An interview with Muslim author Reza Aslan, author of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, is stirring up controversy and going viral on the Internet.
The book, which is about the life of Jesus Christ, is not going viral because of attempts to discredit the Christian faith -- which it does.
Rather, it’s because of the questions Fox News interviewer Lauren Green asked the Muslim author:
“This is an interesting book. Now, I want to clarify: You are a Muslim, so why did you write a book about the founder of Christianity?” Green asks Aslan.
“Well, to be clear, I am a scholar of religions with four degrees, including one in the New Testament, and fluency in biblical Greek, who has been studying the origins of Christianity for two decades, who also just happens to be a Muslim,” Aslan replied.
“So it’s not that I’m just some Muslim writing about Jesus,” he continued. “I am an expert with a Ph.D. in the history of religions. I have been obsessed with Jesus.”
“But it still begs the question: Why would you be interested in the founder of Christianity?” Green asked.
“Because it’s my job as an academic,” Aslan replied. “I am a professor of religion, including the New Testament. That’s what I do for a living, actually. It would be like asking a Christian why they would write a book about Islam.”
Dan Gainor, vice president of Business and Culture at the Media Research Center, offers his analysis of the interview and liberals’ reaction on CBNs Newswatch, Aug. 2.