My good friend Ali and I had been meeting regularly to share tea and discuss life. No topic was off-limits. In fact, the very subjects I’d been taught to avoid—politics and religion—were often the starting points of our conversations. Recently, our discussions had taken a deeper turn, exploring the nature of Christianity and Islam, and I was looking forward to continuing them.
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As I stepped into Starbucks, Ali greeted me with his usual warm smile. We ordered our drinks—his chai latte and my black coffee—and settled into a corner table.

Ali grinned as he sat down. “Shall we continue our discussion on Christianity and Islam?”

I was still trying to figure Ali out. He was curious about other religions, especially Christianity, yet he also seemed to simply enjoy discussing ideas. He—and his friends when they joined us—reminded me of the Athenians in Acts 17 who “spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.” I wasn’t sure if he was genuinely seeking truth or just relishing intellectual debate. But I pressed on, trusting that the Holy Spirit was at work.

Grinning back, I unzipped my backpack and said, “That sounds great. In fact, I brought my Bible with me and wanted to share a few verses that are central to my faith. I’d love to hear your thoughts.”

Ali took a sip of his tea. “That would be interesting. I guess I could tell you what I think.”

“Good. The first verse is from the book of John in the New Testament. It says—”

Ali cut in before I could continue. “Wait a minute. What is the book of John? Jesus’ book is the Injeel.”

I realized I needed to clarify. “Oh, yes. John is one of the four biographies of Jesus and is part of the Injeel. We Christians call the Injeel the New Testament.”

A look of concern crossed Ali’s face. He spoke carefully. “Hmmm. I don’t want to offend you, Aaron, but this only confirms what I’ve always been taught. We Muslims believe that Allah gave Isa—you call him Jesus—the Injeel. He gave it because the Tawrat given to Moses was corrupted by the Jews. Then, the Zebur—what you call the Psalms—was also changed. Finally, God gave the Injeel to Jesus, but, I’m sorry to say this, Aaron, Christians corrupted it as well. What you have there, your Bible, is not really God’s book but a distorted version of the Injeel. Thankfully, in His mercy, God sent the Holy Quran to the Prophet Mohammed—peace be upon him—and it is incorruptible.”


How would you answer Ali?
Most Muslims believe the Bible has been altered. This belief is deeply ingrained, passed down through generations, and reinforced by religious leaders. However, few Muslims can provide specific details on when, how, or why they believe these changes occurred. The assumption is that Jews and Christians altered the scriptures to distort their true meaning.

Like last week, I’ll offer some simple ways to respond, but I encourage you to dive deeper into the resources listed below. Developing a strong understanding of these issues will better equip you to engage with your Muslim friends in meaningful dialogue.

A Few Thoughts
This is a crucial conversation to have with Muslim friends. Almost all objections to Christianity eventually tie back to the reliability of the Bible. If the Bible has been preserved and remains unchanged, then key Christian doctrines—such as the divine nature of Christ, the Crucifixion, and atonement—stand firm. If, however, the Bible is unreliable, then these doctrines lose their foundation.

Here are three ways to respond to the claim that the Bible has been corrupted. These points are adapted from Fouad Masri’s “Is the Injeel Corrupted?” and are explored in greater detail in the resources below:

​1. Theological Response

• Who is stronger: God or man? If God is all-powerful, then He is strong enough to protect His books.
• A key question: If God cannot preserve His books, how can He be all-powerful? If He can but chooses not to, how can we call Him good?

2. Logical ResponseIf the Bible was changed, then certain critical questions must be answered:

• Who changed the Bible?
• Why was it changed?
• Where did these changes occur?
• What parts were altered?
• When did this happen?

Encourage your Muslim friends to seek answers to these questions. Invite them to read the Bible for themselves and examine whether any changes are evident.

3. Historical ResponseThere is overwhelming historical evidence affirming the integrity of the Bible. Nearly all historians—secular and religious—agree that the Bible we have today is the same as it was in the first century. Manuscript evidence, archaeological findings, and textual studies all support this claim.
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These three approaches can help your Muslim friends wrestle with the assumption that the Bible has been changed. The goal is not to win an argument but to plant seeds of doubt about the reliability of what they’ve been taught. The Holy Spirit can use these moments to lead them toward truth.

Prayer: The First and Last Step
As we engage in these discussions, we must remember that intellectual arguments alone rarely lead to faith. Jesus Himself said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them” (John 6:44). Salvation is ultimately a work of the Holy Spirit.

Paul reminds us, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Our role is to pray that these blinders be removed.

Lastly, let’s approach every conversation with humility and love. As 1 Peter 3:15 exhorts us: “Honor Christ the Lord in your hearts as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” And as Paul writes in Colossians 4:5-6: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Each person.

