There is no God but Allah and Jesus is his prophet

We have Abraham in common.

The three largest monotheistic religions, Islam, Christianity and Judaism, all stem from a man who lived more than 4000 years ago. Conflicts between Jews and Muslims and Christians are legendary. At first appearance, all three are exclusive; you cannot be a Muslim and a Jew.

However, there is such a thing as a Jewish Christian. And, in a recent controversial trend, people have begun to declare themselves Muslim Christians. Is this possible?

The foundational belief of Christianity is that Jesus is Savior. In John 14:6, Jesus says that he is “the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [him].”

Muslims believe that Jesus was born of a virgin and that he was a messenger from God. They even believe that he will return to earth in the end times. However, they do not believe in the divinity of Jesus.

It seems like that would end the discussion. These beliefs are incompatible: Jesus is God, says Christianity; Jesus is not God, says Islam.

But it's not that simple. What is to be done with the Muslims who believe in the divinity of Jesus?

Let's back up a little bit. There are five pillars of Islam: almsgiving, five-times-daily prayer, pilgrimage, fasting, and the shahada (the profession that “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet”).

Unfortunate for the sake of simplicity, none of these five pillars directly contradicts the Bible. Christians are called to give generously to the poor (Deut. 15:4); Christians are called to pray (Matt. 6:9-13); the Bible does not prohibit visiting the Holy Land; fasting is a Christian tradition as well (Luke 2:37); and, Allah is the Arabic word for the English word God, the same word that Arabic translations of the Bible use to refer to the Christian God.

The biggest issue from the five pillars is a sub-issue: Muhammad--who, by virtue of the fact that he lived after the Bible, is not mentioned by name. The closest he comes to being mentioned is Revelation 22:18-19--where readers are warned against adding to Scripture. It can be argued that Muhammad does just that even though the majority of Muhammad's teachings are drawn from both the Old Testament and from Jesus' teachings.

For many Muslims, the culture of Islam is a large part of the religion. In places like Indonesia and the Middle East (areas with high Muslim populations), Islam is a fixture of life. It is the culture. Unlike American culture, which is extremely individualistic, the culture in these areas is far more group-oriented--everything is interconnected. This means that a person who chooses to leave the Islamic faith is also choosing to leave their family, their friends, their job, their way of life. Everything, from eating to dressing, changes.

Enter the idea of a Muslim Christian. A Muslim Christian is one who, while continuing to practice the five Muslim tenants of faith (and staying within the culture of Islam), adopts the belief that Jesus is the Son of God, Lord, and Savior. Rather than adhering to the Islamic belief that humans are saved by works, a Muslim Christian believes, like any other Christian, that Jesus is the only way to salvation.

The most important issue is Jesus' divinity and salvation--everything else is inconsequential in comparison. Jesus promises that anyone who calls on his name will be saved (Acts 2:21). Does this include the Muslims who, while practicing their own traditions and staying within their culture, also acknowledge Jesus as their only Savior?

I believe it does.