The Prophet and the Messiah by Chawkat Moucarry

The Prophet and the Messiah: An Arab Christian's Perspective on Islam and Christianity by Chawkat Moucarry ISBN: 9780830823154 Hardcover: 327 pages Publisher: IVP Books Released: February 2002

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description from Goodeads:
In an age of media distortion and widespread stereotypes, Christians and Muslims need a greater understanding of each other's faith. What do Christians believe about the Bible? What do Muslims believe about the Qur'an? And what do both Christianity and Islam have to say about Jesus and Muhammad?

In this evenhanded and conciliatory book Chawkat Moucarry calls Christians and Muslims to engage in genuine dialogue, urging them to relate to each other with true humility and respect. In a straightforward fashion he describes and compares the central doctrines of Christianity and Islam, explaining key beliefs and debunking common misconceptions.

Christians who read this book will learn much about Islam. Likewise, Muslims who read it will discover why Christians are convinced of the truth of Christianity.


My Review:
The Prophet and the Messiah is a book exploring what Christians and Muslims believe. While it does take points that Christians and Muslims are likely to have conflicts of belief and misunderstandings about, it does not try to convince one side or the other to change those beliefs. It's more an attempt to clear away misunderstandings so that Christians and Muslims can have informed discussions about the other's faith.

While it was interesting and informative, I've read similar information in other books that presented it in a way that I found more useful. I'm not sure if it was the more formal, scholarly tone, but I found myself skimming over much of the material. If you simply want to be informed, then this may be more in-depth that you care to read. If you regularly come in contact with Muslims and want to discuss faith with them in a low-conflict fashion, then this may be helpful.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: A link to Amazon so you can read an excerpt using Look Inside.