There is Much Diversity in the Muslim World

Muslim diversity of belief, practice evident in Pew study

Posted on Aug 28, 2012 | by Erin Roach
Read our other stories related to this topic:Good news for Muslims in their unity & diversity

WORLDVIEW: A Muslim counts the cost for following Christ

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Westerners tend to assume most Muslims are strongly committed to the Quran and to establishing Islamic republics, but that isn't accurate, Mike Edens, a professor of theology and Islamic studies, told Baptist Press concerning a Pew Research Center study of more than 38,000 Muslims in 39 countries.

"About 20 percent of any Muslim population is actually committed to Islam having the leading role in their society," said Edens, who teaches at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary after serving 26 years in the Middle East with the International Mission Board.  MORE

Website: A Clearinghouse of Information on Christian-Muslim Apologetics

Answering Islam, a Christian, Muslim Dialogue (website)

•The Islamic View Of Biblical Corruption


Christian scholar Gordon Nickel's extensive research into the question of what Islam’s earliest sources say about the reliability and authority of the Bible was written up in a book and published by Brill in 2011. Nickel culls through the commentaries of Muqatil ibn Sulayman and al-Tabari, as well as the Sira of Ibn Ishaq, in order to examine how these authorities understood all of the verses from the Quran which address the issue of the authenticity and alleged tampering of the previous Scriptures.   MORE

How to Reach Out to Muslims

(Baptist Press)  RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--It isn't that Muslims aren't responsive to the Gospel, International Mission Board strategist Sam McAlister* says. The issue, he says, is that most Muslims have never heard it or seen a committed Christian live it out.
Islam claims nearly one-fourth of the world's population — 1.57 billion Muslims. But fear -- felt by both Muslims and Christians -- ranks among the most significant barriers separating the Muslim world from the Gospel today.
After Sept. 11, 2001, Western culture collectively branded Muslims as suicidal jihadists bent on the Islamization of the globe politically as much as religiously by the fear-producing act of terrorism. Though these stereotypes are softening as Americans' understanding of Islam grows, strong anti-Muslim sentiment endures as war with terrorist groups continues in Afghanistan and Iraq.  MORE