By Shane Bennett
Questions are the best, aren’t they? Sometimes I think I like them better than answers. My early, post-college training largely had to do with asking good questions in really cool places. Even today, I love asking questions and am impressed when people are good at it.
Today I’ve got a question for you and a recommendation.
If you could sit down over coffee or tea with a chill, smart, English-speaking Muslim from anywhere in the world, where would you want them to be from and what are some of the questions you liked to ask?
For me today, I’d like to chat with a Persian Muslim from Isfahan. I’d ask how things were going and if he thought his life might be better if the Clerics were no longer running the show.
I’d want them to be from Gaza and I’d ask them what makes them believe what they believe. Is it personal or a parent thing. Also, how the way things are right now affects their beliefs.
I’d like to talk to someone who’s grown up a good part of their life in the US. I’d like to hear what challenges that has caused and what their “American Experience” has been and compare that to mine. What has it meant for both of us to grow up in the same country, but with different cultures?
Now, here’s the recommendation: My friend James White recently released a charming, little book called “Answering 15 Honest Questions from Muslims.”
Here are some of the questions:
1. How can Isa be the Son of Allah?
2. How can Allah condescend to take on human form?
3. Have the Tawrat, Zabur and Injil been corrupted and changed so that we do not have the original Holy Book?
4. Do Christians worship three gods (Allah, Isa & Miriam)?
6. Does eating pork and drinking wine make Christians unclean?
James has lived among Muslims forever and probably forgotten more about them than I’ll ever know. Here’s an idea: The paperback might be a good Christmas gift for a Muslim friend or a blessing for the Muslims you invite over for Thanksgiving!
Shane Bennett is a friend of Muslims. This article originally published in his blog, "Love Muslims the way Jesus Loves Muslims." The views are those of the author.