Is it Wrong to Call the Christian God 'Allah'?
One of America's pre-eminent evangelicals is challenging the advice of a retiring Roman Catholic Bishop in the Netherlands who has raised eyebrows worldwide by suggesting Dutch Christians pray to "Allah".
by Michelle Vu, Christian Today US Correspondent
Posted: Friday, August 24, 2007, 7:57 (BST)
"If Allah has no Son by definition, Allah is not the God who revealed himself in the Son. How then can the use of Allah by Christians lead to anything but confusion ...and worse?"
The retiring Bishop Muskens was a former missionary to Indonesia - the most populous Muslim country in the world - for eight years, where he said priests used the name "Allah" while celebrating Mass.
In response, Mohler pointed out that it would be difficult to support the argument that "Allah" can be used as a generic term for God. The theologian said separation of Allah from the language, theology, and worship closely associated with it is difficult. Moreover, even non-Arabic speaking Muslims use Allah when referring to their god.
Another irreconcilable difference is that Jesus commanded his followers to baptise "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".
"When this command is taken seriously and obeyed, the whole issue is greatly clarified - a Christian cannot baptise in the name of Allah," stated Mohler.
"So Bishop Muskens is disingenuous at best when he suggests that God does not care about His name. This is not a matter of mere 'discussion and bickering'," said Mohler.
"If Allah has no son, Allah is not the father of our Lord Jesus Christ...This is no mere 'discussion and bickering'. This is where the Gospel stands or falls," the theologian concluded.
Bishop Muskens in the past endorsed other controversial ideas which went against the Vatican leadership - arguing that the hungry may be permitted to steal bread and that condoms should be permissible in the fight against HIV and Aids.
Copyright © 2007 Christian Today. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Have your say on this article
The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.
Added: Friday, August 31, 2007, 22:28 (BST)
Psalm 2:7 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
7I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
How can u claim tha Jesus is the only begotten son?
here is the quotation that was posted on your site.
"“Thus, from its very starting point Islam denies what Christianity takes as its central truth claim – the fact that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father,” wrote Mohler on his web blog Wednesday."
So How many beegotten son did god have?
zaf, uk
Added: Thursday, August 30, 2007, 21:49 (BST)
Please remember that not all Dutch Christians applaud the dubious statement made by the bishop. In our Christian community in Zutphen but also elsewhere in our country it has even been condemmed. Kind regards from Zutphen.
Victor Honig, Zutphen, The Netherlands
Added: Wednesday, August 29, 2007, 14:35 (BST)
Who is Allah that you are supposed to pray to? The same Allah of the Muslims ? For Dutch Christians to call the God of the bible Allah is intended to appease who? They should not state that they believe in the God of the Bible openly to prevent confrontation? Why should it be confrontational in any case? Islam is peaceful, is it not?
Consider Mat 10:33: " But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."
If it is suggested that they are not denying the God of the Bible, come on !!
andre, Pinetown
Added: Wednesday, August 29, 2007, 12:42 (BST)
If you can call him Allah, then why not call him Bhagvan (as they call him in India). It makes no sense to call him Allah if in fact we can call him Jehovah, or Elohim. Is someone suggesting to call him allah so that we can please the arab muslims ? I too am a Catholic but i think it is very very improper for any Bishop to call our Abba Father as Allah !
Minguel, Kuwait
Added: Sunday, August 26, 2007, 21:55 (BST)
Who do you claim to be God? Jesus, Buddah, Allah, etc.
JengoPop, Salt Lake City, USA
Added: Sunday, August 26, 2007, 18:56 (BST)
God does care what He is called, He has many names. No wonder secular society does not want anything to do with religion as a whole.
What a pity, that we cannot even agree on what God's name is.
Mila, Ocala Fl USA
Added: Saturday, August 25, 2007, 0:41 (BST)
The use of this term for God does not represent the Biblical God.
It would be important for Christians to not use this word because it does not represent the Biblical God. To avoid confusion there should be a distinction between the pagan god of Islam and the true God of the Bible.
Allah= Has no gender (not male and not female)
"He" is used only out of respect and dignity - not for gender
Allah = Always singular - Never plural
"We" is used only as the "Royal WE" just as in English for royalty
Allah =Means "The Only One to be Worshipped"
JHamilton, US
Added: Friday, August 24, 2007, 18:21 (BST)
As a Christian theologian and minister who sub-specialized in Islamic studies and who has lived in the Middle East, I think that this entire matter is silly on at least two counts: 1) For non-Arabic speakers to call God Allah is no more sensible than referring to him in any other language besides their own vernacular. Should the Dutch call him "Dieu" in order to please the French? BUT 2) Get a clue, Christians, there were Arabic-speaking Christians for centuries before Islam, and "Allah" is Arabic for God. To say that Arabic-speaking Christians should avoid "Allah" because Muslims are non-Trinitarian (and therefore supposedly are not talking about the same God) not only flies in the face of history, it also would require Christians to stop using not only the word "God," which after all is only "god" capitalized, but also to avoid sharing any terminology with Jews, since Jews aren't Trinitarian either. It appears to me that Muslims, liberal Christians, and conservative Christians are in a contest to see who can be the most idiotic, and that conservative Christians intend to win at all costs.
Ed, Phoenix, AZ, USA
