EMQ » Jan – March 2025 » Volume 61 Issue 1
Islam and the Bible: Questioning Muslim Idiom Translations
Edited by A.S. Ibrahim and A.B. Greenham.
B&H Academic, 2023
464 pages
US$49.99
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Reviewed by J. Rupert Morgan (PhD), ABWE International resident missiologist.
The purpose of this volume, Islam and the Bible, is to assess the nature, impact, and value of Muslim Idiom Translations of the Bible (MITs). It is a compilation of 20 articles by 20 authors from various backgrounds, ministries, and continents. The authors cover a wide range of issues that assess MITs from linguistic, cultural, historical, exegetical, ecclesiastical, theological, and theoretical perspectives. This bookserves primarily as a polemic against Muslim Idiom Translations, with only a couple of authors presenting MITs in a favorable light.
Several case studies of MITs among various Muslim populations are evaluated, providing examples of outcomes that result from MIT translation theories. The authors discuss how MITs deal with topics that are offensive to Muslims, such as the blood of Christ, the incarnation, and the title Son of God.
They also address how Divine Familial Language and Trinitarian references are translated and express concern about including Qur’anic references and titles. A takeaway from Islam and the Bible is that MITs serve to validate Insider Movements by giving credence to the Qur’an and adherence to Muslim identity.
This volume approaches the subject of MITs from a technical, academic perspective. This should not discourage a non-academic reader because it is formatted in a manner that makes the content easily accessible. In the introduction, the editors provide a synopsis for each of the 20 articles. In addition, most of the authors provide a brief introduction and purpose statement for their article.
Footnotes are extensive, which will assist the reader who desires more information or explanation. Subject and scripture indexes are also included. The editors have provided an excellent resource on a controversial topic that has profound implications for missions, translation, evangelism, and the life and health of the church in Islamic contexts. It serves as a library on issues that relate to MITs.
The editors take issue with several authors’ conclusions and emphases. They address their concerns in an editorial afterword. It seems unusual that the editors would make these statements when the authors are not given an opportunity to respond.
This is an important resource for missionaries, pastors, translators, churches, mission agencies, and donors who are directly or indirectly involved in ministries to Muslims by offering the tools necessary to engage in meaningful and respectful interactions with Muslims.
For Further Reading
Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor with the Gospel by A.S. Ibrahim (Crossway, 2022)
Chrislam: How Missionaries are Promoting an Islamized Gospel edited by Joshua Lingel, Jeff Morton, and Bill Nikides (i2 Ministries, 2011)
Jesus the Son of God: A Christological Title Often Overlooked, Sometimes Misunderstood, and Currently Disputed by D.A. Carson (Crossway, 2012)
EMQ, Volume 61, Issue 1. Copyright © 2025 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.
