One of America’s pre-eminent evangelicals is challenging the advice of a retiring Roman Catholic Bishop in the Netherlands who has raised eyebrows worldwide by suggesting Dutch Christians pray to “Allah.”
Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, argues that it is inappropriate for Christians to call God Allah based on irreconcilable theological differences associated with the name Allah and core Christian beliefs.
The key condition behind calling the Christian God Allah is that Allah must refer to the same God as the one in the Bible. However, this requirement presents “a huge problem for both Muslims and Christians,” contends Mohler.
The theologian pointed out that the Qur’an explicitly denies that Allah has a son, and Islam considers the idea of a triune God to be blasphemy.
“Thus, from its very starting point Islam denies what Christianity takes as its central truth claim – the fact that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father,” wrote Mohler on his web blog Wednesday.
“If Allah has no Son by definition, Allah is not the God who revealed himself in the Son. How then can the use of Allah by Christians lead to anything but confusion …and worse?”
Last Monday, during an interview with a Dutch TV program, 71-year-old Bishop Tiny Muskens promoted the idea of Dutch Christians calling God Allah, believing that it would ease much of the conflict between the Christian and Muslim faiths. Muskens contended that God doesn’t mind what He is called and the arguments over what to call Him is an invention of man.
“Allah is a very beautiful word for God. Shouldn’t we all say that from now on we will name God Allah? …What does God care what we call Him? It is our problem,” said Muskens, according to The Associated Press.
The retiring bishop was a former missionary to Indonesia – the most populous Muslim country in the world – for eight years, where he said priests used the name “Allah” while celebrating Mass.
In response, Mohler pointed out that it would be difficult to support the argument that “Allah” can be used as a generic term for God. The theologian said separation of Allah from the language, theology, and worship closely associated with it is difficult. Moreover, even non-Arabic speaking Muslims use Allah when referring to their god.
Another irreconcilable difference is that Jesus commanded his followers to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
“When this command is taken seriously and obeyed, the whole issue is greatly clarified – a Christian cannot baptize in the name of Allah,” stated Mohler.
“So Bishop Muskens is disingenuous at best when he suggests that God does not care about His name. This is not a matter of mere ‘discussion and bickering,’” said Mohler.
“If Allah has no son, Allah is not the father of our Lord Jesus Christ…This is no mere ‘discussion and bickering.’ This is where the Gospel stands or falls,” the theologian concluded.
Bishop Muskens in the past endorsed other controversial ideas which went against the Vatican leadership – such as those who are hungry can steal bread and that condoms should be permissible in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
RSS
I must say that I find the whole discussion about whether the Christian God can be called Allah because it is rather pointless from a linguistic standpoint. Obviously some are lacking in formal traning in Arabic grammar. first off the world "ilah" means god as in ex: "Greek mythology is filled with tales of gods and mortals"). "al-" is the definite article in arabic, so al-ilah is the God (whether you believe it to be the main god in polytheistic religions or the only God in a monotheistic one). now there is a rule in arabic that when certain letters are preceded with the definite article, "al-" that letter becomes "swallowed" by the "al-". so al-ilah becomes allah (the "i" or the alif isn't pronounced, although in the case of the world الله something else happens to the alif). if you were to look at the bible in Arabic and how Arab Christian refer to God, one would note that Allah is used to refer to God (the Middle Eastern churches were among the very first christians with the Syriac and Coptic churches being the oldest of the Christian faith). because of the strong association of the word Allah and Islam, Arab Christians tend to use different phrases and words to differentiate themselves from Muslims. You will hear Arab Christian refer to God as "Rabana" (ربÙ†ا)or Our Lord. Even John 3:16 in the bible in Arabic refers to God as Allah .
