How Does Islam Differ from Christianity?
By Kenneth Samples
According to Pew Research, if current trends continue then by 2050 there will be nine billion people living on the planet. Approximately three billion will be Christians, three billion will be Muslims, and three billion others will represent various beliefs (both religious and secular).[1]
Since Christianity and Islam are the two largest (comprising about 55% of the world’s population [2]) religions in the world, people often wonder where they disagree and how significant the differences are. A brief look at six doctrinal contrasts will help address this question.
First, it is important to note that Islam shares some common ground with historic Christianity. For example, both religions are:
theistic in philosophical orientation
monotheistic in doctrinal belief
Middle Eastern in origin
biblically oriented Abrahamic faiths (they connect to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament)
However, the differences between the two religions are profound. Since Islam emerged about six centuries after Christianity, we’ll outline how Islam reacts to essential Christian truth claims. As you’ll see, traditional Islam denies the essence of historic Christianity.
Six Systematic Doctrinal Denials
Islam denies the Trinity (i.e., tri-unity: One God in three persons). Muslims instead affirm a form of unitarianism where Allah is a single, solitary being (tawhid) with no partners, equals, rivals, or companions. Allah is not begotten nor does he beget; therefore, he has no son.
Islam denies the incarnation (i.e., Jesus Christ was God in human flesh: a single person with both a divine and human nature). In contrast, Muslims assert that Jesus was a mere human being. Yet Islam does concur that Jesus was virgin-born, performed miracles, and lived a sinless life.
Islam denies the crucifixion (i.e., Jesus’s atoning death on the cross). Muslims instead declare that Jesus either didn’t actually die on the cross (though he may have been impaled) or that someone else took Jesus’s place on the cross. But either way, Islam is not a redemptive religion.
Islam denies the imago Dei (i.e., human beings bear God’s image). In contrast, Muslims affirm that such an image would put creatures too close to Allah (the heresy known as shirk). Thus in Islamic theology human beings are not made in Allah’s image.
Islam denies original sin (i.e., that human beings are born with a sinful nature and a natural propensity to sin). Instead, Muslims assert that people are born morally good. So Islam rejects the Christian doctrine of the fall.
Islam denies salvation by grace (i.e., that human beings are reconciled to God by God’s unmerited favor apart from works). In contrast, Muslims proclaim that personal submission is required to earn paradise. So both paradise (reward) and divine wrath (punishment) are earned.
Both Can’t Be True
While we live in a time that prizes religious pluralism, nevertheless the laws of logic are stubborn things. Given these six systematic doctrinal denials it follows logically that if Islam is true, then Christianity is patently false and vice versa, for Islam denies the very essence of Christian doctrinal truth claims.
Reflection:
Why do you think Islam and Christianity are such popular religions?
Resources
For a further comparison of Islam and Christianity, see my two books God among Sages: Why Jesus Is Not Just Another Religious Leader (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2017), 159–88; and A World of Difference: Putting Christian Truth Claims to the Worldview Test (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007), chapter 15, 247–63.
For an introduction to Islam by a Muslim scholar, see Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization by Seyyed Hossein Nasr (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2003).
Notes
Pew Research Center, “The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050,” April 2, 2015, https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/.
Wikipedia, s.v., “List of Religious Populations,” updated May 28, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populations.
—Kenneth Richard Samples serves as a senior research scholar with a focus on theological and philosophical apologetics at Reasons to Believe (RTB). He is the author of God among Sages, Christian Endgame, 7 Truths That Changed the World, A World of Difference, and Without a Doubt. He has also contributed to Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men as well as several other books. In addition, his articles have been published in Christianity Today, Christian Research Journal, and Facts for Faith. Kenneth also writes Reflections, a weekly blog dedicated to exploring the Christian worldview.
Image by İbrahim Mücahit Yıldız from Pixabay
The Ents Heartily Approve
For nearly three years, I was pleased to serve as an occasional guest contributor for The Worldview Bulletin, and the invitation to join Paul Gould, David Baggett, Paul Copan, and Chris Reese on the core contributors’ team last November was a great (and unexpected!) honor. The scholarly life keeps one quite busy, but I simply couldn’t refuse the opportunity to work alongside—and be sharpened by—these distinguished thinkers. They continually inspire and encourage me.
There are scores of online Christian outlets for philosophical, apologetic, cultural, and biblical content, and this can be overwhelming or even discouraging for those who don’t have the time to do the necessary sifting and sorting. This is one reason I see significant value in The Worldview Bulletin; our monthly newsletter features exclusive articles, interviews, and news, all carefully curated and conveniently delivered electronically (the Ents heartily approve). Will you consider supporting this effort by becoming a subscriber and perhaps gifting a subscription to a friend, family member, pastor, or educator? Above all else, we desire your prayers as we continue this work for the fortification of the Kingdom!
Peace be with you,
Melissa Cain Travis
News
Did Justin Martyr Know the Gospel of John?
Efforts to Resist the Big Bang and Its Implications for Cosmic Design
Answering 10 Questions about the Christian Faith
Irenaeus and Christian Orthodoxy
The 6 most important Supreme Court abortion cases
The 20th Century: A Case Study in Losing Human Dignity
6 Things Christians Should Know About Gen Z
(*The views expressed in the articles and media linked to do not necessarily represent the views of the The Worldview Bulletin.)
Book Deals and Resources
Look here for Faithlife’s free eBook of the Month.
Visit here to get the Logos Free Book of the Month. You can download the free version of Logos which will allow you to access the monthly free books. Logos 9 is a great investment, though, and has tons of tools that make Bible study easier and richer. New users can get 50% off of the Logos 9 Fundamentals package, which discounts it to $49.99.
Get a second free book of the month here.
See the Logos Monthly Sale for dozens of good deals, and the Publisher Spotlight.
The Faithlife Free Audiobook of the Month for March is Following Jesus, the Servant King: A Biblical Theology of Covenantal Discipleship by Jonathan Lunde.
The Christianaudio free download for March is Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray.
Audiobook: The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis, $7.49
Audiobook: 5 Minutes in Church History, $1.99
Audiobook: Life Without Lack by Dallas Willard, $4.99
Stream the ESV Bible for free on ESV.org or the ESV Bible app on iOs and Android. Read by award-winning modern hymn writer Kristyn Getty. You can also audio stream the Bible in a few different translations using the new Bible Gateway Audio app.
Read Faith Has Its Reasons: Integrative Approaches to Defending the Christian Faith by Kenneth Boa and Robert M. Bowman Jr. free here.
Faithlife Ebooks Weekly Deals: Mar. 3–7, 2022
A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-18 by Joseph Loconte, $2.99
Faithful Theology: An Introduction by Graham Cole, $3.99
Basic Introduction to the New Testament by John Stott, $4.99
Rediscovering Jonah: The Secret of God's Mercy by Timothy Keller, $4.99
The Theology of the Levitical Priesthood: Assisting God’s People in Their Mission to the Nations by Nicholas Haydock, $2.99
The Work of Christ: What the Events of Jesus' Life Mean for You by R. C. Sproul, $1.99
Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray, $4.99
Surprised by Laughter Revised and Updated: The Comic World of C. S. Lewis by Terry Lindvall, $4.49
Loving God with Your Mind: Essays in Honor of J. P. Moreland ed. by Paul Gould and Richard Brian Davis, $2.99
It can't be conclusively said that Islam denies Imago dei; Islam doesn’t deny salvation by grace either.