When it was the Muslim's turn to ask a question, he acknowledged the Uthmanian revision, but wondered how Christians did the same to their Christian Scriptures. It was just assumed that Christians very early on did the same thing with their Scriptures.
What made this question and answer so meaningful for me was that just hours earlier I had an amazing experience. While riding the bus back from the Space Needle in downtown Seattle, I sat next to a timid college student. While talking about the debate that was to transpire in just a few hours with those I was traveling, the student, whose name turned out to be Jeremy, finally had to ask a simple question. "How do you know that what was originally written wasn't corrupted by the early followers of Jesus?"I sat there explaining to the best of my ability the historical background of the New Testament's formation. That the early church was in no position to form some kind of ecclesiastical text that would eventually be forced on the entire church. Such ideas are found only in fictional writings and movies like the Da Vinci Code.
He sat there literally shocked. He had simply never heard such an argument presented so forcefully and unashamedly confident in the Scriptures. I challenged some of his presuppositions and his naturalistic thinking. In the end, I was able to quickly explain the Gospel after I had handled some of his objections. Just as I finished, he got up with a group of college students going to some kind of math convention. I was not just speaking to him, but came to see that I was speaking to several of his friends around me. The ironic thing is just earlier that week, we had discussed how sometimes we may be explaining the Gospel to one person while others may be listening. This was certainly true that day.
Perhaps the Lord will be willing to bless this encounter with Jeremy. Perhaps Jeremy will struggle over these issues and through that struggle come into a confident faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Pe 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;Listening to Dr. White give his response to that Muslim reminded me that the objections to Christianity are often quite similar to any background. For that young Muslim's objection was the exact same question Jeremy had. It was the exact same question I had so long ago. I am thankful this debate took place. Perhaps the answers Dr. White gave will be able to equip Christians for generations to come.
3 comments:
Wow! God sure was faithful in answering our prayers for readiness to seize opportunities to witness. I can probably count at least a dozen conversations that I know of that either were with nonbelievers or with Christians that needed to be taught and strenghened (several convos on Reformed theology with those not familiar with it, for example.)
White is misrepresents the history of the quran since muslim scholars and sources do not assert that Uthman "revised" or "edited" the Quran.
Uthman was - the Prophet of Islam close confident, companion and son in law and himself a complete memoriser of the Quran. If Christians possesed a document which they knew came through the agency of a close and intimate diciple of Jesus, would they doubt it and believe that it was "revised"?
"White is misrepresents the history of the quran since muslim scholars and sources do not assert that Uthman "revised" or "edited" the Quran."
Quite an odd assertion. No one at the debate including one muslim that asked Dr. White a question, disagreed with the assertion. In fact, one person agreed!
Perhaps the term edited is improper from your perspective since he was preserving what he may have possessed. The problem is that this is basically a King James Onlyism argument. Uthman's version is the right one because Uthman said so.
No evidence, no variants, no testimony of others who disagree, NO ACADEMIC FEEEDOM is the mind set of Islam. It is simply cult-like. All the conspiracy theories that fictional writers apply to the Bible truly fits with someone who burned manuscripts.
The beauty of Christianity is that we have a broad manuscript tradition. Because of this there is what is called the "Tenacity of the Text". We actually possess what was originally written plus every variant that has ever been produced.
This is a good thing. No conspiracy. Plenty of evidence. Academic freedom!
Wherever Islam goes, so goes true freedom. Wherever Christ goes, there is Liberty.
"If Christians possesed a document which they knew came through the agency of a close and intimate diciple of Jesus, would they doubt it and believe that it was "revised"?"
I love the "IF". We have it. Muhammad knew it. Modern Islam denies it. Yet by the same standards, we should all agree that the Bible is historically reliable and God's Word. Nevertheless, modern Islamic apologetics must deny this at all costs. Once Christians are silenced academically, so to will those who use the same standards for the Koran be silenced.
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