How Not to Kill a Muslim

"In pointing us back to Genesis and the imagination of Jesus--especially as evidenced in the parable of the Good Samaritan--Josh Graves provides us with some of the basic fodder necessary for Christians to make much needed advances in our relations with American Muslims. May God grant that we all foster the sort of imagination to which Josh calls us."

--Lee C. Camp, Professor of Theology, Lipscomb University, Nashville, TN



"Our relationship with our Muslim neighbors, locally and globally, is the most pressing challenge facing the Christian church today. But the obstacles are enormous. How can we come live out the gospel story given the pervasive climate of fear, ignorance, and suspicion? Sharing the hard-won insights from his interfaith work with Muslim neighbors and leaders in Nashville, Josh Graves calls upon the followers of Jesus to become agents of grace, peace, love, and reconciliation. A passionate, powerful, and urgent call to action."

--Richard Beck, author of Unclean



"Josh Graves has developed an amazing project that invites American Muslims and Christians to dialogue about their common humanity as children of the same God. He argues clearly that the relationship of American Muslims and Christians is arguably the most pressing issue of our time. If Christians are not convinced, well, they should be as the author's 'proof texts' are those great conflict stories of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures like Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Israel and Ishmael, Joseph and his elder brothers, the Merciful Samaritan, culminating in the Jesus story. I hope every Christian congregation extends an invitation to this important dialogue."

--Charlie Strobel, founder, Room in the Inn, Nashville, TN





"God created this diversity among human beings in race, color, and ethnicity to test us in doing good deeds. Islam teaches us that there is no compulsion in faith; all humans are free to practice their religion. These golden principles are the guidelines for Muslims in dealing with non-Muslims to live in peace with their non-Muslim neighbors. We live as part of a worldwide human community that is at war with itself. Unfortunately, these conflicts are both justified and emotionally intensified by religions. After all, the Quran preaches that all men are created equal. For this reason, I wholeheartedly endorse Josh's How Not to Kill a Muslim project!"

--Amir Arain, Vanderbilt University/Islamic Center of Nashville, Nashville, TN



"Josh Graves undertakes a critical issue of our times and does so with empathy, sensitivity, and accuracy. How Not to Kill a Muslim, is more than a mere corrective in the challenges of interfaith understanding. It combines personal account with research data, history, and theology to a readable narrative that will be of benefit not only to Christians and Muslims, but also to all who are interested in the mission of humanity."

--Saeed A. Kahn, Professor of Religious Studies, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI



"In my role as chaplain on a college campus I often interact with young Christians who are eager to love their Muslim neighbors in a Christ-like way, but don't know how or where to start. Josh Graves has done them, and all of us who care about such relationships, a great favor. Here is a book that testifies to the generous way of Christ in a multi-faith world, and invites Christians into the high calling of Jesus's greatest commandment."

--Craig Kocher, University Chaplain, Richmond University, Richmond, VA



"This book wasn't born from conversations with a literary creative team as they threw ideas on a white board. It came to life because Josh Graves dangerously walks the streets of America asking pressing questions about the challenges we face and how Jesus's words and life speak into those challenges. The conversation quickly shifts in the Christian/Muslim dialogue when the primary lens is that humanity has been created in the image of God. As a Jesus-follower, pastor, prophet, and author, Josh Graves urges us to engage the dialogue with a new lens; a new way of seeing. The future health of our world may just depend on it."

--Josh Ross, Lead Minister, Sycamore View Church, Memphis, TN and author of Scarred Faith



"I would never read or recommend this book if I didn't know Muslim men and women. Growing up in a small country church, Islam wasn't something that we talked about a lot. However, my wife grew up with a Muslim stepfather, and once I met him I knew that the old stereotypes wouldn't work anymore. Since then, I've had hundreds of conversations with sincere, devout Muslim men and women who believe in the God of Abraham, and are fascinated with Jesus. Josh has written a great resource for what it looks like to have theological conversations with people that we disagree with (and have more in common with than we thought). In the book of Acts, Paul is accused of disturbing the peace by naming Jesus as King. The people start a Riot and are about to murder some Christians. And then one of the more levelheaded people calms the mob down with a brilliant insight. He says, 'You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.' Paul, the first missionary, somehow waded through the waters of 1st century pluralism, telling people that Jesus was Lord, but doesn't blaspheme their gods. For anyone who is interested in thinking like the first Christians did, this book is a great resource for understanding our neighbors and opening up dialogue."

--Jonathan Storment, Lead Minister, Highland Church, Abilene, TX and author of How to Start a Riot