|
|
Article: Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?
- Article from:
- The Christian Century
- Article date:
- April 20, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Christian Century Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
IN I KINGS 18, the prophet Elijah, confronted with widespread defection to Baal among his countrymen, poses a stark challenge: "If the LORD [the conventional English rendering of the four-letter Hebrew name of the Cod of Israel] is God, follow Him; and if Baal, follow him!" When the people refuse to commit themselves, Elijah proposes an empirical test, which, despite the best efforts of Baal's own prophets, the Canaanite deity fails, and the LORD alone passes. The people shout out the obvious lesson: "The LORD--He is God! The LORD--He is God!"
Elijah's initial challenge implies that the Israelites are worshiping two deities, either separately or syncretistically, ...