Saturday, February 2, 2019
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Shepherd of the Hills UCC, 5524 East Lafayette Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85018
With Christians on the run in the Middle East, and Muslim fighters declaring war on the West and modernity, one Muslim scholar wants to talk about what we all have in common; Jesus. To mark the World Interfaith Harmony Week, Shepherd of the Hills and SEMA Foundation are proud to welcome Professor Zeki Saritoprak and extend a Straightforward Invitation to Dialogue and Islamic Art, Science and Culture in the Southwest.
Islam, like Christianity, Judaism and other world religions, varies in its interpretations, rituals and practices. It is true that Muslims share certain fundamental beliefs, such as those expressed in the Quran. However, few Christians are aware that Islam, though denying the divinity of Jesus Christ, affords him a religious importance among human beings second only to that of Muhammad. Traditional Muslims believe that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary and that he will come again at the end of time to judge the living and the dead.
The topic is interesting both as a discrete topic of Islamic theology and also as a point of inter-religious dialogue between Muslims and Christians. While Muslims do not believe that Jesus was killed or resurrected, they do believe in his ascension and second coming. And it is precisely on these points of Muslim-Christian divergence and convergence that Professor Saritoprak dwells.
These and other, less familiar Muslim beliefs about Jesus are the subject of Professor Saritoprak’s book, Islam’s Jesus.
This important event is free to attend and all are welcome, but we do ask that you register.
Dr. Zeki Saritoprak will be at Shepherd of the Hills for “Islam’s Jesus” to mark World Interfaith Harmony Week. Zeki Saritoprak is Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and Director of the Bediüzzaman Said Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies, at John Carroll University, USA. A native of Turkey he has spent more than thirty years studying Islamic theology and mysticism. He is the author of many works on Islam, spirituality, and interfaith dialogue.