Review: "The Qur'an and the Christian"

 

The Qur’an and the Christian:  An In-depth Look Into the Book of Islam for Followers of Jesus by Matthew Aaron Bennett is my latest read.

Bennett clearly and readably offers insight into the Qur’an – where it came from, what it claims, and what Christians ought to do with it.  Though he doesn’t say it until later in the book, let me state upfront that he recommends that Christians read the Qur’an to understand something of what his “neighbors” believe.

The book is divided into three sections:

In the first section, he explains how the Qur’an came to be and what believers in Islam understand to be its revelation and how it is to be used as a teaching instrument.

Next, he examines the teaching of the Qur’an and its relation ship to the texts of Judaism and Christianity.

Finally, he consider how a Christian might “use” the text of the Qur’an.  He explains and evaluates positive and problematic uses of the Qur’an in presenting the Gospel.

This is an excellent primer both on understanding how Muslims understand the Qur’an and how the Christian can engage with it and followers of Islam. (Thus the need to actually read the text and interact with it prior to talking with Muslims about it and its relationship to the writings of Judaism and Christianity.)

This is a book I would recommend reading more than once to get a handle on all that he is explaining – and it would be good to read along with reading the Qur’an.

I received this book for free from Kregel in exchange for an honest review.

[This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, Kregel.com, and Goodreads.com].