Ù„أَنَّه٠هَÙÆ’ÙŽذÙŽا Ø£ÙŽØÙŽبÙ‘ÙŽ اللَّه٠<--الْعÙŽاÙ„ÙŽÙ…ÙŽ ØÙŽتÙ‘ÙŽÙ‰ بÙŽذÙŽÙ„ÙŽ ابْنَه٠الْوَØÙÂÙŠدÙŽ Ù„ÙÂÙÆ’ÙŽÙÅ Ù’ Ù„اÙŽ ÙŠَهْلÙÂÙÆ’ÙŽ ÙÆ’ÙÂلّ٠مَنْ
ÙÅ ÙÂؤْمÙÂن٠بÙÂه٠بَلْ تÙŽÙÆ’ÙÂون٠لَه٠الْØÙŽÙÅ ÙŽاةÙ اÙ„أÙŽبÙŽدÙÂÙÅ Ù‘ÙŽةÙÂ
The BIBLE does say that "in the end times knowledge of the world will increase but, knowledge of the word will decrease". Secondly, either ALL the BIBLE is true or none of it according to II Peter 1:20-21. II Tim. 2:15-17 when we have done this, then lets see what there is to say.
Excuse me, the article was in Israel My Glory magazine."
Looks like this discussion ended months ago, I was not here then, so thought I would add my 2 cents worth to anyone visiting this thread. Christianity Today ran an article by Dr. Ergun Caner, President of Liberty Theological Seminary and ex-Muslim, on "Is Allah the God of the Bible". The article might be found on his website or Christianity Today's archive or possibl;y a Google search. He emphatically says no and says any Islamic scholar worth his salt would also say no. I believe his brother, Dr. Emir Caner, also ex-Muslim, also has an article on the subject.
Oh my gosh, a retired 71 year old Catholic Bishop made a suggestion, that's it a suggestion. He isn't an arch bishop, cardinal or Pope. He just made a suggestion and it becomes international news and is debated back and forth here for a week. Anybody still doubt the Catholic Church is still VERY relevant in the world?
I find it amazing that a retiring bishop would not have read the very WORD he was supposedly proclaiming since his ordination, such that he is totally unaware that the Creator of all things HAS a name and has sent His people to proclaim it in all the earth! He made His name known to Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and His Son Yahshua (Jesus of Nazareth), among others, and it is written first in ancient Hebrew as YHWH (English transcription) pronounced "Jehovah" by some (modern pronunciation) and Yahuweh by others (ancient pronunciation). Nevertheless, His name doesn't mean "god" but "I AM". Let the confusion now rest!
If muslims believed we worshipped the same god the quaran would not instruct them to forcibly convert and demand that the people 'of the book' (Jews, Christians) denounce their faith by bowing to their allah.
Why not just call God Lucifer if he doesn't care what we call him?
This is not a question of semantics. Bishop Tiny Muskens is trying to "make nice" with the muslim community by compromising the truth.
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/moongod.htm
Yes. Allah is God but the origin of the word "Allah" is hardly known to any. Allah hails from "ilah", which used to be the tribal gods around the Temple of Adam, called Kabah. So, the tribal fathers were called "Ilah" and our spiritual Father being much higher than our tribal fathers is called "AL-Ilah" or Allah. So, no Ilah or son of Man, no Allah or Son of God. That is why the Mohammedans face Kabah to honour Adam before they could be accepted by Allah, Whose House used to be the Holiest of Holy Temple in Jerusalem that was destroyed in 70 A.D. Jesus described this Jerusalem Temple as the Winepress that was hired to the husbandmen, the priests, who became corrupt and maltreated the messengers of God. Then God send His own Son so that they would recognise Him and treat Him with due honour but when the Temple Priests perceived Him, they became concerned of their blind following and the income. So, they crucified Him. God was angry and took this Winepress off from them for ever and gave it to others. Replacement of Jerusalem Temple is in India and it is the most corrupt place on eartyh. You cannot have two Temples of God in the world and that is why all attempts to re-build Jerusalem Temple failed and in 363 Emperor Julian too died attempting to rebuild it.
The article itself makes it abundantly clear- allah has no son and allah is not triune therfore allah is not the God of the bible.
Allah is not the Christian God. The Christian God is Jehovah, the GREAT I AM, CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, FATHER OF JESUS CHRIST, AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. Jehovah sent his son Jesus to die on the cross of Calvary for my sin. The Bible is his WORD. Allah is none of these things. He is not God. He is only the god of the Muslims. My ancestors use to worship a god called Degei, which they worshiped for over three thousand years until the first missionaries arrived in my country in 1835. My people regard Allah, Degei, Rama, Bhagwan and all other gods as impostors. There is only one true God and his name is Jehovah. Praise the name of Jehovah!
Sorry, that garble was supposed to be al-ialh, but the phonetics didn’t translate form Word Perfect to CT’s program.
