GRACEVILLE (FBW)—Each day millions of Christians read the Bible (literally ‘book’) as the authoritative, inspired revelation from God. Likewise, millions of Muslims affirm the Qur’an (literally ‘recitation’) as the authoritative, inspired revelation from God. The Bible and the Qur’an share numerous similarities; the differences, however, are noteworthy. Varied understandings of the nature, function, and authority of Islam’s respective religious books demonstrate radically disparate approaches to religion.

GRACEVILLE (FBW)—Christianity and Islam affirm monotheism, the belief in one God only. In addition, the biblical revelation and the Qur’an affirm similar attributes to the one Supreme God. The one Great God is First and Last (Isa. 41:4; Surah 57:3), all-powerful (Jer. 32:27; Surah 2:142-3), all-knowing (Ps. 147:5; Surah 13:9, 6:59), Creator (Gen. 1; Surah 16:3-12), and Judge.

GRACEVILLE (FBW)—Many Christians experience surprise when they learn of the esteem Muslims grant to Jesus, a man illustrious in this world and the next (Surah 3:40). The Qur’an mentions Jesus in 93 ayas (verses) in fifteen Surahs (chapters).

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is the fourth of a five-part series exploring the differences between Christianity and Islam in the weeks leading up to the 5th anniversary of the terrorist attacks by Islamic radicals on Sept. 11, 2001.

Over one billion people in the world adhere to the Islamic religion. Through immigration, large families, and conversion, Islam is one of the fastest growing religious movements in the United States. Islam is the third largest religion in America. Muslims outnumber such mainline Protestant denominations as the Episcopal Church. Muslim immigrants to the United States arrive from over 60 Muslim nations; many of those nations prohibit the communication of the Gospel or proselytizing others to the Christian faith.

RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP)–Rudy Gonzalez, Tal Davis and N.S.R.K. Ravi of the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board’s interfaith evangelism team reviewed various facets of Islam during the National Conference on Islam Aug. 15-17 at the LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center.

RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP)–It takes time to win Muslims to Christ, and when Christians hurry the process they can turn the Great Commission into a "great debacle," Carl Ellis, a featured speaker said at the National Conference on Islam Aug. 15-17 at LifeWay’s Ridgecrest (N.C.) Conference Center.

RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP)–When radical Islamists brought unprecedented terror to the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, they also escalated a debate that’s been raging for centuries: Is Jihad a personal, internal struggle against evil inclinations, or holy war against non-Muslim infidels?