Pursuing Veritas

John of Damascus’s approach to Islam provides a useful starting point for contemporary Christian-Muslim dialogue. His commitment to accurate representation, deep engagement with Islamic texts, intellectually honest argumentation, and the theological framing of Islam as a heresy can guide modern interactions between these two faiths.

John wrote about Islam after extended engagement with Muslims, Islamic practices, and the Qur’an. Contemporary Christian-Muslim dialogue should likewise speak from information and experience, not ignorance. In today’s context, meaningful dialogue with Muslims requires Christians to seek accurate and informed understandings of Islamic beliefs and practices. This requires more than passive internet research or relying on hearsay. Every Christian should be willing to have conversations with Muslims, and more Christians should be willing to engage with Muslim scholars and communities to ensure a fair and respectful representation of their faith.

Particularly important in this process is charitable engagement with the Qur’an and other Islamic texts. Christians should familiarize themselves with the Qur’an and Hadiths to engage thoughtfully with Muslim perspectives and address theological differences in a well-informed manner. Of course, John not only was familiar with the Qur’an, but also displayed familiarity with conversations about the Qur’an as well. This suggests the value of active engagement with Islamic scholars and literature to form an accurate understanding of texts and traditions are being interpreted and applied in the contemporary world. At the same time, John’s critical approach to Qur’anic narratives—and his inclusion of a story that is not in contemporary versions of the Qur’an—recommends Christian consideration of the ‘historical Qur’an’ and the history behind the development of the Muslim holy book. John’s thorough engagement with the Qur’an highlights the importance of understanding and addressing Islamic scripture in contemporary dialogue.

Further, John’s commitment to intellectual integrity and mutual respect in theological debate is crucial for productive interfaith dialogue today. Christians should avoid misrepresenting Islamic beliefs and instead seek to understand and address them on their own terms, fostering a spirit of mutual respect and intellectual honesty. Especially valuable here is John’s example of not offering arguments that could not be addressed by his theological perspective. For example, Christians should not make religiously inspired violence a sine qua non for Islam while ignoring Christianity’s long history of similarly inspired movements. An intellectually honest approach to the dialogue between Islam and Christianity requires allowing each perspective to authentically speak for themselves. As Mahmoud Ayoub writes, ‘True dialogue is a conversation among persons not a confrontation between ideas’ (Ayoub, 229).

Finally, even John’s categorization of Islam as a heresy can prove a helpful method for contemporary Muslim-Christian dialogue. Viewing Islam as a heretical offshoot of Christianity, as John did, can reshape the dialogue from one of confrontation to one of correction and reconciliation within a shared Abrahamic tradition. This perspective encourages Christians to engage with Muslims as part of the same religious family, seeking to correct misunderstandings rather than dismissing them as wholly other.

Obviously, terminology of heresy can carry negative connotations, so this approach requires careful definition of terms and an understanding of how terminology shapes perceptions. Yet there are clear benefits to this perspective. Not only does this approach bring theological disagreements to the fore while moving oft-contentious social and geo-political interactions to secondary status, but this tactic also refines key theological disagreements. For example, on the all-important discussion of God, the paradigm of heresy allows conversations to step away from a question of, ‘who worships the right God?’ toward questions about where perceptions of God are similar before issues of difference. Finally, this approach invites Muslims and Christians alike to revisit questions of origins and dependency, not only of Islam upon Christianity, but also Christianity’s engagement with Judaism and Greco-Roman culture. For these reasons, following John’s lead in identifying Islam as a heresy rather than a wholly other religious perspective can further Muslim-Christian relations.