For me this resolves the issue quite clearly. The God of the Bible and the god of the Koran are not the same. Surah 18:4&5 Further, that He may warn those (also) who say, "Allah hath begotten a son": No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. It is a grievous thing that issues from their mouths as a saying what they say is nothing but falsehood!

What do you mean, the "same God"? Do dispensational cessationists and Pentecostal non-cessationists worship the same God? (One God still intervenes regularly in history with spiritual gifts, and the other doesn't. Same God, or two different Gods?)

If we can agree that Dallas Seminary and the Assembly of God worship the same God, then maybe we can admit that Muslims and Christians worship the same God, with significant differences in their understandings.

"What do you think?"

I think Mr. Volf is sweet, and is engaging in an incredible amount of self-deception.

"Is this an important conversation to have, or is it a non-starter?"

The conversation starts with Y'shua...if Islam does not believe Y'shua is the Son of G-d, then why bother having a conversation?
Living in peace, sure.
Believing the same G-d...well..if there is literary evidence from lost pages of the Koran, then I'm open to reading them as well.

"And is there a difference between saying the Christian and Muslim understandings of God share some important aspects, and Volf's assertion that we have a "common God"?"

With the current information provided by the Koran about allah, and the presentation of belief and faith by Muslims...Islam's god and our G-d are two very different beings.

I don't see how it could be any starker without syncretinizing our faith to allow room to consider a theological similarity with Islam.

But for your consideration...I want everyone to consider this....what would Islam look like if they did believe Y'shua is the Son of G-d, died for all of mankind sins, and rose on the third from death?

You see, Islam thinks that is all hooey, fantasy, crazy-talk...really, that is how they view our faith...they view it just like non-Christians view our faith...Muslims just happen to be more respectful about their disagreement.

The God of Islam (Allah) is singular, unknowable and non-personal, the God of Christianity (Yahweh) is triune, knowable and personal.

Different gods, people.

There's a difference between disagreeing over HOW God works and WHO He is. One deals with agency/activity, the other with identity.
The understanding of God of various Christian denominations seems to differ along lines of activity and agency. The difference between the understanding of God in Islam and in Christianity is substantially different, and in fact, while it's imperative that we love Muslims, let's keep one thing clear- their understanding of God/Jesus and salvation is anathema.

Tolerance is different than relativism. Let's keep the two straight and be super-tolerant of our neighbors without minimizing crucial, salvific differences in our understanding of God. Our witness depends on the hard task of being able to do both simultaneously.

sheerahkahn, your criteria for "worshiping the same G-d" excludes the possibility that non-Messianic Jews and Christians worship the same God. Yet Christians explicitly claim to worship the God of the Jews. To be sure, failure to recognize Jesus as the Son of God is an error, but it doesn't necessarily require the worship of an entirely different God.

If there's a good argument that Muslims worship a different God, I think it might lie in their rejection of the witness of their predecessor Abrahamic faiths. Because Christians accept the Jewish account of God (before adding to it), we can be said to accept the faith of our forefathers. Muslims deny crucial aspects of the Jewish and Christian witnesses to God, and thus their claim to be in continuity with those traditions is spurious.

I noticed that the post date is April 1st. Is this some kind of joke?

What's the point of all this?

The only way to know God is through Jesus. A genuine personal relationship with God can only be Christological and Trinitarian. All other worship of God outside of Christ is “in vain” (Mk. 7:7). So whether or not Muslims believe in a different God is somewhat of a irrelevant issue, because in fact NO ONE knows God apart from Jesus. All conceptions of God, whether they are American, Muslim, Asian, Agnostic, Pagan, Mormon, or even “Christian,” all of them are incomplete and inaccurate without the gospel revelation of the Son (Heb. 1:2).

Notice that it is only Muslims who claim to worship the same God as Christians, not the other way around. And if they worship the same God as we do, why do they hate the Jews? Hmmm...? And why is there such a thing as Islamic Jihad? There is no such thing as Christian Jihad. And how is this conversation relevant to the price of tea in China? I'm starting to agree with the April Fools aspect. If not that, then it is All-year Fools.

Allah sends his sons to die for him.

God our father sent His Son to die for us.

Their god is a VERY different god.

Yea, we need to talk about the similarities. Allah is the God of Abraham. Our God Yahweh is also the God of Abraham. He is the same person. My earthly father is the same person even if he gives different instructions to my brother and me.

Same God, different understandings.
As others have said, Jews as well as Muslims do not recognize Jesus' divinity.
The 'problems' we three communities have with one another more to do with economics, demographics and cultural attitudes than with religious expression.
When we claim Allah is not the same One God we love, we demonize Muslims in a most literal sense.
As far as Muslims 'hating' Jews, may I remind you that they lived together in peace for centuries, also that there was very much such a thing as a 'Christian Jihad' - the Crusades. And, rightly or wrongly, many modern Muslims view our wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, etc. as a modern Crusade against Islam. It is us who are invading their countries with our armies, is it not?
But with the light of God in our hearts, and a view toward justice and respect for one another we can live in peace together.
With fear and hate, even traces, in us - peace will be impossible.

