Book Review: What Every Christian Needs to Know about the Qur'an

James R. White is no stranger to complex, controversial subjects.  He has focused his efforts on subjects that are not small; on subjects that really are important.  His books The Forgotten Trinity (about why the doctrine of the Trinity is biblical and essential to the Christian faith), The King James Only Controversy (why the elaborate and compelling arguments of King James Only-ism are ultimately false), and The Potter's Freedom (an excellent treatment of the Calvinism-Arminianism debate) have been helpful to me and I recommend all of them. Dr. White has a knack for taking very complicated subjects and explaining both sides of the argument in thorough, clear ways.  He has also written books on Catholicism and Mormonism that I have not read.

Now his latest book, What Every Christian Needs to Know about the Qur'an, takes on the teachings of Islam's holy book.  Like White's other books, this book is comprehensive, addressing all of the normal questions a person might have about the Qur'an. But to me, at least, it felt more complicated.  Perhaps it is because the Qur'an itself is at times very hard to understand, and Dr. White quotes extensively from the Qur'an.  Also, the Qur'an is a much bigger topic to discuss than trinitarianism, Bible versions, or Calvinism.  Each chapter in this book could have been turned into an entire book.  So some of the content of this book went over my head.  If this is what "every Christian needs to know", I would hate to see "what every pastor needs to know"! 

The book is scholarly and fair; he does not insult or misrepresent Muslims.  He seeks to understand and explain the beliefs of mainstream Muslims, and then demonstrate how their logic is faulty.  There are truly so many holes in the Qur'an that it is sad that so many people have been so deceived by it for so long.  Now, during the Muslim month of fasting, is a great time to spend extra time praying for Jesus to open the eyes of Muslims to the truth.

If you'd like more information, Thabiti Anyabwile has posted a very helpful interview with Dr. White about the book. 

I received a free copy from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an unbiased review.