Trailer | S6: Ep 1 | Andy Bannister | What Is the Difference Between the Bible and the Quran?

Lamin Sanneh, wonderful African theologian wrote a great book a few years ago, called Whose Religion is Christianity. And he makes the point that all the major world's major faith traditions have largely stayed focused on the culture where they began. So, Islam is an Arabic faith you pray in Arabic. You pray facing Mecca. Saudi Arabia is the spiritual center, so it's remained centered on Arabia. Thailand...Buddhism...90% of the world's Buddhists are in Thailand, and that part of Asia, you know, the whole thing sort of kicks off.

And so it goes for all the world's major faith traditions. The one exception Lamin says is Christianity. It begins as a Middle Eastern faith, then it expands into Asia and becomes an Asian faith, then it goes west and becomes an African faith then it heads up north and becomes a European faith. It goes across the Atlantic with the Pilgrim Fathers and becomes an American faith. Now it's headed south and becomes a Latin American faith. It's going back into Africa, again, with millions of Christians there, and again, now spreading like wildfire across the Middle East. And he makes the point: Christianity is...you can't pin it down, because it's not tied in to one human culture. Because the God of the Bible is much bigger than human culture even though in the person Jesus, He stepped into one culture in particular.
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Listen to author, speaker and apologist, Andy Bannister being interviewed by author and theologian, Andrew Ollerton. They discuss the difference between the Bible and the Quran, and how to answer questions about the Christian faith and really lean into the tough ones. Andy also talks about his latest book, How To Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like An Idiot, an accessible, practical, down-to-earth book on Evangelism and how to adopt Jesus' approach of asking questions and listening very closely.

Dr. Andy Bannister is the Director of Solas Centre for Public Christianity an evangelism and training organization based in Scotland (but covering the whole of the UK) and is a highly sought after speaker, writer, and broadcaster. From universities to churches, cafes to pubs, schools to workplaces, Andy regularly addresses audiences of Christians and those of other faiths or none on issues relating to faith, culture, politics and society. 

Andy holds a PhD in Islamic studies and has taught extensively at universities across Canada, the USA, the UK and further afield on both Islam and philosophy. He is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology and is also Adjunct Faculty at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. His latest book is How To Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like An Idiot. Andy also hosts two podcasts, PEP Talk and Pod of the Gaps and presents the Short Answers video series for Solas.