Theological Difficulties in A Common Word Between
Us and You
Patrick De Leon
In October of 2007 a document entitled A Common
Word Between Us and You was issued as an open
letter to the leaders of the major Christian churches
and denominational associations. This document
was signed by 138 Muslim clerics, scholars and
intellectuals with the avowed purpose of declaring
"for the first time since the days of the Prophet …
the common ground between Christianity and
Islam." This document purports to find this
common ground in the two Great Commandments
of the Christian faith as enunciated by Jesus Christ.
These commandments declare the primacy of
loving God first and then loving our neighbors.
This open letter was answered by another open
letter, issued by religious academics associated
with the Yale [University] Center for Faith and
Culture. This second letter was entitled Loving God
and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to "A
Common Word Between Us and You." It was signed
initially by over 300 Christian and church leaders, a
number of these from theologically conservative,
evangelical backgrounds.
Both documents seek to open dialogue between the
Christian and Muslim faith communities. Both have
what seems on the surface to be a laudable goal:
Peace and harmony between the worlds of
Christendom and Islam. And both documents assert
that dialogue and harmony can occur by seeking to
find and then build on our "common ground." As
noted previous, it is suggested that this common
ground is to be found in the two Great
Commandments. Verses from the Bible and the
Qur’an are frequently quoted in both documents to
verify the commonality of these commandments to
both faiths.
However, there is cardinal doctrine found in the first
document that is extremely important, yet very
subtly presented—and for this reason perhaps
overlooked. This doctrine is actually best expressed
in the words of Jesus Himself, as He is quoted in
the documents. Using the form of the two Great
Commandments as found in Mark’s Gospel, we
hear Jesus say:
"‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord
is One. And you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, and
with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
This is the first commandment. And the
second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other
commandment greater than these." (Mark
12:29-31)
Note the opening words to the Great
Commandments: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God,
the Lord is One." This introductory statement,
known as the Shema in Judaism, sets the
foundation and basis for the two commandments
that follow. The commands to love God and our
neighbor are both rooted in the doctrine of the unity
of God, thus in the Person and nature of God
Himself. This doctrine is very significant, and must
not be overlooked.
Indeed, the Muslim document affirms the
importance of this fact repeatedly. Notice the
following quotes:
"The basis for peace and understanding
already exists. It is part of the very
foundational principles of both faiths: love of
the One God , and the love of the neighbor…
The Unity of God , the necessity of love for
Him, and the necessity of love of the
neighbor is thus common ground between
Islam and Christianity." [ Italics added .]
"Clearly, the blessed words: we shall ascribe
no partner unto Him relate to the Unity of
God. Clearly also, worshipping none but
God , relates to being totally devoted to God
and hence to the First and Greatest
Commandments ." [ Italics in original .]
This point is explicitly declared in the third section
of the original document entitled "Come To A
Common Word Between Us and You":
"What prefaces the Two Commandments in
the Torah and the New Testament, and what
they arise out of, is the Unity of God —that
there is only one God… Thus the Unity of
God, the love of Him, and the love of the
neighbor form a common ground upon
which Islam and Christianity (and Judaism)
are founded." [ Italics added .]
Thus, it is evident that our ability to love God and
our neighbor is grounded in our understanding of
and devotion to the one true God. The acceptance
and understanding of the concept of the Unity of
God is fundamental to the two Great
Commandments. Consequently, it is by accepting
the oneness of God that we have a basis for our
"common word" of agreement. Without the unity of
God, there is no foundation for the two Great
Commandments. And without these
commandments, there is no common word of
agreement.
This seems pretty simple, and rather obvious.
However, there is a genuine difficulty here. What is
meant by the phrase "the Unity of God"? This
phrase is repeatedly used in the Muslim document
and is essential for the entire premise of the
document. Yet the phrase is somewhat ambiguous
in meaning.
The underlying assumption for both documents is
obvious, i.e., that both Muslims and Christians
believe in one God. Both are monotheistic religions.
