Dr Rowan Williams means well, but....

... sometimes he really just is not helpful.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2303162/Christian-doctrine-offensive-to-Muslims%2C-says-Archbishop-of-Canterbury.html

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Sigh. Two brief points.

1) Christian doctrine is not "offensive" to Muslims. Muslims feel strongly that those problematic areas are contradicted in the Qur'an. So it's not like they find some of Christianity "icky." There is nothing offensive in the sense of repugnant to a Muslim, who actually has high regard for Jesus and believes in his virginal birth through the Holy Spirit, his miraculous ability obtained from God, and his ascension. Muslims interpret the parts of the Qur'an that continually affirm that there is only one God plus wording that to them indicates that Jesus was not actually crucified makes Muslims to be vehement that the Qur'an contracts some of Christian doctrine. That's not "offensive," that is belief in the wording of the Qur'an as they interpret it.

2) Building bridges by starting with the major differences and not building the foundation of commonality, which is huge, and which is what the Pope has suggested doing, would be failure. Um, you have to first establish all the vast body of theology that Muslims and Christians are in total agreement regarding. This will also brush away by using solid scholarship perceived differences that in actuality are verbiage and conceptual misunderstandings. Goodness. This is hardly a helpful contribution, although he means well and is entitled to his opinion in his own church, obviously. But the Pope has the right approach, which the Muslims have agreed to, about the three areas where to first define commonality.

Just to add the obvious example. Before arguing about the Trinity and the nature of Jesus Christ, huge progress will be made once everyone is in agreement that God and Allah mean the same one Divine Lord. "Allah" is the Arabic word for "God." Allah does not designate a different God than God. Muslims were introduced to God the same way Jews and Christians were, through the God of Adam, Abraham and Moses. So "God" and "Allah" both refer to the God who made himself known to Adam, Abraham, Moses, Solomon and David. The Bible and the Qur'an are in total agreement on that. See? Wasn't that easy?

It is through exercises and scholarship like that example that will build the foundational knowledge and understanding and agreement upon which to explore the genuine and perceived differences on firm theological, language and cultural contexts.

I hope this is helpful. I'd really like to see this initiative stay on track and succeed. (Understatement of the century...!)