Global Christianity and Islam, Wafik W. Wahba. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9780830851959) 2025.

Summary: A study of the history, political relations, and beliefs of the two religions and how they’ve intersected.

Christianity and Islam are global religions, counting over half the world’s populations as adherents. Muslims represent growing populations in both Europe and North America, even in many of our neighborhoods. Since the beginning of Islam, the two religions have intersected politically, economically, and in efforts to proselytize one another, Sadly, turmoil and conflict have often marked those interactions down to the present. For those who care for political peace, inter-faith harmony, and mutually beneficial commerce, mutual understanding is vital. In Global Christianity and Islam, professor Wafik W. Wahba, who has lectured on Christian-Muslim relations in twenty-five countries, offers a resource toward that understanding.

The work is broken into three parts. Firstly, Wahba considers the history development of both religions. I was struck by the markedly divergent beginnings. Christianity grew despite intense persecution in a Greco-Roman context until it became the official religion under Constantine. Islam’s early expansion came through military conquest. The Islamic caliphate emerged victorious in conflict with the Crusaders and presided over scientific advances during a zenith of learning. Wahba traces the spread of Islam from North Africa to Asia while Christianity spread throughout western Europe, Russia and eventually the Americas, as well as globally through various mission movements.

Secondly, Wahba considers the relation between politics and religion in the two faiths, In theory, Christianity separates church and state but in the successive Byzantine and European expressions of Christendom, church and state were closely entangled, as continues to be the case in some contexts. Meanwhile, the Islamic ideal would consider religion and state inseparable. Yet, Wahba traces twentieth century experiment and implementing a secular state within Islamic societies as well as the resurgence of Islamic states in which Islamic principles govern every aspect of society.

Finally, the third part focuses on religious belief. Wahba compares and contrasts the two faiths. Both affirm one God but Islam emphasizes the absolute sovereignty of God while Christianity focuses more on relational aspects of God, including relations of persons within the One. Both teach about Jesus. Here, Wahba devotes a chapter each to what Islam and Christianity teach about Jesus. Additional chapters contrast teaching about human nature and salvation, and about the ummah in Islam and the church.

I would love to know what a Muslim reader of the book thinks of this presentation. I found it fair and even-handed. More than that, Wahba is neither polemical nor proselytizing. He clarifies differences and misconceptions in a non-argumentative fashion. In addition, Wahba writes in a highly readable prose. One may read the book profitably for one’s own understanding. I could also see using the book as the basis of a respectful Muslim-Christian dialogue group. Finally, where many writers write either Islamic or Christian histories where the other features as a minor player, this book portrays both histories through the lens of their intersection.

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.