live in the light is the second of the six pillars of biblical power, and hence the second of the six pillars of honest politics, where:

      The power to live in the light means leaders in human government at every level should be as fully transparent as possible.

• What is the nature of Allah and light in the Qur'an, is the will of Allah transparently communicated to all people in proactive terms, and is Allah powerful enough to come into the midst of his creation, as does Yahweh Elohim in the incarnation of Jesus?
• The Qur'an claims to be the very words of Allah, written in eternity in Arabic, but without any human involvement, thus authenticating it, as its 114 surahs are dictated by the angel Jibril to Muhammad. Is this a form of communication congruent with a Creator who wants to relate to us, of a healthy human nature? And if the Qur'an is perfect as written in eternity, why the doctrine of abrogation where Allah makes changes to prior revelations?
• Is there anything unattractive in the second pillar of honest politics to the Muslim ummah, and if not, does the Qur'an proactively define any parallel to this second pillar?

╬    Third, the biblical order of creation has a positive view of human nature, where all people are made in the image of God, as the crown and purpose for his creation, where men and women equally rule over and steward Yahweh Elohim's creation, where in our finite persons we were made to reflect the good qualities of the infinite Creator, made for peace, order, stability and hope, to live, to love, to laugh and to learn.

• How does the Qur'an view human nature, as the crown of Allah's creation, or in some other capacity?

╬    Fourth, the biblical order of creation has a positive view of human freedom, reflecting the first words of God spoken to Adam, where the metaphor of an unlimited menu of good choices defines the nature of human freedom. Set next to this menu is one prohibited fruit that leads to death, creating a boundary to true freedom. Thus, a level playing field between truth and falsehood, between good and evil, between life and death are defined honestly, so that the good can be chosen, but not forced; and Jesus reflects this level playing field in allowing his enemies to rake him over the coals with their toughest questions. This proactive power of informed choice is unique to the Bible, and is present in no pagan or secular construct. Truth is confident enough to allow falsehood to be measured in the open and side-by-side.

╬    The power of informed choice is the third of the six pillars of biblical power, and hence the third of the six pillars of honest politics, where:

      The power of informed choice is rooted in an honest definition of terms in political debate, providing a level playing field for all ideas to be heard equally, apart from which political freedom is not possible.

• Does the Qur'an have any proactive concept of human freedom parallel to the unlimited menu of good choices, where terms of truth and falsehood can be defined accurately, of a level playing field for all different claims to truth be compared side by side? In Surah 2 (Al Baqarah or "The Heifer"), v. 256 says, "Let there be no compulsion in religion: truth stands out clear from error." This is a good concern, but this language is also a double negative, reactively posed. Does the Qur'an have a simple positive for human freedom?
• Is there anything unattractive in the third pillar of honest politics to the Muslim ummah, and if not, does the Qur'an proactively define any parallel to this third pillar?

╬    Fifth, the biblical order of creation has a positive view of hard questions,  an assumption in place when Yahweh Elohim gave man and woman stewardship over the planet, to cultivate and care for it – an endlessly delightful learning process in his presence. In the face of sin, one powerful way to overcome distrust is by the passion to ask the questions that are most difficult or painful, in the presence of God and one another. This love of hard questions is celebrated consistently throughout the Bible, questions posed of God and one another, it is the height of the rabbinic teaching ethos where the posing of questions is the starting point for learning, and Jesus reflected this ethos more than anyone else in history.

╬    The power to love hard questions is the fourth of the six pillars of biblical power, and hence the fourth of the six pillars of honest politics:

      The power to love hard questions is in place when political leaders honor and answer those who pose them the toughest questions.

• Does the Qur'an have any proactive and open-ended love of hard questions able to be posed of Allah and fellow Muslims, any parallel to the rabbinic teaching ethos, or does it place limits on which questions may be posed, when, where and of whom?
• Within the Muslim ummah, is there the freedom to raise questions as to whether or not the Qur'an is fully inspired by the one true Creator? Within the Jewish and Christian communities across the millennia, this freedom has been there to challenge the Scriptures, if not consistently, and that freedom is certainly there today.
• Is there anything unattractive in the fourth pillar of honest politics to the Muslim ummah, and if not, does the Qur'an proactively define any parallel to this fourth pillar?