Our Muslim friends are not arguments to be won but people to be loved. God is drawing them to Himself, and we have the privilege of walking alongside them on this journey.

Below, you’ll find articles, videos, and books that I’ve found helpful in preparing to discuss the trustworthiness of the Bible. I encourage you to explore them and deepen your understanding so that you can engage with both confidence and compassion.
 

Helpful Articles:

• Is the Injeel Corrupted at Crescent Project

Helpful Books:

• Is the Injeel Corrupted by Fouad Masri 
• Grand Central Question by Abdu Murray
• Understanding Islam and Christianity by Josh McDowell and Jim Walker
• No God But One by Nabeel Qureshi

Helpful Videos and Interviews:​

• Josh McDowell List of Videos​

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It was a blustery January afternoon when I stepped through the door of my friend Ahmed’s shop.  I was stopping by to say hello, to grab a cup of tea and to continue a relationship I’d been working to build for the last few months.  We’d gotten to know one another sipping tea over Champion’s League soccer match reruns on the large television and amidst the steady traffic of people coming in to pick up groceries, to wire money or to ask Ahmed for help with filling out an application.

The store was also home to a group that met regularly to discuss politics, education, sports and the teachings of the Quran.  I had joined them on a number of occasions.  The group had met the evening before and after Ahmed and I had exchanged all the regular greetings and small talk, he began to talk about a difficult topic which was on his mind.

“Our group was meeting last night and my friend Mustafa was asking about why Christians believe in three Gods so I thought I’d see if you could come by next time and sort of explain about your three gods.”

It wasn’t a surprise to hear this from Ahmed and so I said, “Three gods?  Ahmed, Christians don’t believe in three gods.”

Ahmed looked both relieved and confused and said, “Oh? But I’ve heard about the trinity.  Trinity means three. You believe in God. That God had a son and that he is somehow God. And you believe that Mary is God.”
 
He paused but before I could break in he continued, “Honestly, it’s rather disgusting to us Muslims.  The idea that God could somehow have partners is really dishonoring to His glory and greatness. God is Great. God is unique. God alone is God - He has no partners.  What Christians believe is “shirk”, Islam’s cardinal sin because it diminishes God’s greatness by saying that someone else is equal to God. Muslims cannot accept this.  In the Holy Quran in Sura 5:73 it says, “They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of three: when there is no Allah save the One Allah.  If they desist not from so saying this, a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve.” 

You are my good friend.  Please reconsider your beliefs. I don’t want you to experience that doom.”

How would you answer Ahmed? 

Growing up in a Christian community I was never challenged to explain the triune nature of God.  Most of my friends - myself included - believed in the trinity but outside of a few analogies we could do little to really explain why it was important to the Christian faith.  Your Muslim friends will not let you off the hook so easily.
 
With today’s article I’d like to offer a few introductory thoughts about how to step into this particular conversation.  These thoughts are not exhaustive and so I'll also share a number of helpful resources and talks by experts that will do a better job than I can do to actually explain the trinity to your Muslim friends.

I want to encourage you to read and listen to all of these. For me it is a bit like watching a picture appear on a canvas as an artist adds layers of paint. With each article or video, a clearer picture will emerge and you will be better equipped to help your Muslim friends understand the central importance of the triune nature of God to the Christian faith.

A Few Thoughts
Rather than thinking you need to completely explain the Trinity to your Muslim friends, start with the more modest goal of helping them see that a triune God is logically possible.  We may not be able to completely understand but that doesn't mean it is an unreasonable ideas.  Shouldn’t the all powerful, infinite and glorious God of the universe be at least a little beyond human understanding?  That doesn’t make his triune nature irrational or illogical.

We also need to be careful with analogies.  Saying that God is like an egg is problematic in all sorts of ways and we need  to make it clear that we know that God cannot be explained by an analogy.  All analogies will fall far short of ever explaining God and most are filled with real problems.   

Give a clear definition before you do anything else.  Here is Nabeel Qureshi's definition:

God is one in being and three in person.

"Being" is what we are.  I am a human being.

"Person" is who we are.   Ahmed or Tim or Juana or Anna.

Make sure to read the scriptures with your Muslim friends whenever the opportunity arises.  Why?  First, they will meet Jesus in the scriptures because it is the living and active word of God.  Second, they will have to wrestle with the validity of the Bible which can be proven and which we will explore in next week's post.

If the Bible has not been changed  (most Muslims contend it has), then it is clear that the Bible teaches that Jesus is God.

Not only are there clear statements about the divinity made by Christ (Mark 14:62) and about Christ (John 1:1) in the Bible, there are also things that Jesus does which only God has the authority to do:  forgiving sins, accepting worship, dictating scripture, etc.

