Two years ago I tweeted this:

People say 40 yrs from now we will be ashamed for standing for traditional marriage. We are called to live for God's approval, not man's.

— Dylan Dodson (@DylanJDodson) August 2, 2012

I am not a fan of those popular posts that make there way around social media about what people should do (and the like) in their twenties, thirties, forties, etc. I especially loathe them because how they all seemingly push back any real adult-like responsibilities until at least your thirties.

These posts only normalize even more our culture’s extended adult adolescence and pushes back the healthy pressure to “grow up.” The other day, Trevin Wax at The Gospel Coalition wrote an excellent post on this very thing. He writes,

Today is my 33rd birthday. And today, like every year, friends on Twitter will express their disbelief at my age.

On one side, there are those who tease me for being older than I look. On the other side, there are those who are surprised I’m not older, based on the fact I’m busy in so many things.

Regarding the latter group, I’m surprised people are surprised. Historically, adult landmarks and life accomplishments haven’t been postponed to the thirties.

But it’s true. Many people today have accepted the fact that people “grow up” later. We get married later. We have kids later. (The fact that Corina and I have three kids, with one who will turn 10 tomorrow, isn’t normal nowadays.)

Pundits wring their hands and pastors mourn the state of “perpetual adolescence.”

You can read the entire post here. I highly recommend it.

This is the fourth and final post in a series posts about some of the biggest objections Muslims have with Christianity.

Objection #4: Jesus is not the Son of God

Another point of contention between Christians and Muslims is Jesus being the Son of God. Not only do Muslims deny that Jesus is God’s son, it is also denied that God could have a son. If God were to have a son, it is argued, it would mean that there would more than one God, which would be blasphemy. Much of this debate also centers on a misunderstanding by both Christians and Muslims.

This is the third post in a series posts about some of the biggest objections Muslims have with Christianity.

Objection #3: Christians Worship Three Gods

The doctrine of the trinity makes Christianity unique among all of the world’s religions. Islam is a monotheistic religion, and to suggest that there are “three gods” would be blasphemy. One of the primary articles of faith in Islam is the shahada that Muslims are known to repeatedly say; “There is no God but Allah.” When we add to the fact that the doctrine of the trinity is not explicitly stated in the Bible, acute Muslims will point out that there is nothing in the divine books (the Old Testament and Quran) which reveals any triune concepts.[1]

This is the second post in a series posts about some of the biggest objections Muslims have with Christianity.

Objection #2: Jesus Did Not Die

Once the credibility of the Bible has been presented, perhaps the most controversial of all objections can be discussed; that Jesus did in fact die. Traditional Islam belief is that Jesus did not die, and that God would not have allowed Jesus to be killed.

To begin, one could refer back to the credibility of the Bible. If the Gospels claim that Jesus died, and these Gospels were reliable in Muhammad’s time, then the Muslim is in quite a dilemma. By what means can it be claimed that Jesus did not die? Looking at one example from the Quran itself, Raouf and Carol Ghattas write, “The verse continues (sura 2:87). Accusing the sons of Israel with rejecting many prophets (apostles) God sent and even killing some of them.”[1]

Over the next few posts I will present some of the most common objections many Muslims have with Christianity. This first post has to do with probably the biggest objection many Muslims have to Christianity.

Objection #1: The Bible has Changed

Now remember, this post has to do with Islamic criticism of Christianity, not secular objections. When it comes to secular critics of the Bible who claim the Bible has been changed, this is a much different debate than the traditional problem that Muslims have with the Bible.

One of the most heard claims of Muslims against Christianity is the thought that the Bible has been corrupted and cannot be trusted. Right away however we are presented with an interesting dilemma; during the time of Muhammad, and therefore the writing of the Quran, the Bible was thought of to be trusted. Of the many places where this is suggested or claimed in the Quran, Raouf and Carol Ghattas (in response to sura 2:89 from the Quran), write,

This past weekend I watched MITT, a documentary of Mitt Romney running for and eventually losing the Republican presidential nomination to John McCain in 2008, and then picking up to when he was running for president against Barack Obama. My wife Christina was out of town and our kitten was sleeping on my arm so I didn’t have much to do and I didn’t have the heart to move the cat. I’ve also never watched a movie by myself, and since I don’t really think a documentaries count as movies, I can still pretend that never watching a movie by myself is somewhat of an accomplishment.

As I watched, I was struck by a few things about Romney that I thought were pretty interesting.

In his book Knowing God, J.I. Packer writes,

“Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives. As it would be cruel to an Amazonian tribesmen to fly him to London, put him down without explanation in Trafalgar Square and leave him, as one who knew nothing of English or England, to fend for himself, so we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it.

The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold, as it were, with no sense of direction, and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.”