Islam and Christianity

Abstract

In Islam and Christianity: Theological Themes in Comparative Perspective, John Renard gives us yet another gem of a book: beautifully written, meticulously researched, and cleverly presented. A comparative study of these two traditions could have easily resulted in a pluralistic muddle of two of the world’s most studied religious traditions. Instead, the author gives us a careful examination of theology that forces us to think carefully about categories like religion, faith, and orthodoxy. The preface begins with a confession of sorts, for Renard notes therein the tension between comparative linkage and religious authenticity that presents itself in such a project. While Islam and Christianity exhibit many of the same themes, nowhere does he put forth the kind of thesis that would yield a “many roads to one mountain” axiom. What makes this book compelling is its careful presentation of two distinct theologies that, although clearly different, exhibit a familial relationship. What is meant by “theology” is quite broad, and Renard seems to suggest that a number of theological languages are at play in these two traditions. Islam and Christianity is not the kind of reductionist work that one might expect to see in such an ambitious project; rather, it is a dialog, a conversation among scriptures, hagiographies, poems, liturgies, and ideas ...