The first and last thing you should do as you discuss the triune nature of God with your Muslim friends is to pray and fast.  Intellectual assent is rarely enough for a journey to faith.  "No one comes to Jesus but that the Father who sent him draws them (John 6:44)."  Salvation is always a work of the Holy Spirit. 

Remember, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4)." 

We must pray that the blinders be removed!

As a final word, "honor Christ the Lord in your hearts as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;  yet do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).  Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.  Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person (Colossians 4:5-6).
 
Each person.  Our Muslim friends are people. They are not arguments to be defeated.  They are people to be loved and the Father is drawing them to himself.

The following articles, videos and books are resources I've found helpful as I prepare to give  a reason for the hope I have in the Triune God.  

It was noon and I was meeting my new friend Musa* for an hour over my lunch break.  We’d decided to meet at our favorite coffee shops to connect.  I’d first met Musa when he had reached out looking for someone to practice his English with.  He’d had a lifetime of classroom instruction in his home of Cairo, Egypt* but had few native English speakers with whom he could practice.

The first time we met we covered the bases of getting to know one another.  Where are you from? What is your family like? What do you like to do in your free time?  The sounds of Arabic were all around him in the busy Cairo coffee shop where he sat.

I then asked Musa what he did for a living.  He is a young guy, in his early twenties and had just gotten started working as a mobile phone app developer.

Then he returned the favor and asked me what I do.  I’m in full time ministry so this is always an interesting question to answer.  But I dove in.

"I help people in churches in America understand and follow Jesus.  That is pretty broad but it involves teaching, training, coaching, encouraging and casting vision with leaders and regular people.  I'm not going to get rich, but I do find tremendous fulfillment in doing the things that I believe that God has made me to do. I bet that sounds a little crazy, but that's what I do and really it's who I am."

I could tell He didn’t completely understand what I was talking about so he asked a few more questions but then moved on, wondering if I’d been to Turkey.  He’d recently visited Istanbul and loved the city. I told him of our four and a half years living there and how much we loved the people we knew there.

We meandered in and out of topics and then he asked a serious question, “I hope to hear an emotional situation you have been through?”  

I thought for a few minutes and then told him about a recent struggle I’d been facing and about how our family had spent time praying for God’s wisdom and healing. It was good to be transparent with my new friend even though it felt a bit hard and I wasn’t sure he was following everything.  Musa’s English is good but he hasn’t had a lot of experience talking about personal topics.

When I was finished, I said, “What about you?  Have you been through any hard situations in life?”  

Musa was contemplating his answer when he looked at his watch. He gave me a wry smile.  “I’ll have to tell you next time. I’ve got to go now. But let’s make sure and meet again.”

As Musa left, I wondered about our conversation.  Had I said too much about what I do? Should have I asked more questions about his faith and beliefs?  Should I have offered to pray for him before he left? What if I had said something wrong?

I spent some time praying for our time together asking the Lord to use it for his glory and to reveal himself to Musa.

And then I removed my headphones and shut down Facebook Messenger on my laptop computer.  I got up from my seat in the corner of my coffee shop in South Dakota, grabbed my mug and headed up to the counter for a refill.  

Though we were half a world away, Musa and I had enjoyed a great cup of coffee and better conversation.

We continue to connect regularly, oftentimes just texting back and forth, sometimes hopping on a video chat to say a quick hello and at other times, setting aside an hour to grab a cup of coffee for an extended talk.  

To my surprise, Musa had quickly moved into questions of faith.  I’ve introduced him to Discovery Bible Study and we are slowly working through a creation to Christ story set.  We read a passage of scripture - I paste it into Messenger and he reads the Arabic and I read the English.  We then ask some simple questions to help us discover what the story says about God, about people and about how we should live our lives.  

It’s been slow because Musa often brings up his own questions - questions that are stretching me and forcing me to dig into my own faith and theology.  We started with his questions about the Christian idea of a triune God. We’re now pressing into the validity of the Bible.  And those conversations are packed in between talk of family and culture and food and movies and dreams for life.  

It’s a whole lot of fun.

I am the only true follower of Jesus that Musa knows.  I’ve been able to pray for him and continue to pray for him regularly.   Musa is one of many young guys that I am connecting with online all across the Muslim world and someday, I hope I will be able to meet all of them in person, if not in this life, then in the eternity of heaven.  That is my prayer for each of them.

There are 1.7 billion Muslims in the world today and collectively, Christians are sending one missionary into the Muslim world for every 405,000 Muslims.[1]  

This has to change.  

John Stott has said, “We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.”

Because of advances in technology and the globalization of our world, millions of people throughout the Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Animistic and un-religious worlds are working to learn English.  They are going online to try and find people with whom they can practice speaking.