Far be it from me to suggest that western Christians use the word “Allah” in our prayers. Of course not! But let’s not, at the same time, make an idol of the word. If you check with the “Encyclopedia Britannica’, the “Encyclopedia of the Orient”, “Wikipedia”, or “The Catholic Encyclopedia,” all of which are available online, you will find that “Allah” is not a name, it is the Arabic word that means “God,” much like the Hebrew word “Elohim.”
The Islamic “99 Names of God” are not names in the sense that you and I would understand them, rather they are attributes of God, such as “the Merciful,” “the Compassionate.” Muslims do not believe that God can be called by a name. (Al-ˈilāh, by the way, actually means “the God,” and yes, it is used by Muslims, and Christians as well).
I am not suggesting that we English speakers use the word “Allah” in our prayers, no, of course not! I simply want us to be mindful that there are many devout Christians whose native language is Arabic, and that the only word in Arabic that is equivalent to the English word “God” is “Allah.” Many of these Christian brothers and sisters pay a great price to keep their faith. Rather than strain at gnats, and possibly cause offence to native Arabic speaking Christians, would it not be a better thing to pray for those who suffer such great persecution, and for their persecutors as well?
Sincerely, in Christ
Aquinas, if I were married to you, should I call you by your siblings name? That would be especially weird during intimate moments.
Same with Jehovah...
How many angels can dance on the heads of people who think this is important?
I am forced to correct the ones who are say that the Arabic word for God is "Allah". I'm sorry to say, but that is incorrect. The Arabic word for god is: al-ilah. You may want to visit the following site for clarification on "Who is Allah?": http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=73DA6766-C606-407A-8869-4862BA21B7D5
We as Christians should keep in mind that Allah is a personal name. The only true God, who is the God of the Bible, also has a personal name: YHWH (usually pronounced Jehovah or Jahwe) Arabic has a word for 'God'. I do not mind that Arabic translations of the Word of God use the Arabic word for 'God' which is Elohim in Hebrew and Theos in Greek. But it is imaginable that the PERSONAL name Jehovah should be exchanged for the PERSONAL name of a false god called Allah.
Please, read Dr. Mohler's blogsite. He has added an addendum that does help clarify some issues related to this topic.
http://albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=991
This suggestion is just silly! Most people understand that "Allah" is the name of the Muslim god. A Christian praying to "Allah" might as well say "Beelzebub". The Muslim god is NOT the same as the Christian God, as much as they will argue that it is. Their IDEA of their god might be derived from the Judeo-Chrisitan tradition, but the ties are severed when they deny the deity of Christ. He is part of the Triune God. If Christ is not part of "Allah", then "Allah" is certainly not the same god.
If everyone is so interested in unity, why don't any Muslims stand up and say, "Hey, you know what? Why don't we ditch the name 'Allah' and just pray to 'God', 'Yahweh' or 'Jesus'? They're all the same as 'Allah', right?" Ha! They'd be stoned on the spot.
Also, wouldn't it be terribly confusing for people? We Christians insist that there is only one way to God, through Jesus Christ. If we started saying "Allah" when we meant our own precious God, wouldn't people start to think that Islam was okay, and that there are many ways to God? There is a big enough problem with pluralism and universalism as it is. Surely we shouldn't add to it with confusing jargon.
It's blasphemy, plain and simple.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. ...O LORD,our LORD,How majestic is Thy name in all the earth. ...Therefore I will give thanks to Thee among the nations,O LORD,And I will sing praises to Thy name. ...Pray then,in this way;Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed be Thy name. ...:"And there is salvation in no one else;for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men,by which we must be saved." I believe the Lord wants a people who reverance and honor Him by His awesome and powerful name.Any other considerations are just absurd.
The use of the word “Allah” by a Christian depends on the context. In the English speaking world, North America, Europe, Australia, it probably would be inappropriate because of the theological baggage imposed on the word. However, in the Arabic language “Allah” is the word meaning “God.” And we must remember that in Palestine, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Afghanistan, and other Arabic speaking countries, there are Christians and Jews, in some quite a large minority. When they pray or read scripture in Arabic they use the word “Allah” the same way as we use the word “God” in English.
