Campus Ministry in Athens, Georgia Address Relevant World IssueJihad. Islam. Muhammad. Few words evoke more intense emotions in our world today. People around the nation—and on our campuses—have countless questions about Islam and how it relates to Christianity:
What are the similarities and differences between the teachings of Jesus and Muhammad? Can Islam and Christianity peacefully co-exist? Is there only one truth?
On Wednesday, February 20th, Dr. Douglas Jacoby answered these controversial questions for a crowd of more than 200 college students in UGA’s Student Learning Center. In a room filled with more than 100 visitors, including a number of Muslim students, Dr. Jacoby presented the
differences between the teachings of Muhammad and those of Jesus.
One of the greatest aspects of the event was the spirit of evangelism it inspired in our campus ministry. In anticipation of the event, students shared with dozens of people, even inviting entire classrooms to attend. On the day of the event, we set up camp on the Student Center walkway and invited more than 2000 students to the presentation!
Doug’s speech was followed by a question-and-answer period in which students talked about the issues he had addressed. This portion of the night sparked passionate responses from Muslims and Christians alike. While it would have been easy for arguments to get out of hand, the questions and remarks were presented with a respectful tone. But when the Q & A session ended, the night had only just begun - discussion and debate lasted for hours into the night! It was inspiring to see Christian students, Bibles in hand, defending and sharing their faith in a way that they had never done before.