Christianity and Islam

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The course will not assume prior knowledge of Islam, and offers students both an introduction to Islam and also the opportunity to reflect on the relationship between Islam and Christianity. It will cover the origins of Islam and the central religious ideas and practices of the Islamic tradition, especially as these bear on Islamic attitudes to Christianity. Central to the course will be a concern to compare and contrast Islamic and Christian doctrines and practices. The recent publication Muslims Ask, Christians Answer by Christian Troll SJ, a leading Catholic scholar of Islam, together with other works such as Kenneth Cragg's The Call of the Minaret, will be constant reference points that will enable students to explore Christian theological responses to the challenges posed by Islam to Christian doctrine. The differences between Christian (and especially Catholic) teaching and Muslim beliefs will be considered on a number of topics, including Prophecy, Scripture, Revelation, the nature of God, the human condition, prayer, faith and society. A mosque-visit and possibly other relevant local visits will be organized.