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Book Review: A Prophet Becomes a Savior

December 4th, 2006 at 03:52pm Albert McIlhenny

Unveiling Islam: An Insider’s Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs – Ergun Mehmet Caner and Emir Fethi Caner Kregel Publications (March 1, 2002) Topic: Islam Summary: An explanation of the differences between Islam and Evangelical Christianity from two former Muslims Rating:

NOTE: Please read this post before proceeding with the review. My review of this book may be revised later.

The aftermath of 9/11 and other terrorist acts and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have placed Islam into the American consciousness like never before. Still, Americans too often see Islam in Western terms and imagine Muslims are willing or even able to compartmentalize their religious and political ambitions in a manner common in much of the West. This betrays a complete misunderstanding of the nature of Islam and needs to be remedied if the challenges facing the West in general and the Church in particular are to be faced head on.

Among those who do understand the situation quite well are the brothers Ergun and Emir Caner. Born the sons of a devout Muslim who emigrated to America, the brothers converted to Evangelical Christianity and were subsequently disowned by their father. They grew up as dedicated Muslims, understand the culture well, and have paid the cost in broken relationships among those who view them as apostates from the Islamic religion. Most importantly, they also understand the pitfalls many Christians fall into when trying to share the Gospel to Muslims.

Their insights into Islam and the difficulties it presents to Christians who wish to share the love of Christ with their Muslim neighbors are shared in Unveiling Islam. There have been many books written on the topic and much of these tend to be sensationalistic and fail to even attempt to understand Islamic culture except to ridicule it. The Camers come from the vantage point of those who have actually lived under Islam and understand the tremendous pressure it exerts to conform.

They paint a vivid picture of the everyday faith and practice of normal Muslims and, while critiquing the religion of Islam, emphasize the need to respect the everyday customs of Muslims if one is to effectively preach the Gospel of salvation to them. Many well-meaning Christians fail to realize that Muslims practice complicated codes of diet and conduct and a violation can be seen as an an insult.

The Caners are absolutely blunt in pointing out that Islam is a religion that sees itself as ruling every aspect of its adherents lives and forcing all those who do not accept it into a subservient position. Muhammad was not only a religious but a military and political leader and the Qur’an and other Islamic texts reflect this reality. They effectively point out the problems inherent in the Qur’an including the Muhammad’s confused accounts of Biblical events and his total misunderstanding of the doctrine of the Trinity.

An important aspect of this book is a descritption of the traditions that govern Islam and serve to interpret much that is in the Qur’an. He explains the Sunnah and the Hadith and how they govern the lives of Muslims including providing a foundation for Sharia law. The picture is one of a completely legalistic system that has a certain human appeal in governing conduct but ultimately leaves one without any true hope or sense of peace unless one makes the ultimate sacrifice in jihad. This is contrasted with the hope of the Christian not in their own works but in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross.

Another distinction is made between the God of Holy Scripture and Allah as presented in the Qur’an. Although Allah may be a generic name for God and Muslims claim Abraham, Moses, and Jesus as prophets, there are tremendous differences between the loving God of the Bible who made us in His own image and the distant deity whom Muslims call Allah. Islam claims key figures in Jewish and Christian history as their prophets, but does so through the lens of Muhammad’s faulty retellings of their lives and beliefs.

It is also an error, state the Caners emphatically, to treat Islam as a monolithic entity. There may be a presentation of a united front to outsiders but there are many groups within Islam – the Sunni and the Shi’ite being the two largest. However, more factions like the Sufi, the Druze, and others do exist.

The authors also make key points in describing the five pillars of Islam. Rather than the privatized religious beliefs of the West, the five pillars are systematized into a pattern of behavior that governs the individual in every aspect of their lives. This inevitably leads to a mechanical concept of salvtion wherein paradise is obatined by good works.

The best parts of this book are when they are discussing the customs of Muslims and how to speak to them about the Christian faith without offending them by some unintended slight. One could argue that the whole of Islam is much more sophisticated then what is presented here but such complaints fail to distinguish between the theology of scholars and the practice of the common people. What is presented here is the Islam of the street and just as there is a difference between academic theology and popular piety among Christians, we should not be surprised to see similar differences among Muslims. There are other treatments that deal with “higher” Islamic culture, but in terms of the practicality of understanding and explaining the Christian faith to Muslims, Unveiling Islam is an important book for all Christians to read.

Entry Filed under: Caner, Emir Fethi, Caner, Ergun Mehmet, Essential Books, Islam