Just as a Muslim believes that “God has no Son,” an Arabic speaking Jew believes in the Allah of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and an Arabic speaking Christian understands that Allah does indeed have a Son, Jesus.
So again, it is the context. As I am a native English speaker, I pray to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. If I were a native German speaker I would pray to Gott. If I were a native Arabic speaker I would, of course pray to Allah.
Do you want to know what is ludicrous? taking this article seriously from a 71 year old retired Catholic priest and making it international news. Did you read the last paragraph?
Bishop Muskens in the past endorsed other controversial ideas which went against the Vatican leadership – such as those who are hungry can steal bread and that condoms should be permissible in the fight against HIV/AIDS
This man is obviously out of touch with church teaching and hasn't be listened to and as I mentioned previously was not promoted to Archbishop, Cardinal and certainly not Pope. Yet, his comment gets international attention...why? As I mentioned before: for those people who still think the Church doesn't have influence in the world ....think again :)
WHAT is all this about?!? This is certainly not about Catholics versus Protestants as truth and justice would have us believe. It comes down to the Islamic doctinre - "Allah has no Son." How simple can that be. Jesus Christ called God His Father. How about "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..."
Where's the debate?!? It's ludicrous, plain and simple!!! If God doesn't care what He's called, why don't we all call him Joe the Ragman? Of course, it's silly and a stupid argument, but those who major in theorems and wives' tales will continue to point the finger at those who hold to the Truth, which is in Christ Jesus.
Dr. Mohler is correct. It's that simple. God is our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be His name. His kingdom come, His will be done, in earth as it is in Heaven.. Does it get any more simple than this. Begone, all of you who would distort and twist the basic truth of the Gospel. Jesus said that "He who has seen the Son has seen the Father." Get it. The "Father." Let the debate end!!!
The interesting thing about the person who writes all the articles for carm is that, in his own words, "attends a home based church and am non-denominational at heart". Sounds like nothing except his own way of looking at things is the right way. This seems to be pretty consistent with a lot of the articles about the divisions occurring in the protestant denominations. Is it any wonder that the Pope can make comments about the significance of protestant religions in the world? While you are busy building your non-denominational separate home based churches we are building cities based on a community of belief in God’s word that will not sell contraceptives, have abortions, have homosexual religious leaders... here is the latest built this year http://www.avemaria.com/. I’m not even going to get into churches, EWTN, hospitals, schools, post secondary institutions…., Are we reading the same stories? Survey: Evangelicals Worry Most Over Health of Churches, Not the time to cut and run, where the protestant writer nostalgically looks at the Catholic leader who helped maintain the authority of the Church vs. the Muslims. Face facts if you believe in history then you know that it will come down to the Church to counter the muslim movement. I’m sorry to say but your independent home based basement churches might not be sufficient.
Pope Clement I
"What think you, beloved? Did not Moses know beforehand that this would happen? Undoubtedly he knew; but he acted thus, that there might be no sedition in Israel, and that the name of the true and only God might be glorified; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Letter to the Corinthians 43 [A.D. 80]). what matters is whether his Church has kept the same beliefs as the early Church (which Catholicism has, unlike Fundamentalists—not to mention Evangelicals). It's funny that the advice of a 71 year old retired priest has ignited such a debate. Shouldn't some people here be more concerned about the stories lately on Christian Post of protestant churches actually changing church doctrines?
According to paragraph 841 of the Catholic Cathecism, the Catholics and the Muslims worship the same god anyway. Check it out at www.carm.org.
For those of us who have been intently studying the Muslim "Imam Al-Mahdi" eschatology and following the headlines, this is nothing new. I suggest everyone take the time to read up on the Muslim "Messiah", and their take on the end times. You will see that the major characters are the complete reverse of the Bible. i.e., the Antichrist is the "Messiah" (Imam), the False Prophet is the Muslim Jesus ("Issa"), and the REAL Jesus is the Muslim Antichrist ("Dajjal"). Even the idea of the plague of sores (Rev. 16:2) is given a positive spin (they believe that they will break out only on the most devout followers of Allah). Having someone suggest that Christians invoke the unholy name of Allah is just one step closer to the Great Apostasy.
