Sentimental memes only appeal to Disney Evangelicals
You’ve probably seen the viral story: “An 11-year-old Christian girl challenges an Islamic scholar: ‘Show me in the Qur’an where Allah says He loves me.’”
It’s the kind of anecdote designed to stir hearts—especially Western ones. But it’s also shallow, misleading, and ultimately ineffective.
Truth Isn’t Measured by Sentiment
Christianity is not true because it makes us feel loved. It’s true because God is who He is—the sovereign Creator, Lawgiver, and Judge. As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Romans 9:13, LSB). God’s character doesn’t hinge on our emotional preferences. Likewise, Islam isn’t false because it lacks a concept of love. It’s false because it denies the truth of who God is—specifically, the triune God revealed in Scripture (Matthew 28:19; John 5:23; 1 Corinthians 8:6). This is how we know who the true followers of God are: “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15, LSB).
Apologetics & Islam
Breakdown
Since we know this isn’t what is helpful when engaging Islam, let’s consider some key points that are. First, I’ll present a helpful (but not exhaustive) list of actual issues with Islam which are key points of engagement for Christian apologetics (and, by extension, evangelism). Following the list, some essential guidance when engaging in apologetics.
Apologetic Cheat Sheet on Islam
What undermines Islam isn’t emotionalism, but internal inconsistency:
- The Qur’an affirms that God’s word cannot be altered (Surah 6:115, 18:27).
- Yet it also claims that Jews and Christians corrupted their Scriptures—contradicting itself.
- If the Injeel (Gospel) was from Allah, then why does it contain warnings about “another gospel” (Galatians 1:8)? That warning predates Islam by centuries.
- We have verifiable, unbroken textual tradition for the Bible going back to the apostles. Islam does not have the same continuity back to Muhammad.
Purpose of Apologetics
The goal of apologetics is twofold:
- to direct the hearer to the gospel (1 Peter 3:15),
- and to silence opposition to God (cf. Romans 3:19; 1 Corinthians 1:19–20). The former must always lead.
No Shortcuts in Evangelism
Too often, we search for “I Win” arguments to drop into conversations, hoping for instant conviction. But biblical evangelism doesn’t work that way.
If you’re using this list as a quick copy-paste weapon without understanding the theology or Islamic worldview, it will fall flat. Think back: when was the last time someone changed your mind in a debate? Were they informed? Respectful? Did they understand your position?
Many Muslims are trained from a young age and often understand their own doctrine better than many Christians. If you tell them what they believe, rather than asking and listening, they will tune you out. That’s not evangelism—it’s pride.
Let them speak for themselves. Engage honestly. Don’t straw man. Be patient, even if your role is only to plant. Another may water. Another may reap. And some will never believe—yet God is still glorified. Your job is not to win. It’s to be faithful.
Why This Matters
Emotional appeals may resonate with secular Westerners, but most serious Muslims won’t find them compelling. They’ll see it as ignorance of their faith and our own.
Worse, it distorts the gospel—reducing the justice and holiness of God to a vague notion of “love.” Biblical love is covenantal, sacrificial, and just—not sentimental.
Coram Deo
If we want to reach Muslims, we must do so with the truth—not Westernized emotionalism. The gospel stands on the unshakable foundation of who God is and what He has done—not on whether we feel affirmed.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the tearing down of strongholds, 5 as we tear down speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is fulfilled. – 2 Corinthians 10:3–6, LSB
Muslims are made in God’s image. They are not the enemy. But they are held captive by a system designed to keep them from the truth. They desperately need the gospel.
