The Abrahamic faiths? Continuity and discontinuity in Christian and Islamic doctrine

Abstract

The term ‘Abrahamic faiths’ and its cognates, prominent in inter-faith and political conversations, has now entered, largely uncritically, into academic discourse. It is not clearly defined and is used by scholars in different and potentially misleading ways. Thus far the term has evaded theological critique; this paper is a contribution to towards just such a critique. The ‘Abrahamic faiths’ are Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but, this paper shall focus on Christianity and Islam. I propose to critique the term ‘Abrahamic faiths’ by evaluating three different ‘levels of usage’ employed by scholars of religion. Thus far the term has evaded critique, hence the significance and importance of this undertaking. This evaluation will first involve examining Christian and Islamic theological continuity. Then, I shall investigate Christian and Islamic theological dissimilarity concerning four core Christian doctrines. My objective is to show that the continuity and discontinuity of Christian and Islamic doctrine requires careful qualification of the term ‘Abrahamic faiths’. I conclude with some constructive reflections for inter-faith dialogue.