“There was a king, and in his kingdom there
were two cities that were having grave problems.
One city sent a messenger to the king to ask for
help. The king sat down and wrote a letter to
the city and sent the messenger back.
“The other city sent a messenger to the king,
and the king sent his son to that city to address
the problems there. Which of these two cities
has received the greater honor?”
I told this parable to a Muslim friend today, and
here was his answer, “The city that received
the prince has received the greater honor. When
he arrives he will see what the problems are
and take immediate action; the people of the
city cannot disobey him. The city that received
the letter from the king – in that city maybe the
mayor will read it and tear it up, or maybe he
will read it and not take action right away”.
I responded, “And this is the difference between
Islam and Christianity: we believe that the Word
of God is a person; Muslims believe that the
Word of God is a book”.
The point of the parable might not be obvious to
people not used to thinking in terms of honor.
The point is not that God has given two reli
–
gions, and that one of them is superior. Rather
it is that the God of Christianity shows more
honor and generosity to humanity than the God
of Islam.
For those who talk with Muslims regularly, I
encourage you to learn this short parable and ask
your Muslim friends what they think about it.