╬    Sixth, the biblical order of creation has a positive view of human sexuality, where men and women are full equals and complements as image-bearers of God, joint stewards of the creation, and joint heirs of eternal life. Healthy human sexuality is rooted in chastity outside of marriage, and fidelity within the marriage of one man and one woman for one lifetime, where diversity is in service to unity.

• Does the Qur'an treat women as full equals to men in the sight of Allah, and can polygamous marriage serve diversity in service to unity?
• Muslim men may marry non-Muslim women; but Muslim women may not marry non-Muslim men. Why?

╬    Seventh, the biblical order of creation has a positive view of science and the scientific method, where Genesis 1 treats the sun, moon and stars as inanimate objects, as opposed to pagan deities; and from there on, the Bible views creation as it is, consistent always with scientific observation. The Law of Moses provides the ethical basis for the scientific method, specifically here in terms of the principle of falsification in its treatment of the requisites for a true prophet. The historical, geographical and observational claims of the Bible are repeatedly and relentlessly confirmed by the discipline of archeology.

• Does the Qur'an have a proactive parallel for a positive view of science and the scientific method, and what place does archeology play in sustaining its claims?

╬    Eighth, the biblical order of creation has a positive view of verifiable history, where beginning with Adam and Eve, the biblical revelation is always ratified by multiple upon multiple eye-witnesses all the way up to Jesus, and then from Jesus to the end of the New Testament; indeed, when Jesus appeared, he did so in accordance with the continual witness of millennia worth of recorded history. The western commitment to verifiable history is rooted in how the Bible views itself. This commitment to history has informed all Hebrew, Jewish and Christian scholarship across the millennia.

• Can the Qur'an root itself in verifiable history? For example, the Qur'an has no historical storyline within itself, except for portions borrowed from the Bible, often out of historical context, and it also quotes Gnostic pseudepigrapha as historical, as though they were part of the Bible that they are not. The Qur'an declares that the Bible translations used by Jews and Christians have been corrupted, as it treats all that precedes Muhammad as a "period of ignorance." Thus, only that which the Qur'an says is of the Bible is really of the Bible. But what is the historical basis for such claims? What possible witnesses can there be to a revelation that only comes to Muhammad's inner person from the angel Jibril? Indeed, it is in Muhammad's word alone that Muslims place their trust, and not in thousands of years worth of eye witness history as do the Jews and Christian.
• The Qur'an cannot be interpreted, it is said, apart from the Hadith, the eye-witness stories about Muhammad's life, given by his companions. More than a century after Muhammad's death, there were some 300,000 of these ahadith in circulation, and through a most rigorous and honorable process of verifiable history, Sahih al-Bukhari traced all their chains of custody, and reduced the authentic ahadith to some 7,525 (and the Shi'a reduced them even further). This is spoken of as an entirely human project. But if so, does not the Qur'an depend on fallible human involvement, as Islam has charged concerning the Jewish and Christian Bibles, and if the ethics of verifiable history are used for the Hadith, why not also for the Qur'an?

╬    Ninth, the biblical order of creation has a positive view of covenantal law, where Yahweh Elohim first holds himself accountable to being just and fair and loving, before he requires man and woman to obey his laws; covenantal law on this basis is a bulwark against human despotic governments.

• Does the Qur'an have any parallel concept to biblical covenantal law? For example, Jesus, as God incarnate, holds himself accountable to the covenant, even dying for our sins. Too, in the Qur'an, it limits a man to 4 wives; but Muhammad had 14 wives over his lifetime, and much more than 4 at one time.

