Dr Tim Keller is the senior minister in a church next to the world trade centre – the Redeemer Church. And he talks about a debate he was in with a Muslim scholar before a university audience. The debate went on as most of those debates do with perfect civility as they expressed their point of view. The Islamic cleric expressed the fact that in his understanding of the universe there is only one God, he doesn’t have a Son and the idea of God having a son and coming to earth is nothing short of blasphemy. And Dr Keller expressed his view that God the father had a son who at one wonderful moment came to earth and walked amongst us. It’s very clearly different, said Dr Keller. The idea that Jesus came to earth as a man is central to his faith, but a blasphemy to Islam.
Having said this, he was quite perplexed when the first question from the floor from one of the students began like this: “It seems obvious that both of you men are saying the same thing. Both you men really believe the same thing.” And both Dr Keller and the Muslim cleric said no, we don’t believe the same thing. In fact, we believe diametrically opposite things. Both of us can’t be right. Jesus coming to earth can’t be both blasphemy and this most wonderful event in history.
But this student insisted. No, you don’t understand. You’re both saying the same thing! Now
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