Episode Details

What if the greatest challenge to modern Christianity comes not from Islam — but from Christianity's own forgotten history?

Who really followed the teachings of Jesus (ʿĪsā عليه السلام)? His 'brother' James and the original disciples who knew him personally, or Paul, whose teachings came to dominate Christianity despite never meeting Jesus?

In this fascinating episode of OnGuard, Dr Hamza Andreas Tzortzis sits down with Paul Williams of @BloggingTheology to uncover a largely forgotten chapter of Christian history — one with potentially revolutionary implications for how we understand the religion of Jesus.

They explore the beliefs of the earliest followers of Jesus, the extraordinary significance of James, the rise of Pauline Christianity, and why the original Jesus movement may have had far more in common with Islam today than most people realise.

But this conversation goes beyond Christian origins. Paul also challenges conventional Muslim approaches to daʿwah, reflects on his journey with Blogging Theology, and shares insights from his engagement with leading Christian academics.

As Paul puts it, the implications could amount to a “Copernican revolution” in how we understand Christianity.

Was the original religion of Jesus forgotten? And what happened to those who followed it?

Watch the full conversation and decide for yourself.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:31 Are Muslims debating the wrong Christians?
02:27 Is Christianity really declining?
09:04 Should Muslims prioritise Christian daʿwah?
13:17 A better way to invite Christians to Islam
19:01 Dialogue, debates and finding common ground
24:08 What's wrong with Christianity today?
29:25 James: The forgotten brother of Jesus
33:09 What religion did Jesus' first followers practise?
38:49 James vs Paul: Two different religions?
41:56 Who truly represented Jesus?
47:46 The religion of Jesus vs the religion about Jesus
51:02 Were Jesus' earliest followers Muslim?
52:01 How Christians explain the differences
55:00 The forgotten diversity of early Christianity
01:08:01 Why the original disciples matter more than Paul
01:15:22 Books that could change this debate
01:19:27 How Blogging Theology began
01:24:00 Christian scholars and the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ
01:25:33 Sincerity and the dangers of online daʿwah
01:31:10 Final advice: Be more prophetic, less pathetic

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Share this episode with someone interested in the historical Jesus, early Christianity or Muslim-Christian dialogue.

#OnGuard #BloggingTheology #Christianity

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