Cross Meets Crescent: Forms of Christian Responses to Islam

Abstract

This chapter seeks to articulate some of the important individual and institutional Christian responses to Islam in Nigeria. It also examines the appropriate parameters for understanding the responses to religious pluralism in Nigeria. These perspectives will shed some light on important issues that are relevant in Christian-Muslim relations in Nigeria. It is crucial to stress from the outset that a holistic understanding of these issues may also help to put the Nigerian context in perspective. The Nigerian situation, however unique it may be, is not isolated from the entire Christian world. It is important to highlight here that Christian-Muslim encounters—as defined in chapter 1 of this book as Christian approaches to relating to Muslims, also commonly referred to as “dialogue”—are a phenomenon of the mid-twentieth century. While Christian-Muslim encounters actually go back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad himself, these encounters have taken different forms and shapes in subsequent centuries. It seems to me that a more systematic articulation of Christian responses to Islam in terms of a dialogical relationship did not take shape until the middle of the twentieth century. This chapter will delve into the historical response beginning with the missionary forces to illuminate the various ways Christians and Muslims have encountered one another within the African context. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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