Here's a link to a well-researched book by Joel Richardson. It will definitely open your eyes to why everything seems to be centering around Islam so quickly and thoroughly:
http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/JR/Future/index.htm
In some countries the term "Allah" is used by the Christian community and thus by translators of the Bible in those countries to speak of "El" (Hebrew word for "God") from the Old Testament and "Theos" (Greek word for "God") from the New Testament. The Christian community in these countries do not follow the God of Islam. They follow the God of the Bible. They are committed to the God who has revealed Himself in Christ. Many of them have suffered much for their faith in and witness for the one true God and in His Son Jesus Christ. But in their language the term that is used is "Allah". But when they use the term it is filled with biblical meaning.
What is interesting to me is the opening paragraph: One of America’s pre-eminent evangelicals is challenging the advice of a retiring Roman Catholic Bishop in the Netherlands who has raised eyebrows worldwide by suggesting Dutch Christians pray to “Allah.
First of all he is a retiring bishop, not the Pope, a cardinal, or an arch bishop. 2nd he is retiring, so basically he was never going to be promoted in the Church. Third, this would never become Church doctrine. So what are we left with? an old Catholic priest who made a decision one day, expressed it in public and it became world news. For those people who still think the Church doesn't have influence in the world ....think again :)
Do you know where the term "god" originated from? Go to Wikipedia and search "God (word)". We get the english word "God" from a germanic word that was used for pagan gods. When the Bible was being translated into English from Hebrew and Greek (the original languages of the Bible), an English word was chosen... that word was "God". The term "God" is an English translation for the words that were used in the Bible, even though the term "God" originated from paganism. Most followers of Jesus in the United States don't use the name "Yahweh" on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, you probably can't find an English copy of the Bible with "Yahweh" in it. It is translated with capital letters "LORD" in the Old Testament. And Yahweh is not used in the Greek New Testament. Nor is there an English translation of the Bible which uses "Elohim" or "El" in the Old Testament or "Theos" in the New Testament. The term that is used is "God" - an English translation. You do not use the original language when you speak of God. You use a term from your language, an English term. That doesn't make using the term wrong because God speaks to us in our language.
It is no more proper for God to be called Allah than for Him to be called Krishna. Part of the problem comes in the miss notion that they are the same God. The teachings, beliefs and purpose of these religions couldn't be much further from each other, and it's only ignorance of those teachings that cause some to assume they are the same or even compatible.
As for there being countries where Allah is used instead of God's real names in the Bible. I would have to ask why. Was it that the Bible was translated incorrectly, or that they used it for fear of reprisals from the Muslims, or simply because that was the god who was worshipped when Christianity was preached and they just never bothered to make the distinction between the difference, or was there another reason? God makes it quite plain in the Bible what His name is...it isn't Allah, that is the god of another religion, a false religion.
When I call upon the name of my Lord, His name is not Allah. His name is Holy, Reverent and He is not the god of Islam. The Holy Bible, tells us not to have any other Gods before me. Allah is a different god, not the Great I AM! I never have heard any Christians calling or praying to Allah. The Word God, originated from GOD! He has told us what HIS name is, and HE sure didn't say Allah.. I AM!
Amen dannygirlagain! Thank you Yahweh! Jesus is LORD!
People say these things about God because they do not know Him. When you have a personal relationship with Almighty God, you get to know Him, and believe me, I have a great relationship with Him, and He with me, and He doesn't go by the name Allah.
We live in the end times, and the LORD GOD warned us that in the last days, SCOFFERS would come, and even some teachers would teach DEMONIC teachings and people are being drawn away from the ONE TRUE GOD! For those who have hears, HEAR what the Holy Spirit is saying! As we see these things happening: Behold, HE stands at the door, the KING is coming for HIS Bride! Hallelu YAH! Prepare ye the way of the LORD!
For His Glory
I respect Dr. Mohler very much and would agree that for Dutch Christians to use the term "Allah" for God would be at the very least strange. However, I do think that it needs to be understood that there are countries where the Christian population also uses the name "Allah" to refer to God. The Bible in their language has "Allah" as the translation for the Hebrew words "El" or "Elohim" and the Greek word "Theos" when referring to the one true God I do not believe they are being any more inconsistent in using that term than we are in using the term "God" as our translation. Before you react to that, please, examine from where the word "God" originated. Also, I think that we need to understand the origins of the Hebrew word "El" and the Greek word "Theos" and how they were used to refer both to the One true God and to false, pagan gods.