Both have common traditions and common roots.
As is stated in the Introduction to the first
document: "Thus, despite their differences, Islam
and Christianity not only share the same Divine
Origin and the same Abrahamic heritage, but the
same two greatest commandments ." As a result, it
is assumed that both Christians and Muslims not
only believe in one God , but they worship, serve and
believe in the same God . Although the outward
observance of each religion is very different, at the
heart they are essentially the same, or at least
equivalent.
Such teaching is extremely popular right now. It is
commonly accepted in many religious circles, even
Christian, even among some evangelicals. However,
it is not a Biblical concept, nor is it consistent with
the orthodox, historic faith of the Christian church.
In a word, it is heresy. Let us explore why we are
asserting this.
The Unity of God
In A Common Word Between Us and You the phrase
"the Unity of God" occurs repeatedly. At first glance,
this seems pretty straightforward and
understandable. Both Muslims and Christians
worship one God. But do Christians and Muslims
mean the same thing when they speak of the unity
of God? In a word: No.
When Muslims posit that God is one, they mean
this in an absolute sense. God is a solitary being.
Allah/God is one totally, completely, and without
qualification. There is, and can only be, one person
in the deity. He exists alone, supremely and
singularly divine.
When a Christian asserts that God is one, they
mean that there is no God other than the Lord God,
Yahweh, i.e., the Deity revealed in history and the
Holy Scriptures. To understand the exact nature of
this one Deity we must explore the Biblical
revelation of the unity of God. In the Scriptures we
see clearly that there is only God, yet He is revealed
as eternally existing as three divine Persons:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The unity of God is
genuine and true, but is not absolute. [1] God is not
a solitary Being. Rather, the one God exists in a
divine fellowship of three Persons, each distinctly
God, each co-equal and co-substantial, each wholly
divine; and yet there are not three gods, there is
only one God, the Lord Almighty.
Consequently, it is evident that the phrase "the Unity
of God" has very different meanings for each faith.
And the two positions are not reconcilable. To
worship and serve the true God of Scripture is to
acknowledge the Holy Triune Being revealed there.
To reject the Triune God is to reject God Himself,
the revelation of His true nature. You cannot serve
Yahweh and Allah. The two concepts of deity are by
definition mutually exclusive. And to reject to true
doctrine of God, is to reject God Himself, with the
result being exclusion from salvation, eternal life,
and forgiveness of sin. This may sound harsh to
modern ears—basically because we have so
compromised the clear teachings of the Bible—but
it is the truth. [2]
The Biblical concept of God as a divine fellowship
of Persons has interesting consequences. For one
thing, it makes the assertion that "God is love"
more understandable. This verse from 1 John 4:7 is
used in A Common Word Between Us and You to
bolster the argument for a common ground of
understanding between Christianity and Islam. The
document also quotes a number of Qur’anic verses
in an attempt to find an equivalent concept for
Allah. However, the best they can come up with are
statements to the effect that Allah loves those who
are obedient and act righteously. The second
document, from the religious leaders at Yale,
observes that in Muslim tradition God/Allah is
called the "Infinitely Good and All-Merciful." But that
is about as close as they come to anything
remotely resembling "God is love." Indeed, there is
no Qur’anic citation for asserting God is love. Why?
The answer is rather simple. How can an absolutely
solitary being be denominated "love"? Love implies
relationship, interaction between beings. We would
do well here to consider the words of C. S. Lewis:
"All sorts of people are fond of repeating the
Christian statement that ‘God is love.’ But
they seem not to notice that the words ‘God
is love’ have no real meaning unless God
contains at least two Persons. Love is
something that one person has for another
person. If God was a single person, then
before the world was made, he was not
love." [3]
The very idea of God existing as "love," being a
loving Being is grounded, in His Three-Personal
Divine nature. It is meaningless to speak of love as
being an essential quality of God’s nature if it only
came into existence after He created other beings
to love.
