Dr Paul Allen

Islam has been called a Christian heresy for centuries — first by the Church father  St. John of Damascus , an Arab Christian who lived during the Muslim conquests. Other notable Christian thinkers since —  Martin Luther ,  Hillaire Belloc , and  C.S. Lewis  among them —have agreed. Why? Because Islam’s founder, Muhammad, and the compilers of its holy book, the Quran, clearly cribbed from the Bible — both the  Old  and  New Testaments , as well as the  apocryphal “gospels ” that didn’t make the canonical cut.  In fact, a great  many biblical figures and events turn up in the Muslim holy book ,  as well as in  hadiths  — extra-Quranic sayings attributed to Muhammad. These figures include Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jonah, John the Baptist, Mary, and Jesus—but in the Quran, they’re all given a quite different spin.  Raymond Ibrahim deconstructed the Islamic Mary recently; a s for her Son, Muhammad’s  `Isa  litt...

Hittite Archer and Chariot (Photo credit: voyageAnatolia.blogspot.com ) During the past 300 years, skeptics have tried to claim that many of the peoples listed in the Bible never actually existed. However, archaeology and other historical references have served to validate the accuracy of the Bible’s account. The Hittites provide a good example. The Bible makes about three dozen references to the Hittites, but critics used to charge that there was no evidence that such people ever existed. Now archaeologists digging in modern north-central Turkey in the city of Boghazkoy (called Hattusa by the Hittites) have discovered a large archive library belonging to the Hittites that includes letters, military instructions and laws. As the great archaeologist William F. Albright declared, “There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition.” Noted Roman historian Colin J. Hemer, in The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenis...

The issue of Islam is never far from our headlines. Early in his administration, President Barack Obama put the issue of Islam front and center on the international stage. His visits to Islamic-dominated lands and his public statements to the Muslim world have raised a host of questions at home and abroad. In a speech to the Turkish parliament , President Obama declared: “The United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam.” He went on to say that “our partnership with the Muslim world is critical not just in rolling back the violent ideologies that people of all faiths reject, but also to strengthen opportunity for all its people.” But the President also spoke of his “deep appreciation for the Islamic faith .” Here is the statement in context: I also want to be clear that America’s relationship with the Muslim community, the Muslim world, cannot, and will not, just be based upon opposition to terrorism. We seek broader engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respe...

Istanbul Archaeological Museum - Oriental pavilion. The tablet containing the Qadesh treaty between the Hittites and the Egyptians (1269 BC.) - Picture by: Giovanni Dall'Orto, May 28 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) 1 Chronicles 1:13–16 During the past 300 years, skeptics have tried to claim that many of the peoples listed in the Bible never actually existed. However, archaeology and other historical references have served to validate the accuracy of the Bible’s account. The Hittites provide a good example. The Bible makes about three dozen references to the Hittites, but critics used to charge that there was no evidence that such people ever existed. Now archaeologists digging in modern north-central Turkey in the city of Boghazkoy (called Hattusa by the Hittites) have discovered a large archive library belonging to the Hittites that includes letters, military instructions and laws. As the great archaeologist William F. Albright declared, “There can be no doubt that a...