“What Every Christian Needs To Know About the Qur’an”

I haven’t read many of James White’s writings. If I had I might have known what I was getting into when I started to read What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’an. I expected something akin to an “Idiot’s Guide” book. I quickly realized, however, that this was a well-researched, carefully documented, and cogently argued treatment of significant theological claims about Christianity by the Qur’an.

At times the primary source quotations were over-whelming, but this stems from White’s enduring understanding that:

the single best way to honor truth and to show honor to those you seek to reach is to “hear them in their own language,” that is, to enter into their worldview and their theology.

White does that extensively, quoting often from the Qur’an, the hadith, and the tafsir literature and attempting to treat the texts fairly.

There is much to learn from the book and much that White says that Christians and Muslims need to learn about each other. The conclusion to the book has a helpful series of corresponding pairs suggesting approaches for Christians and Muslims that will be helpful for dialogue.

This book is an important read for Christians who interact regularly with Muslims.