Going To SeeNabeel QureshiAt Cornell University

Dateline: 18 April 2015

Dr. Nabeel Quershi

I’m a homebody. I don’t get out much. I rarely go to any events, other than church on Sundays, and sometimes I don’t make it to church. But when I heard it mentioned in church last weekend that a speaker from RZIM was going to be giving a presentation at Cornell University, my interest was piqued.

RZIM is a Christian ministry that focuses on apologetics, which is to say, a reasoned defense of the Christian faith. Their objective is to “help thinkers believe and believers think.” RZIM speaking teams go to secular educational institutions throughout the world. I have listened to some of the RZIM speakers on YouTube and they are remarkably intelligent, articulate people.

I have a lot of respect for anyone who has the mental capacity and courage to go into the secular temples of the land (a.k.a. universities) and speak to the important issues of life from a Biblical perspective. 

So I did some research on this Cornell speaking engagement and decided I would go. Cornell is only 45 minutes from my home. I was intent on going alone but I sent an e-mail to a few friends, inviting them to go with me. I ended up taking three other men, one of whom has three degrees (including a doctorate) from Cornell. Having a Cornell alumnus is handy when you visit the campus, because they know where they are going. :-)

We got to Kennedy Hall about half an hour early. The auditorium seats 600 people and there was plenty of seating to choose from. But by the time the presentation started, the place was jam packed full. I didn’t see an empty seat anywhere!

There were some grey haired outsiders there (like me) but the audience was mostly Cornell students, with many different cultures of the world represented. 

The main speaker was Dr. Nabeel Qureshi, an American-born Muslim (his parents immigrated to the US from Pakistan). Qureshi is a remarkably well spoken intellectual. He has a medical degree, two masters degrees and is currently pursuing a doctorate at Oxford University. His talk was titled, Why Jesus? The Gospel in a World of Religion and Irreligion.

Dr. Qureshi covered a lot of cultural and theological territory in a couple of hours, starting with the question of, “what is the meaning of life?,” and ending with a Q&A session covering topics like, “if God is a God of love, why is there so much suffering in the world?”  The audience was respectful and listened intently.

I’m glad I went, and I think my friends were too. We had a lively discussion all the way home.

Having said all of that, I would like to take this opportunity to recommend This YouTube Presentation by Nabeel Qureshi, in which he tells the story of his conversion from Islam to Christianity, while in medical school. It's well worth taking in this unique personal testimony.

Nabeel Qureshi has also authored a book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslin Encounters Jesus, and has a Facebook Page Here.