╬    Tenth, the biblical order of creation has a positive view of unalienable rights and the First Amendment, where Yahweh Elohim gives the gift of life, liberty, property and hence the power to pursue true happiness, to all people equally; and on the basis of giving religious liberty, the freedoms of speech, press, assembly and redress of grievances are made possible in a society based in unalienable rights. In sum, this equals religious, political and economic liberty.

• Does the Qur'an have any basis for unalienable rights, and for the religious, political and economic liberties needed for a just and free society to exist and prosper?

╬    The power to love enemies is the fifth of the six pillars of biblical power, located in the order of redemption, it is the height of the Sermon on the Mount, and the essence of Jesus dying for our sins on the cross, making us his friends by his sacrifice. We who were once enemies of God are loved by him. Thus, we who are Christian are empowered to love all people who might consider themselves our enemies. These people are loved by God and hated by the devil, thus in our love for all people, we love God and hate Satan and his demonic hordes. The birth of the Christian church was accomplished by three centuries of suffering, of believers loving their enemies and suffering persecution and death as a result, before Christianity was polluted by false political power in the rise of Christendom from Constantine to Theodosius to Justinian. It also equals the fifth of the six pillars of honest politics, where:

      The power to love enemies recognizes that even the harshest of political opponents share a common humanity and are to be treated with respect.   

• Does the Qur'an have any concept of loving the enemies of Islam, and how does Islam explain its rapid and early expansion by means of political intimidation and the sword against nations that had not provoked them?
• Is there anything unattractive in the fifth pillar of honest politics to the Muslim ummah, and if not, does the Qur'an proactively define any parallel to this fifth pillar?

╬    The power to forgive is the sixth of the six pillars of biblical power, located in the order of redemption, it is the trajectory of the Lord’s Prayer, given by Jesus at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. The power to give and the power to forgive equal the bookends of the Bible – God gives, we refuse the good gift, then he forgives. That is, he gives again in spite of our original refusal, enabling life, indeed, eternal life once again to be received through the power of Jesus's resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit. It also equals the sixth of the six pillars of honest politics, where:

   The power to forgive recognizes the need to address our individual and societal transgressions against each other, and to work toward justice and reconciliation.

• On what basis and by what means does the Qur'an provide for the forgiveness of sins? How important are the differences between biblically rooted societies where issues of guilt and forgiveness are central, and Islamic societies where the issues of shame and honor are central?
• Is there anything unattractive in the sixth pillar of honest politics to the Muslim ummah, and if not, does the Qur'an proactively define any parallel to this sixth pillar?

╬╬    In this summation of a biblical worldview, and with questions posed of the Qur'an and Muslims, I am seeking to be proactive and honest – proactive in defining how the Bible understands itself, and proactive in the assumption that its ethical qualities are universal and attractive to all people of good will, and hence, the questions posed of Islam are submitted in that light.

   Is it possible, between biblical and Qur'anic people:

• To articulate the positives of what we believe and why, and then listen to the positives of what the other believes and why?
• With humility and intellectual rigor, to have the freedom to question one another as equals on points where we may not agree?
• Upon such clear definitions of terms, to then have the freedom to leave all open questions open?
• And, upon such a basis, to work together, each on our own articulations, to serve religious, political and economic liberty for all people equally?

   When we know where we agree and disagree, and why, only then can trust be built, and only then can mutual positive goals be effectively pursued. Both the Bible and the Qur’an speak of light versus darkness – who among us, in mutual accountability, lives with open agendas in the light, and who retreats into the darkness? And the toughness of this question must first be posed of Christians by Christians, where we first measure up to such transparency.

   In the present and continuing Middle East crises between the Arabs and Jews, and over the nature of Jerusalem, it is ultimately a question of history and the science of archeology. Can Arab and Muslim peoples take the verifiable historical eye-witness ethos employed by Sahih al-Bukhari in his composition of a reliable Hadith, and apply it to tracing the eye-witnesses from Abraham to the present, tested where needful by good archeological science?

   Jesus is the Prince of Peace whom I serve, and in his name, I want nothing less than unalienable rights for all people equally in the present political order – Jew, Christian, Muslim, Pagan, Secularist et al.

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