Jesus and Islam

One of my favorite blogs, both for content and style is the English blog Archbishop Cranmer (found at http://www.archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/).

This week, among other interesting articles, His Grace deals with a television program on the what Muslims think about Jesus. Cranmer's points are good: The Muslim view of Jesus is false and unhistorical, yet no counter view is likely to be presented (Muslims reject the divinity of Jesus and deny that he was crucified or resurrected). He points out how no one worries about offending Christians, but many are deferential to Islam. No TV station would make an honest film on the "Christian view of Mohamed." And, Christians should be upset by this sort of blasphemy that proselytizes for a false religion that is causing the world unbelievable grief.

Cranmer says: "There will, of course, be nothing objective about the historical evidence for the crucifixion and resurrection: the documentary will unashamedly portray Jesus as Muslims see him, and use the Qur’an as its primary source material, completely and conveniently ignoring the fact that it was ‘revealed’ centuries after Jesus lived and the Gospels were penned. The accounts of the real primary material are thereby rubbished, and Jesus’ divinity is denied. It is both blasphemous and offensive to Christians the length and breadth of the country, but as long as it’s not blasphemous for Muslims, everything’s alright."

In a way, this television special is shocking, because just when the world needs to convince Muslims to stop believing in Islam, and preferably to believe in the real and divine Jesus, not only for their eternal salvation, but for the survival of our own freedom and civilization, so many elites in the UK and Europe are out doing the opposite to their own hurt. I suppose it is more empirical evidence for the reality of evil. Only the devil could get Muslims, on the one hand, and liberal non-believing "christian", secularists, atheists, and socialists on the other, on the same page. But then "liberal Christians" (i.e. those who do not really believe the bible) believe something similar to the Muslims in that they always had trouble with Jesus death, atonement for our sins, resurrection, eternality, identity as the Logos, and divinity. At least the Muslims do not have trouble with miracles and the virgin birth, the early stumbling blocks of the "liberals."

What we really need today are whole seasons and collections of films that will be shown in the middle east and in Muslim markets in the West that explain the truth about Christianity and western civilization in subtle sophisticated ways. The Jesus film and Mel Gibbson's film about Jesus have had some success in changing hearts and minds. We need much more. We need to at least win their "tolerance" and "understanding." But if we really want peace Islam will need to be discredited and the truth believed in its place. This is a tall order when so many in the west doubt the truth. But we can pray and we can make a start. Doing nothing good only makes failure more likely.