What do you believe about Jesus? Is he a good man? Is he a prophet? Or is he, as Christians believe, actually divine? What do Muslims believe about Jesus? Is he a prophet or more than a prophet? Why is it important to understand the differences between the Christian and Islamic views of Jesus? One may ask, if both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus (pbuh), where exactly is the parting of ways? The major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians' insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ (pbuh). A study of the Christian scriptures reveals that Jesus (pbuh) never claimed divinity. In fact there is not a single unequivocal statement in the entire Bible where Jesus (pbuh) himself says, "I am God" or where he says, "worship me". In fact the Bible contains statements attributed to Jesus (pbuh) in which he preached quite the contrary. Representing the Muslim perspective were Dr. Jamal Badawi and Shabir Ally; Dr. Jamal Badawi is the director of the Islamic Information Foundation, Halifax, Canada. He has authored several books and articles on Islam and designed and participated in the production of nearly 350 half-hour segments of a TV series on Islam. He is an expert in Christian-Muslim Dialogues. Active in journalism and broadcasting he has had a series of programs concerning Islamic belief and practices shown on Canadian television throughout the world. Shabir Ally: Shabir Ally has earned a B.A. in Religious Studies from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, with a specialization in Biblical Literature, and an M.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Toronto with a specialization in Quranic Exegesis. He is now in his fourth year of Ph.D studies in Quranic Exegesis at the University of Toronto. He is the president of the Islamic Information & Dawah Centre International in Toronto where he functions as Imam. He travels internationally to represent Islam in public lectures and interfaith dialogues. He explains Islam on a weekly television program called "Let the Quran Speak. He's the author of the book " Is Jesus God? The Bible Says No ! " Representing the Christian side were Dr. David K. Bernard and Rev J; Dr. David K. Bernard is the founder and co-pastor of New Life Church. He is also the superintendent of the United Pentecostal Church International and president of Urshan Graduate School of Theology. He has earned a doctor of jurisprudence with honors from the University of Texas, a master of theology from the University of South Africa, and a bachelor of arts in mathematical sciences and managerial studies with high honors from Rice University. He is currently a doctor of theology candidate in New Testament at the University of South Africa. In addition to his ministry at New Life and throughout the United States, he has ministered in forty-six countries on six continents. Pastor Bernard is also a prolific writer. He has written extensively on the Bible, theology, the history of doctrine, and Christian living. To date, he has written thirty books, with a circulation of about 750,000. He has been published in thirty-six languages. In addition to his books, he has produced debates and teaching series on CD and DVD and other preaching and teaching helps on CD-ROM. Pastor Bernard and his wife, Connie, have three children, Jonathan, Daniel, and Lindsey. The Topic of Debate: The Nature of Jesus Christ in Christianity and Islam Dr. Jamal Badawi Shabir Ally (www.Shabirally.com) vs. Dr. David K. Bernard (www.newlifeupc.org) Rev J. (1998 Debate )
