“Allah” – The God of Christianity in North Africa? Don’t shoot!

Relations between the Islamic and Western Christian worlds have been tense to say the least, with the rise of international terrorism in the name of Islam, discussions of refugees seeking asylum or terrorists seeking to conquer. There have been Bible and Qur’an burnings as well as flag burnings on both sides. So much tension, so much hatred, so much misunderstanding, and so many “keen” observations into just how many think everything is going to play out! With such tensions, we often think of the term “Allah” as strictly the Muslim/Islamic “god” and “God” as our God and Heavenly Father, who is found in the Bible. But is that how all the world understands the name of “Allah?”

In the title of this short post I said “Don’t Shoot,” perhaps somewhat comically, but with consideration for the heated debate over who God really is and how He should be called. There are a number with weapons poised for fire [figurative, verbal, theological, and perhaps even some, real] at the slightest hint of anything that sounds as if in support of the extreme radical Islam that we see terrorizing the world from day to day. The question we must raise here is, what does the name or term of “Allah” mean? Now, some will shout that it is a demonic inspired term for an awful “god” that is nothing like the God of the Bible. Others will say that it is just a generic name for describing God – the God of Abraham. Well, which is it, really? What need we to fight, and what need we not to fight?

The answer might be surprising to some! In North Africa, the name used by the Christians there for God, in the Arabic tongue, is “Allah.” In fact, their Bibles are translated with that name when speaking of God, the Lord. Now, for some, that is an uneasy thought. If the name “Allah” has been put into their Bibles, then what are we to do? What are they up to? Are they following a different God than the rest of Christianity?

It is true that the Islamic picture or understanding of God is different from the Christian picture or understanding of God, although there are a number of similarities of Islam with Christianity and Judaism too [since Islam believes in one God, heaven and hell, Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, Jesus, biblical dietary laws, God is merciful, He is the Creator of all things, etc.]. On the differences, they do not believe in the one God known as a Trinity with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They don’t believe that Jesus died for our sins, and other differences too, as we know. Despite the differences in understanding the nature of God, the fact remains that the term “Allah” is that used for God in the Arabic speaking world. How you understand Him is up to you and which views you ascribe to.

In various languages the term for God is different – “Theos” in Greek, “Hananim” in Korean, “Shin” or “ShangTi” in Chinese, “Deus” in Latin, “Dios” in Spanish,  “YHVH, YHWH, Jehovah, Adonai, El Shadai, or Elohim” in Hebrew, and “God” in English. In Arabic, it is “Allah.” Surely, God who created the various languages (Genesis 11) knows the meaning in each language.

So, should it bother us that Christian brothers and sisters in Arabic-speaking countries are calling God by the name of “Allah?” It shouldn’t bother us anymore than a Hispanic person calling God “Dios,” or a Chinese person calling God “Shin.” That is how the name or title is understood in their language, and just how we understand “God” so well in our English language [In fact, we use the same word, “God” and “god” to describe both the true and the false, though we usually distinguish by capitalization]. So, maybe it is a surprise for some of us to consider that reality, but now we know, and hopefully we can choose to be more understanding of the various cultures and names or words for God in our world.

Without a doubt, the Islamic understanding of God is different from our understanding of God, but the word “Allah” is needful in the Arabic to describe “God” and the understanding can be enlightened to understand just who God (“Allah”) really is and who His Son is. So, “don’t shoot” might be a good watchword in this matter. We must be careful with our feelings, preconceptions, and associations. Asking an Arabic Christian to give up the title of “Allah” for God would be like them asking an English person to give up the term “God” and start using “Allah.” It’s actually the same in meaning for each language. Naturally, we favor our own language. Regardless of personal favorites, God knows every language, and we can seek to be understanding of other worlds.

For further study, please check out these helpful resources:

 

 

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