were numerous gods and goddesses. However, from the beginning of his ministry, Muhammad, whose mes- sage was grounded in an uncompro- mising monotheism, proclaimed that only Allah should be recognized and worshiped. Are Allah and the God of the Bible the same? Certainly the Quran contends they are. It says to Jews and Christians, “Our God and your God is one” (Quran 29:46).
Kenneth Cragg, a famous Brit- ish Christian scholar of Islam, has suggested that it is helpful to think in terms of the subject/predicate rela- tionship in sentence structure. The subject about which we are speak- ing is the same, but the predicates employed have significance both for where we agree and where we disagree. We can agree, for instance, that God is the creator and that God is one. However, we may disagree on how the oneness of God is under- stood. Thus Chris- tians would expand the predicate from “God is one” to “God is three in one”
or “God is a tri-
unity,” language Muslims find unacceptable.
I agree with Cragg that we are likely to have a more constructive conversation with our Muslim neigh- bors if we proceed on the assumption that we are talking about the same divine being.
How has your Lutheran tradition and theology shaped your interaction/ reflection on Islam?
Shelley: Years ago I came to the conviction that, while I am fascinated by the theological convergences and divergences between Islam and Christianity and believe it is impor- tant for Christians and Muslims to talk about such matters, it is also imperative to do my best to under- stand Islam and Muslims in their rich diversity, as accurately as possible. Here the eighth commandment and Martin Luther’s explanation of it have motivated me. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). In his Small Catechism, Luther explained this commandment in these words: “What does this mean? We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light.”
SHUTTERSTOCK
Over the centuries, Christians and Muslims have often been content to live in ignorance of one another, to pass on misinformation and some- times intentionally false statements and stereotypes about each other. Unfortunately, that sort of thing still goes on. There is ignorance on both sides, and we need to work hard at unlearning much of what we think we know. We Christians should endeavor to
represent Islam’s teachings and our Muslim neighbors in their diversity fairly and accurately, as we hope Muslims will do about us and Chris- tian teachings.
Grafton: I agree wholeheartedly with this. I often find that we are more easily ready to make claims about what Muslims believe than actually to engage a Muslim friend or acquaintance directly to allow them to speak for themselves.
There is a great deal of literature being published now about what Muslims are supposed to believe, especially on the topics of violence and Shariah (Islamic law). I often hear the accusation: “If there are Muslims who are against terrorism and violence, then why don’t they speak out?” The reality is that many Muslims do. Their organizations and representatives issue public state- ments on a wide variety of issues. For example, after the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Beng- hazi, Libya, every major American Muslim organization promptly issued a statement condemning the violence, some based upon Quranic interpreta- tions (Quran 5:32; 3:104). Certainly Luther did have very negative things to say about “the Turk” (as he did about “the Jew”), but his ethic of speaking up on behalf of our “neighbor” is an important Lutheran takeaway.
Lutherans and Muslims have some similarities but also disagree on some very important faith claims. But I venture to say we disagree with a host of fellow citizens—not to mention family—on a number of issues. Having lived in predominantly Muslim-majority cultures, I was always received as a “neighbor.” Our first step is to realize that American Muslims are our fellow citizens and neighbors and recognize just what that means for us.
January 2013 21
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