ABSTRACT
This chapter surveys Christian attitudes towards the status of the Qurʾān, the strategies Christians have used to engage the Qurʾān and key themes in Christian approaches to the Qurʾān. Christians have expressed a range of attitudes in response to Muslim claims that the Qurʾān is God’s word, from outright rejection and nonengagement, to appropriation for argumentation, to acceptance of inspirational characteristics within it. Christians have appropriated qurʾānic passages for a variety of usages, including apologetics, polemics, translation, theological reflection, evangelization and academic purposes. By tracing how Christians have viewed the Qurʾān in the historical past and contemporary practice, readers can better comprehend why Christians have such diverse approaches to the Qurʾān and appreciate the possibilities of reading another religion’s scripture in ways that can challenge traditional interpretation and/or discover common ground.
