Author of Contradict – They Can't All Be True.
Both of these takes were filmed, unrehearsed with just two bullet-points of notes, namely answer a complaint or two I have received from people concerning “Contradict” and be sure to read Colossians 1:15 in my response. Take 1 was much longer than Take 2, but longer isn’t always better. Which take is better and why?
Take 1
Take 2
I recently saw the band Rush in concert. The audience was almost all male and 30+ years in age. Pretty, funny.
They didn’t play my favorite songs, “Working Man,” “Take a Friend,” “Here Again,” or “The Necromancer.” But at least they played part of 2112. So I made a burn CD for my car, I know I still burn CDs, and before that recorded mixed tapes, so I could hear the songs they didn’t play.
I decided to put most of Rush’s album, 2112, on this burn CD, including the song, “Something for Nothing.” Here are the lyrics to the song:
I disagree that “you can’t get something for nothing.” Grace that comes from God is free to us. But I’d agree that nothing is free!
Grace is free! True or False?
Uh, yes, and no!
For us, God’s grace is free. For God, grace is not free. The Father had to send his Son. The Son made the ultimate sacrifice of taking on flesh and being made in human likeness, despite the fact that he is by very nature, God! That alone is a massive sacrifice. To imagine, God himself, creator of all, in the person of Jesus Christ, defenseless, helpless, as an infant, a babe in the arms of his mother. Imagine, God, who never grows tired or weak, sleepy, thirsty, and hungry, through the incarnation of the person of Jesus Christ experiences all of these things. God who cannot die, who cannot bleed, innocently, cruelly, being beat, tortured, dying, a humiliating death on a Roman cross at the hands of creation, FOR HIS CREATION, being able to experience these things because of the Incarnation of Jesus of Nazareth. No Grace (God’s riches at Christ’s expense) is not FREE! Not for God. Free for us, yes, but it’s not for God.
Just some thoughts I had listening to Rush last night in car.
The Qur’an says that the Injeel (Muslim’s Arabic name for the Gospels) is the word of Allah. They however, say that it’s been changed, or corrupted, which is why Allah had to send the Qur’an through Muhhammed. It’s also why many of them haven’t read the Injeel. So how can a Christian respond to a Muslim who says, “Yes, the Injeel is the word of God and Jesus was a prophet, but it has been changed!”?
Logical Response
Simply ask questions.
“When was the Injeel (NT) corruptued?”
“How was it been corrupted?”
“Who corrupted it?”
“What parts are corrupted? Has the whole Injeel been changed?”
Muslims generally won’t have answers to these questions.
You can then ask,”Did Muhammad tell Muslims to read the Bible in the Qur’an? Did he say it was the word of Allah in the Qur’an?” The answers to these questions are yes, and if you want check the first post in this series and you’ll see the verses from Qur’an which claim this.
The next statement to follow up the answer to these questions is, “If Muhammad said to read the Bible and didn’t make any mention of it being changed or corrupted, then it must have been changed after Muhammad.”
That then leads into the “Historical Response” which shows that the Bible hasn’t been changed before or after Muhammad.
This series has shown where the Qur’an states that the the Gospel of Jesus, the Injeel (the Arabic name Muslims use for the Gospels) is from Allah. This is phenomenal! From the authoritative word of Allah for Muslims, there is the direct teaching that not only Jesus but other prophets from the Old Testament delivered the word of God to humanity. It has also been shared in this series that Muslims believe that Allah has revealed his word in succession as previous scriptures were distorted, corrupted, or changed by men. The differing understandings and views that Muslims and Christians have concerning the Injeel (The Gospels) has also been shared. To read the rest of this series scroll down, or click on the Islam label at the bottom of this post.
Theological Response
One response to a Christian apologist could give to Muslims for why the Injeel has not been corrupted is a theological response.
When Muslims say the Injeel has bee corrupted, Fouad Masri, founder of Crescent Project, suggests saying, “Astaghfurallah”! This means, “God forbid.”
Why should this response be given? It would appear that such a response is instantly setting up a fight, using the name of Allah and throwing it back in a Muslims face that he or she is WRONG! In fact, this is done from a loving position. Muslims say “God Forbid” whenever something is said or done that goes against Allah or his will. The idea is that Christians apologists should respond with “God Forbid” to direct them to the truth that what they just said went against God’s word, because it suggests that humans are stronger than God.
This video provides a more detailed explanation of the “Contradict” message. “Contradict” on its own does not say which religion is true, if any any. It only points out that they can’t all be true. To know which religion is true, if any, investigation must be done and more information must be shared.
This video also addresses two complaints that I have received regularly using “Contradict” to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are: “You can’t know the truth concerning God.” and “You are being arrogant and thinking you are superior when you claim to know the truth concerning God.”
I read Colossians 1:15-23 in the video. The key is that in the person of Jesus Christ humanity has seen God and we can know God through his interaction with us in history. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=colossians%201:15-23&version=…
If you want to know more go to http://www.contradictmovement.org for more videos, a blog, a Facebook link, and a page to order a Contradict sticker for yourself and friends.
Andy Wrasman 