Reading Scripture Together : A Comparative Qur'an and Bible Study Guide

What is genuine dialogue between a Christian and Muslim?

First, it is not an agreement that all paths up the spiritual mountain to God are equal and equally valid. This pluralism is an insult to people of faith who believe their religion is true.

Second, neither is an "I'm right, you're wrong," closed-minded, tit-for-tat exchange a genuine dialogue. While dialogue partners may well believe they are correct, they maintain a deep respect for the other person.

Genuine dialogue is sharing your beliefs with someone else while at the same time learning about his or hers. It is talking about them openly and honestly, valuing similarities and acknowledging differences. It seeks to know why these differences exist and to evaluate their validity. Genuine dialogue is forged in the crucible of friendship and can culminate in some of the most meaningful sharing you will ever experience. We hope that you will experience that kind of dialogue through the seven sessions of this study guide, which takes you into the text of the Bible and the Qur'an.

Barbara J. Hampton designed this study that compares what the Bible and the Qur'an teach on seven topics--Religious Origins, God, Jesus and Muhammed, Salvation, Crucifixion, Texts, and How We Live Faithfully--when she worked with students at the College of Wooster in Ohio. There she was a faculty advisor to the student InterVarsity Christian Fellowship chapter. Since retiring to Grand Rapids, Michigan, she has taught short courses on Islam and Christianity and written about Muslim-American fiction. Making friends with immigrants and refugees, many of whom are Muslim, through her church's English as Second Language program has been her great joy.