Apologist Interview: Jay Smith

Monday, April 11, 2011

Apologist Interview: Jay Smith

Today's interview is with Jay Smith, a Biblical Scholar specializing in Islam. He talks about his background in Islamic studies, the difference between apologetics and polemics, his debates with Muslims, the prophet Muhammad's life and the spread of Islam, the five pillars of Islam, key worldview differences to keep in mind, common mistakes Christian make when interacting with Muslims, advice for those in Islamic studies, and more.

Find Jay's resources at Answering-Islam.org. Check out Jay's video channel on youtube: PfanderFilms. A recent debate here.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (70 min)

Enjoy.
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5 comments :

Will Coe said...: Brian, where did Jay say he got his training?; Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 11:23:00 PM GMT+1
Brian said...: Will,

That info can be found 4 minutes into the interview.
Master of Divinity (mostly in apologetics)
Masters in Islamic studies from Fuller Seminary
Doctorate work in progress London School of Theology / Australia - Melbourne School of Theology; Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 11:17:00 AM GMT+1
Haecceitas said...: Good interview. But I'm not sure how valid Jay's sharp distinction between apologetics and polemics is. I think that many institutions that teach apologetics also teach polemics under the name of apologetics. But perhaps he's right at least to the extent that he's talking exclusively about polemics against Islam. Though even there I'd think that some polemics material will be integrated to courses on Islam in most seminaries that focus on apologetics.; Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 4:19:00 PM GMT+1
Ex N1hilo said...: Fascinating interview. Jay is doing great work.; Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 5:02:00 PM GMT+1
pds said...: It seems Jay is meaning courses that truly focus on Islam polemics and not merely apologetics in general with opposing world-view considerations. Apologetics allows us to share with Muslims, but polemics requires special training. Jay points out that anti-Islamic polemics is dangerous, not for the faint hearted and certainly not for your average Christian. When you see the reactions at speakers corner, you can see why.

Anti-Islamic polemics may also have a negative impact on your ability to reach the rest of culture. No one in the UK is really allowed to criticise Islam in public discourse, for example, and many churches follow suite. Indeed, its hard enough to get general apologetics into the church, let alone anti-Islamic polemics! We have a long way to go, and a huge amount to catching up, before we can really be affective in engaging Muslims.

Great work Jay!; Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 8:41:00 AM GMT+1