Other consequences of the Islamic view of God
involve the social and political sphere. Consider the
words of Robert Letham regarding the Islamic view
of God’s unity:
"From its doctrine of Allah, consequences
have flowed in the history of Islam. A
unitary, monadic god produced a unitary
community of his followers, the ummah. The
followers of the Prophet are a single
community…. The one nation of Islam is a
unitary entity. This may help to explain why
from time to time, there have been attempts
to unite existing political entities…. In turn,
the monolith requires dhimmitude, a form of
tolerance for, but servitude of, the People of
the Book (Jews and Christians). It also calls
for an extermination of outright infidels. As a
corollary, political systems in Islamic
countries do not recognize diversity.
Uniformly they are authoritarian
dictatorships…." [4]
For those considering our "common agreement" it
would be prudent to consider these thoughts.
Theology and belief systems are not the only things
at issue, so are societal norms, democratic ideals
and human rights. All these matters are affected by
one’s view of the "unity of God."
From the foregoing, it becomes evident that our
view of God and the Muslim view of God are very
different. Does this mean that we cannot have good
relations with Muslims? Of course not. Does it
mean that we hate Muslims? Certainly not! We, as
followers of our Lord and Savior, are enjoined to
love all men, even our enemies. Yet our love for
Muslims cannot and must not involve
compromising our faith. To even hint that Christians
and Muslims worship the same deity is nothing
less than heresy.
The Place of Jesus
It is self-evident that Christianity is primarily
concerned with Christ. Jesus is the focal point of
our faith. To deny Him in any way is to reject what
it means to be a Christian. Therefore, in
approaching others of a different faith, we must
consider what they believe about Jesus. So, who is
Jesus in Islam? To the Muslim He is not God, and
cannot be. God is a solitary being, absolutely one.
There is no Trinity. There is no Son of God. Indeed,
Muslims consider Christians polytheists, believing
we worship three gods.
This issue is not explicitly dealt with in A Common
Word Between Us and You. However, it is dealt with
implicitly, and rather obliquely. One of the
foundational verses from the Qur’an used in this
document is Aal ‘Imran 3:64 , which reads as
follows:
"Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to a
common word between us and you: that we
shall worship none but God, and that we shall
ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none
of us shall take others for lords beside God.
And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness
that we are they who have surrendered (unto
Him)."
This verse from the Qur’an is quoted repeatedly
throughout the document. In fact the title of the
document itself is taken from this verse. That this
particular verse is used is disturbing for several
reasons. The first is the context. If you read the
verses that follow you will find a blatant
condemnation of both Christianity and Judaism, and
an encouragement for the "People of the Book" to
convert to Islam. That Islam is presented as the
only true monotheistic religion is evident from the
text. Indeed, it is even evident in verse 64 itself.
After all, it is the followers of Islam who are truly
" muslim ," that is the ones surrendered to Allah.
However, there is something even more insidious in
the use of this particular verse. Note what the
common word is to be, " we shall worship none but
God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto
Him …." The common point of agreement between
Muslims and Christians is to be the absolute unity
of God/Allah, and the utter of rejection of God
having any "partner" or "associate." This latter
phrase is obviously meant to counter the Christian
position that Jesus is of a divine status equal to
the Father. The historic faith of Christianity clearly
asserts that Jesus is of the same substance as the
Father, co-equal and co-eternal in His deity, of
identical nature as the Father, the same in glory,
power, majesty and divine being. Islam rejects this,
positing that Jesus is only a man. To declare Jesus
to be divine, in the Muslim view, would be to
ascribe to a mere human a position as an equal
"partner" or "associate" with God. With this in mind,
it is interesting to note that this phrase "ascribe no
partner unto Him" is used at least five times in the
document.
Another phrase is just as interesting. The document
quotes Al-An’am 6:164 where the Qur’an, in
speaking of Allah, unequivocally states " He hath no
associate ." In endnote "iii" the authors of the
document are able to only cite one reference from
the Qur’an for this exact phrase— Al-An’am 6:164.
