While calm and reasoned dialogue is always the preferred mode of debate, some on both sides have a tendency to throw out unsubstantiated, even incorrect claims in their efforts to discredit the other side.
One such claim being made by certain sectors of the Islamic community is that the Bible is a collection of distortions and that 'Christians do not possess any authentic records or acceptable arguments for the authenticity of the books of either the Old Testament or the New Testament'. This view is currently being expressed openly by Muslim speakers at a range of venues such as Speakers Corner and Trafalgar Square, and was to have been the subject for a debate organised by the radical Muslim group Al-Muhajiroun at the Royal Albert Hall a few weeks ago. As evangelical Chris-tians, we need to know how to respond to such claims. We may not all be involved in active polemic, but certainly anyone trying to talk with Muslims about the Christian faith will be better equipped for the task if they can respond calmly and authoritatively to attacks on the authenticity and accuracy of the Bible.
I recently joined a small group of people on a 'tour of biblical evidence' in the British Museum. Our guide was Mr. Jay Smith, an American Islamicist currently researching the sources of Islam for a PhD at the London Bible College. Jay showed us around the Assyrian, Ancient Palestinian, Babylonian and Ancient Iranian rooms to see a variety of archaeological treasures - stone stele (ancient stone monoliths which record contemporary royal history), stone and clay tablet records, wall reliefs, coins. These artefacts constitute an incredible 'proof' as to the accuracy of the historical references in the Old Testament. Names previously disputed as being mistakes or pure Old Testament myth appear clearly in the midst of official court records. For example, the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III (841 BC) portrays and names Jehu, the king written about in 2 Kings 9 and 11, bringing tribute to the Assyrian ruler. The annals of another Assyrian king, Tiglath Pileser III (otherwise known as Pul), provide evidence that he did indeed exist and that he invaded Israel just as chronicled in 2 Kings 15.19-20.