"To God ( Allah ) belongs 99 names"

It is a known fact that every language has one or more terms that are used in reference to God and sometimes to lesser deities. This is not the case with Allah.

Allah is the personal name of the One true God. Nothing else can be called Allah. The term has no plural or gender. This shows its uniqueness when compared with the word god which can be made plural, gods, or feminine, goddess. It is interesting to notice that Allah is the personal name of God in Aramaic, the language of Jesus and a sister language of Arabic.

The One true God is a reflection of the unique concept that Islam associates with God. To a Muslim, Allah is the Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, Who is similar to nothing and nothing is comparable to Him. The Prophet Muhammad was asked by his contemporaries about Allah; the answer came directly from God Himself in the form of a short chapter of the Quran, which is considered the essence of the unity or the motto of monotheism. This is chapter 112 which reads:

"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Say (O Muhammad) He is God the One God, the Everlasting Refuge, who has not begotten, nor has been begotten, and equal to Him is not anyone."

Some non-Muslims allege that God in Islam is a stern and cruel God who demands to be obeyed fully. He is not loving and kind. Nothing can be farther from truth than this allegation. It is enough to know that, with the exception of one, each of the 114 chapters of the Quran begins with the verse: "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate." In one of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) we are told that "God is more loving and kinder than a mother to her dear child."

But God is also Just. Hence evildoers and sinners must have their share of punishment and the virtuous, His bounties and favors. Actually God's attribute of Mercy has full manifestation in His attribute of Justice. People suffering throughout their lives for His sake and people oppressing and exploiting other people all their lives should not receive similar treatment from their Lord. Expecting similar treatment for them will amount to negating the very belief in the accountability of man in the Hereafter and thereby negating all the incentives for a moral and virtuous life in this world. The following Quranic verses are very clear and straightforward in this respect:

"Verily, for the Righteous are gardens of Delight, in the Presence of their Lord. Shall We then treat the people of Faith like the people of Sin? What is the matter with you? How judge you?" (68:34-36)

Islam rejects characterizing God in any human form or depicting Him as favoring certain individuals or nations on the basis of wealth, power or race. He created the human beings as equals. They may distinguish themselves and get His favor through virtue and piety only.

The concept that God rested in the seventh day of creation, that God wrestled with one of His soldiers, that God is an envious plotter against mankind, or that God is incarnate in any human being are considered blasphemy from the Islamic point of view.

The unique usage of Allah as a personal name of God is a reflection of Islam's emphasis on the purity of the belief in God which is the essence of the message of all God's messengers. Because of this, Islam considers associating any deity or personality with God as a deadly sin which God will never forgive, despite the fact He may forgive all other sins.

Brother Christian, A Cistercian Monk in Algeria, was killed by radical Islamists. He and his fellow Monks had been warned they would be killed if they stayed, yet they did stay.
His insights are most valuable. His witness is amazing.
Here is a part of a letter he wrote before his death. Follow the link, read the complete letter.

.....My death, clearly, will appear to justify those who hastily judged me naïve, or idealistic: “Let him tell us now what he thinks of it!” But these people must realize that my avid curiosity will then be satisfied. This is what I shall be able to do, if God wills — immerse my gaze in that of the Father, and contemplate with him his children of Islam just as he sees them, all shining with the glory of Christ, the fruit of His Passion, and filled with the Gift of the Spirit, whose secret joy will always be to establish communion and to refashion the likeness, playfully delighting in the differences.

For this life lost, totally mine and totally theirs, I thank God who seems to have willed it entirely for the sake of that joy in everything and in spite of everything. In this THANK YOU, which sums up my whole life to this moment, I certainly include you, friends of yesterday and today, and you, my friends of this place, along with my mother and father, my sisters and brothers and their families, the hundredfold granted as was promised! And also you, the friend of my final moment, who would not be aware of what you were doing .— yes, I also say this THANK YOU and this A-DIEU to you, in whom I see the face of God. And may we find each other, happy “good thieves” in Paradise, if it pleases God, the Father of us both. Amen. In sha ‘Allah.

Christian-Marie de Cherge, OCSO
Algiers, December 1, 1993 – Tibhirine, January 1, 1994.

http://people.tribenetwork.com/ab816078-9ea7-4a3f-be7e-f72ca984d229/blog/2b5b56ad-af85-492f-b5b5-9c7cbaf35620

No, Christians and Muslims do not worship the same God. And even asking such a question shows how sorry a state professing Christianity is today. Have you not read where the Lord Jesus said He did not come to bring peace between everybody:

Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn

“‘a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother,

a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (from Matthew chapter 10)

The only thing that all people have in common is that they are sinners in need of a Savior to save them from the wrath of a holy almighty God.

