Do Christians and Muslims worship that same God? That question has led to the possible removal of a professor from Wheaton College who says the answer is ‘yes.’
Wheaton College has initiated the process of terminating the tenure and employment of Larycia Hawkins
Hawkins posted her claim on Facebook along with a partial response from Wheaton officials including a request to “clarify how it is that we worship the same God if Muslims cannot affirm that God is the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; or that God the Father is indeed the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; or that the Father did not spare his only begotten Son; or that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit coexist as a Trinity in eternal and self-giving love?”
Hawkins replied, “It’s complicated.”
According to the Chicago Tribune, this is the fourth time Hawkins has been asked to affirm Wheaton’s statement of faith.
Previous incidents include her academic paper on black liberation theology that was interpreted by some to endorse Marxism and her suggestions that the college change some of its language about sexuality.
Among the many reactions, Baylor philosophy professor Francis Beckwith argued that holding incomplete knowledge or a false belief about God doesn’t mean Muslims are worshipping a different deity. But Roanoke College religion professor Gerald McDermott says it does, especially since the Islamic understanding of God’s character doesn’t include his command to love, which is central to the Christian view.