Yet, even though this phrase is only found once in
the Qur’an, it is used no less than ten times in the
document. Why would this phrase be so
prominent? The intent seems clear. From a Muslim
perspective, agreement can be reached only when
Christians ignore the fact that the Apostles, the
Church Fathers, the entire church throughout history,
and even Jesus Himself all were unqualified and
adamant in their certainty as to the full Deity of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
(Of course, there are other verses that use different
wording and various phrases to assert that Jesus is
not God, and there is no Trinity. The point here is
why would the authors of the document seem to
insist on this exact phrase, and use it repeatedly?)
Conclusion
At first glance the document "A Common Word"
seems like a godsend. Here are Muslims clerics
and scholars reaching out to the Christian
community, offering a hand of peace. But we must
ask—at what price? The entire offer is based on the
premise that we have a common basis on which to
work, i.e., the two Great Commandments of Jesus.
However, as we have noted previously, these
commandments are grounded in the concept of the
unity of God. And this concept has totally different
meanings for the Christian and the Muslim. And
there’s the rub.
In discussing this matter with other Christians, this
writer was told to note that those who signed the
second document from the Yale Center for Faith
and Culture were not necessarily signing off in
agreement to everything in the original Muslim
document. However, our concerns over this matter
are not abated by this argument. The second
document affirms our basic thesis. Muslims and
Christians are presented as being in agreement on
the injunction to love God and to love our neighbor.
But which God? "Who is God?" must be the
question that is answered before anything else. This
is fundamental. Without a common understanding
of this theological matter, there is no common
ground.
Does this mean that we must be at odds with one
another? No, indeed not. The Christian is
commanded to love all men, even our enemy. As
Christians we can come to any negotiating table
and offer terms of peace. We are children of the
Prince of Peace, and we are enjoined to be
peacemakers. [5] But this posture on our part does
not go hand in hand with denying the true nature of
our God and Father. If we are to love our neighbors
as ourselves, must we not be true to ourselves?
Must we reject our own faith and deny the very
persons we are in order to live in harmony? Such a
peace is false from the beginning, and we would
question if it is even possible to last. Can a peace
founded upon falsehood be lasting?
One final word about living in peace with our
neighbor is required. The issue of falsehood is not
the only issue. There is also the issue of
intimidation. The so-called "moderate Muslim"
contingent of Islam posits that they are practicing
true Islam, and Islam is a religion of peace. Is this
really so? Do Muslims love their neighbors as
themselves? Is this part of the Islamic faith? If it is,
what about the issue of dhimmitude—where non-
Muslims are accorded a secondary, subservient
status? The traditional approach to the People of
the Book is to offer them one of three options:
conversion to Islam, death, or dhimmitude (which
includes a humiliating religious tariff). Further, is
there even one example of an Islamic state where
there is complete freedom of religion, where
Christians can worship without any hindrances or
restrictions? Actually the opposite is true. In
Muslim-dominated countries there is always a
certain risk for anyone who does not profess faith
in Muhammad as a true prophet. In this regard,
read the letter from Leith Anderson, the President of
the National Association of Evangelicals, as to why
he signed the letter from Yale. He plainly states that
other Christians told him that "not signing could be
damaging to these Christian brothers and sisters
who live among Muslims." [6] This sounds more
like intimidation and blackmail, rather than
"neighbors" of equal status loving one another and
coming to terms of agreement.
The conclusion of the matter is certain. This "peace
offer" comes at a high stake. These Muslim leaders
are willing for us to dialogue with them, to come to
a common word, with the following stipulations: 1)
We must acknowledge that we Christians are
worshipping the same God they are—that is, the
God/Allah of the Qur’an; 2) In order to come
together to love God and our neighbor it necessary
to posit the Unity of God—which means a denial of
the Triune nature of God; and 3) Our common
agreement is based on a Muslim understanding of
God’s nature as being a solitary being who "hath no
associate" or "partner," thus denying the true Deity
of Christ.