Read some of the persecution accounts of Christians at VOICE OF THE MARTYRS website and then tell me if Christians and Muslims worship the same God:

http://www.persecution.com/

uh-boy.../facepalm

Serious ignorance of history on the side of similitude, and angry denial on the side of difference.

If we allegedly follow G-d, the source of truth, and we are to love G-d, are we not to love truth as well?
Truth is painful, yes?
Sharp, cutting, unsettling truth rips to shreds are justifications, our self-deceptions, our willingness to hide our base, very human and carefully cultivated desires under layers of finely woven lies.
And yet, truth sets us free, unchains us, unbridles us to ride the stormy waves of a life that becomes far more interesting to live than if we buried souls under a mountain of self-deceits we have fooled ourselves into thinking we have mastered.

This is/was just a discussion, and yet several of you pretend knowledge you do not possess, others, instead of leaning on love, addressing the incorrect with knowledge, have unsheathed blades to amputate a limb... and in doing so...you all have made a dogs dinner of it.

/sigh

I really am getting to old to constantly correct the ignorance, and the over-zealousness of my fellow brethren...I grow of tired of it.

Yes, the divisions are very deep and wide.
I see with clarity now how it has been that Christians, all of us members of the same body, have fought brutal wars against each other.
How shameful, how sad.

Dear Lord Jesus, fill our hearts with love and compassion for our neighbor, humility and empathy. Teach us keep our mouth shut when our hearts are angry. Help us to understand your will in this time of war.
Help us to understand we are not above others, to seek peace, and to stretch out our hands in love and help to all.

Would encourage your followers to read; "Muslims, Christians, and Jesus" by Carl Medearis. Well written on 'how to' and 'how not to' engage Muslims in spiritual conversations. Thanks for the conversation starter.

If it were true that the Muslims worship the same God, I would say that Christians should approach Islam the same way we approach Judaism. Yes, it is the same God. And perhaps some of the same values. But ultimately, the difference is answering the question: "Who is Jesus?" The identity of Christ will always be the sticking point.

Sometimes Muslims are worshipping the same God, and sometimes they are not. Depends not on the name but on the meaning and definition and comprehension that an individual gives to that name. I know for a fact that there are Muslim Imams in Muslim countries who in fact are followers of Jesus but still pray to Allah. For them, there is no difference. Others are seeking God and beginning to apprehend Allah as the same God that Christians worship. Still others are truly under Satan's influence and the spiritual forces of darkness have heavy sway. They too pray to Allah, but the meaning they give it is surely different.

One long-time friend and christian missionary to Muslim lands tells Muslims that he is a complete muslim, then proceeds to explain what that means.

Islam is not a monolith that deserves a single one-dimensional response, but complex and diverse whole. This is a matter of the heart. Painting with a single broad brush on either side of the issue does little to further the conversation with those we would have know Jesus.

No they do not. Simply put, 1 John 5:12. If Islam claims "allah" has no son then they have no life. End of discussion.

Jesu Christou kuriou

"Jesus Christ is Lord" the earliest Christian Creedal statement. Islam doesn't acknowledge this. Jesus is fully God, a member of the Trinity. Islam denies this.

Islam is not anything like Christianity. It isn't the same God.

No

the wholeness of the Bible, old and new testaments, tell one story.
It is inclusive, exhaustive, complete. That's the fingerprint (or one of the aspects of the fingerprint) of the God of Abraham, Jacob and Moses.
There is no room for add-ons. Sorry Muhammad, sorry Joseph Smith, et al.

Are they the same God? yes and no. Allah is an incomplete picture of Yahweh. Muslims believe Allah is holy, but they fail to see and embrace Allah as love. Christ followers live with the tension between God's holiness (holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty) AND God's love (God is love). God's holiness means He is separate, pure, distinct, transcendent from everything He created. God's love means He is personal, immanent, knowable . . . A holy God (Allah) is to be feared and appeased. A loving God is to be loved. Jesus - the ultimate revelation of God - bridged the tension between the two. Muslims (and dare I say even Jews) will never be able to embrace God's whole/His grace without Jesus Christ. Allah is a more complete picture of God than the polytheism Mohammed called his people from, but is still not complete in the light of Jesus Christ. Can Islam be prevenient grace for Muslims? Was Pharisaic Judaism prevenient grace for Paul?

Satan is an expert at setting up false god's with at least some similar language to the true God but with lies added in. He has also set up bogus thinking patters that many buy into that say lets all get along, lets talk about what we have in common and not speak of what divides us... this is all we need...blah- blah.. Lots of folks fall for these slick lies and will be separated out as goats on judgement day. Sounds like Volf and his dad bit the devils bait. Since we know that the gate to destruction is wide and many go there, we also know that those who hold to the truth and the narrow gate will be few and unpopular, accused of many things.

Stan
"Was Pharisaic Judaism prevenient grace for Paul?"

I don't think Paul considered his heritage as "grace" of any kind. I remember him calling it dung.

Allah has 99 names that is true, but not one of them is Father.