A new door of missionary activity has opened and it is open to everyone who is a follower of Jesus and has an Internet connection.  Geography is no longer a barrier to your relationship with a Muslim like Musa.

C.T. Studd said, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

Will you sacrifice an hour a week to invest in a relationship with a young man or woman in the Muslim world who is looking for friendship and someone to practice English with?

When my family and I returned from Turkey in 2012, one of the biggest challenges we faced was the level of fear and misunderstanding that we saw in well meaning Christians toward Muslims.  We had spent nearly five years building relationships with Muslims who had become our dear friends and it broke our hearts to think that fear, misunderstanding and misinformation were paralyzing the church and preventing them from even saying hello to Muslims here in the U.S. let alone telling them good news about Jesus Christ.  

In all honesty, my first response was one of bitterness toward the church but God in his grace soon moved me to compassion and understanding.  Our friends didn’t share our experience of loving relationships with wonderful Muslim neighbors and friends.  It was at about that same time that a friend told me about the Bridges Study.

The Bridges Study is a six lesson DVD study that can be used with small groups or Sunday school classes.  As I’ve helped groups go through the study, I’ve seen it break down fear and remove misunderstanding as participants grow closer to Jesus as they step out in faith. Crescent Project founder, Fouad Masri, hosts the study which includes great teaching, inspiring testimonies and actionable next steps.  I think every church should take their members through the Bridges Study.

Here are five reasons why.

1. The Bridges Study will help participants learn about Islam and Muslims through a Biblical/Missional lens.
2. The Bridges Study will strengthen the faith of those who go through it.
3. The Bridges Study will help those who participate to be Christ’s ambassadors.
4. The Bridges Study will invite participants to step out in risk taking obedience to Jesus together with others.
5. The Bridges Study will help you to be a part of seeing Muslims come to faith in Christ and worship Him.

The Bridges Study will help you learn about Islam and Muslims through a Biblical/Missional Lens.

Everyone is learning something about Islam and about Muslims.  The source of that learning is generally the media or media personalities and the motivations behind those talking is often quite different.  Some just want everyone to get along.  Others want to warn us of hidden plots to take over America. The Bridges Study however presents great information in six thirty minute lessons through a Biblical lens that believes that God wants to see all Muslims repent and believe and follow Jesus.  Participants often report that the Bridges Study lowered their fear, increased their understanding and gave them a heart to begin to pray regularly for Muslims to come to faith and look for opportunities to build relationships.


The Bridges Study will strengthen the faith of those who go through it.

Whenever we step outside of our comfort zones, we have an opportunity to be stretched and see our faith grow.  One of the surprising benefits of working to mobilize the church to share the love of Jesus with Muslims was that as people began to explore learning about Islam and about how to share their faith with Muslims, their own faith began to grow.  

I’ve seen many who have taken the Bridges Study and met a Muslim suddenly reading their Bibles far more regularly because their new Muslim friends ask them questions they’ve never been asked before.  Their prayer lives increase.  As God begins to use them, their faith grows.

The Bridges Study will help those who participate to be Christ’s ambassadors.

2 Corinthians 5:20 says that we are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. One of the cornerstone lessons of the Bridges Study is the four attitudes of an ambassador.  It is a lesson that is crucial to understand if we are to share Jesus love with Muslims and as so many participants point out, with anyone.


The Bridges Study will invite participants to step out in risk taking obedience to Jesus
together with others.

After each lesson, there is an action step to take.  These are designed to get you out of the living room and into a relationship with a new friend.  The goal is to give your new Muslim friend an opportunity to respond to the gospel and be connected with a true  follower of Christ.  It also gives you and your group an opportunity to step out in risk taking obedience to Jesus together.  It gives you the chance to run after the things of God together!  There is very little that is more exhilarating than step out in faith with a group of friends for the glory of God!  

Passive faith becomes active.
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Shallow fellowship become deep.

And God will use your group to share the gospel with Muslims in your community.  You’ll be running together!


The Bridges Study will help you to be a part of seeing Muslims come to faith in Christ
and worship Him.

Many of the people I work with struggle to believe that God could use them to introduce a Muslim to a life transforming relationship with Jesus.  But as participants begin to step out in faith, God begins to use them, to give them opportunities to share and to love well.  Jesus tells us that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few and then he commands us to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers into his harvest fields.  The fields are his and he wants to use you to see Muslims come to faith in Christ.  He has used people just like you all across the world.  The Bridges Study was created first and foremost to help mobilize more harvesters into the harvest among Muslims.  

After participating in an Everywhere to Everywhere (E2E) training weekend, many ask the question, "What next?"  The Bridges Study can be a great next step as you return to your home church.  Invite others to join you in exploring how God might want to use you - and your church - to reach the Muslim world.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT E2E