It is important to note that although both Islam and Christianity are Abrahamic religions, which share a number of key similarities, there are inherent differences in the concept of godhood, especially in regards to Jesus Christ. The key underlying difference lies in the fact that Christians believe in Jesus embodying both divine and human forms, which makes him both God and human. However, Muslims believe that Jesus is not a God but rather chosen Allah’s prophet, similar to Muhammad.
The first key point of the debate is centered around explaining the key difference and reasoning behind it, where James White argues that Christ has distinct and intertwined natures, such as divine and human. Whereas Abdullah Kunde begins his argument by identifying what god or Allah is and substantiates the point on Christ being a prophet and mere human with no godly properties, which makes him a separate entity from God (Sola Church). In other words, both sides have similar definitions of God, but Christians also attribute these divine properties to Jesus Christ, whereas Muslims separate these two beings.
The second argument begins with White pointing out that both religions and their theological perspectives have similar definitions of the Creator of the universe. Both sides believe in the virgin birth, but Muslims deny the notion of incarnation. White argues that God chose to incarnate himself in Jesus Christ in order to experience and manifest in human existence and experience, which is why he was tired and need to eat, sleep, and drink (Sola Church).
However, Kunde argues that incarnation did not take place and that it is incompatible with the idea and properties of God. Moreover, there were major disagreements on the idea of the Holy Trinity, which is rejected by Islam, whereas Christianity believes that each actor of the Trinity can act separately and at the same time work in unison to manifest the entirety of God. In addition, according to White, the notion of miracles performed by Christ is evidence of his divine nature, whereas Kunde states that Moses and other prophets also performed miracles, sometimes more impressive than of Jesus, which is why he claims that it does not prove Christ’s godhood (Sola Church).
The third key point revolves around argumentations on whether or not God can become a human. White argues that Kunde God is all-mighty and all-capable, which is why it is in his grasp to manifest himself in human form and live human life while also preserving his divine nature, which is Jesus Christ (Sola Church). Kunde’s counterargument is centered around the essential properties of God outlines in Islam, where Allah’s manifestation in human form would contradict or eliminate some of his divine and unique properties, which is why he claims that there are major logical fallacies involved in such thinking (Sola Church). In other words, as soon as God becomes a human, he loses his properties, which no longer makes him as such, which makes Jesus Christ a mere human being.
In conclusion, Christianity and Islam share a wide range of similarities in terms of the definition of godhood and understanding the unique role of Jesus Christ. However, Muslims reject the ideas of incarnation, the Holy Trinity, and Jesus having diving properties, whereas Christians uphold these concepts.
Questions to White:
- Why the concept of Trinity is not directly mentioned in the Testaments but rather based on conclusions of these two documents?
- What makes Jesus different from other prophets, such as Moses, without accepting statements in the scriptures at their face value?
Questions to Kunde:
- If God cannot manifest Himself in a human being, does not it contradict his all-mighty and all capable nature?
- If Jesus is a prophet, why are his teachings not as important as the teaching of Muhammad?
Work Cited
“James White vs Abdullah Kunde – Can God Become a Man?” YouTube, uploaded by Sola Church. 2011. Web.