[Sly Fox]

From the UC-Davis fishwrap:

Religious scholars to debate Muslim, Christian views of Jesus
Free admission for tonight's debate

By: Erik Steffenson
Issue date: 11/30/06 Section: Campus News


Various perspectives on religious issues and interaction with people of different faiths will be key parts of tonight's Muslim-Christian debate, titled "Was Jesus Resurrected or Rescued?" The free event will be held today at 8 p.m. in 123 Sciences Lecture Hall.



The event will consist of 90 minutes of formal debate on the topic of Jesus, conducted by Ali Ataie of the Muslim Interfaith Council, who will represent the Muslim viewpoint, and Michael Licona of the North American Mission Board, who will represent the Christian viewpoint. Their debate will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A session. This debate is sponsored by the Muslim Student Association and organized jointly by the MSA, College Life and the UC Davis chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ.



"The purpose of the debate is to heighten awareness about the different religious perspectives on the person of Jesus and to build relationships between differing communities of faith," said Eric Pavlina of the Campus Crusade for Christ, one of the organizers of the event.



Ali Ataie is the founder and president of the Muslim Interfaith Council. He was born in Tehran, Iran and came to the United States in 1979. Ataie earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He is currently a visiting assistant instructor of religious studies at Cal Poly, as well as an instructor of apologetics at the World Alliance for Humanity in Fremont, Calif., a student of sacred knowledge at Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, Calif. and an author of several books. His organization is dedicated to spreading and defending the truth about Islam in America. According to its website, the MIC was formed by everyday followers of Islam to combat misconceptions about the religion in today's turbulent times.



Michael Licona is the director of apologetics and interfaith evangelism of the North American Mission Board. He was born in Baltimore, Md. in 1961 and went on to earn his bachelor's degree in music performance in saxophone from Liberty University. He later learned Koine Greek in order to read the New Testament in its original language and earned a master's degree in religious studies. He is a doctorate candidate in the New Testament at the University of Pretoria and has written several books. The North American Mission Board defines itself as an organization which proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ, starts New Testament congregations and assists churches in the United States and Canada.



Campus Crusade for Christ is a worldwide organization founded in 1951. It focuses on helping students experience and grow within their faith.



College Life, according to campus director Bronwyn Lea, is a student-run Christian fellowship sponsored by the First Baptist Church of Davis. Their aim is to help people grow within their faith and live it out on a daily basis.



"I am very grateful that the [MSA] approached us to co-host this event. This one of those 'once in a decade' opportunities," Lea said.



The MSA, according to President Shazeb Qadir, is an organization for students to meet and discuss ideas and misconceptions about Islam.



"One of our primary goals for this year has been to create a greater level of interfaith dialogue between � faith-based groups," Qadir said. "I really consider this to be a watershed event simply because you have three different organizations, with different perspectives on the issue, collaborating to put it together. This is not just an event for Muslims or Christians. Rather, it's an event for everyone who's interested in gaining insight into a topic which deeply affects people."



ERIK STEFFENSON can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.

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