Building Respect, Seeking Truth
ONLINE COURSES
Register now:
Contemporary Issues in Muslim & Christian Studies
Wednesdays, 7th Feb - 15th May
Register now:
Muslim Views of the Bible in Historical Perspective
Mon, Feb 12th-May 6th
Start-any-time:
Research and Writing for Muslim-Christian Studies
You can do this start-any-time course at your own pace. It is free of charge and includes the compulsory pre-requisite for students who wish to gain CMCS Houston credit for other courses.
CMCS Houston Certificate in Muslim & Christian Studies
Students who have satisfactorily completed at least one of our online classes for credit are eligible to enroll for our 'Certificate in Muslim & Christian Studies'. This is a graduate level certificate which requires at least 14 credit hours from CMCS Houston or from our collaborating institutions.
Our Kaduna (Northern Nigeria) Co-ordinator, Rev Martins Adikwu, (center) with some of our students.
Approaches to Muslim & Christian Studies
Seminar Series Oct-Nov 2023
Oct 17th - Dr Ida Glaser (CMCS Houston); 'Empires, prophets, and interfaith relationships: reading Daniel 1-6 in Islamic context.'
Oct 24th - Dr David Cook (Rice University); 'Glimpses of Christian-Muslim relations from Ibn Asakir's (1105-c.1176 CE) History of Damascus'
Nov 2nd - Dr Sam Ross (Texas Christian University); ''Those Who Believe in What Was Revealed Before” (Q2:4): A History of Muslim Exegetical Engagement with the Biblical Text'
Nov 7th - Dr Philip Jenkins (Baylor University); 'Climate disasters and the shaping of early Christianity and Islam'
Nov 14th - Dr Motaz Al-Thaher (CMCS Houston); 'Law and ethics: the relevance of the reformation of maqasid (higher objectives of jurispurdence) for Muslim-Christian relations'
Series now completed!
CMCS Houston Inaugural Project
We have now completed our series of symposia and our online group reading of the biblical Book of Daniel. Dr Alex Massad and Dr Azadeh Rezaie are working with Dr Ida Glaser on a volume which will include papers from the symposia and reports on our findings.
NEWS
Learn in Houston!
We are delighted to offer an in-person opportunity to get an Introduction to Quranic Arabic course during Dr. Motaz Thaher's visit to Houston this fall!
This is a unique learning opportunity for anyone who wants to learn more about the language of the Quran. By the end of the in-person course, students will be able to; read the pointed Arabic text, identify word roots and look them up in dictionaries, and read with understanding surahs al-Fātiḥa and al-Ikhlāṣ.
ANNOUNCING THE CMCS HOUSTON FRIENDS SCHEME! Join the friends, support our work, and get extra news, study opportunities, and meeting opportunities!
Thursday evenings. Tea and chat 6.30 pm, textual study 7-9 pm, dinner 9 pm.
This semester's topic is 'The Rule of God amongst the nations'. We will be reading the biblical book of Daniel alongside selected Qur'anic passages, and referring to material from CMCS Houston's 'Daniel, Islam, Apocalyptic' project.
Please email office@cmcshouston.org if you wish to attend.
Dr Ida Glaser's latest book, is co-authored with Anwarul Azad and a Bangaldeshi team. It is the first of a new series of biblical commentaries from Muslim contexts which Dr Glaser edits with Dr Martin Accad of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut, Lebanon.
"Religious studies should be dialogues not monologues. You need to enroll with others in discussions and dialogue, and the CMCS courses provide this. They include a very special combination of people from different religious backgrounds and cultures, who enrich the discussion and help [in] gaining knowledge and opening eyes to new perspectives. Moreover, the follow-up from the lecturers gives you the chance to develop your skills personally."
--Motaz Al-Thaher, CMCS Houston Adjunct
To see Muslim and Christian relationships transformed through shared academic study and by following the example of Christ.
Now more than ever our world needs understanding among peoples and nations that is grounded in honesty, transparency, and communication.
President Robert Sloan, Houston Baptist University
I welcome this sincere effort to understand each other in a loving environment.
Dr. Ghulam Zarquani, Hijaz Muslim College
We can all benefit from a humble interaction that is at once both uncompromising and respectful!
Rev. Dr. Greg Scharf, Bridge Trust USA
I strongly believe that this center is a step forward in building a more peaceful world where people of different faiths will learn to coexist for a better future.
Azizou Atte-oudeyi,
Doctoral Student, Rice University
