Tag Archives: theology

Assessing the Historicity of Abu Bakr, Islam’s First Caliph

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 1 July 2025

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Was Islam’s Ka’ba Always in Mecca?

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 11 June 2025

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A Note on the Mu’tazilites and the Office of the Caliph

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 4 June 2025

Muslim belief is that the Qur’an is “uncreated” (ghayr makhluq). While the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad over twenty-three years (610-32 AD), the “speech of God” (kalam Allah) in these revelations had existed co-eternally with God. This was once a point of serious dispute in Islamic theology, and the outcome of that debate was an important waymarker in the development of Islam.

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Ahmad al-Shara Met Donald Trump, and the Islamic State is Not Pleased

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 30 May 2025

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The Alawi Massacres in Syria: A Blip or a Rubicon?

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 17 March 2025

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Salem Witch Trials, Part Two: Hysteria and Persecution

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 29 January 2025

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Jews and the Russian Orthodox Church

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 10 October 2024

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Islamic State Spokesman Calls For Global Terrorism, Again

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 8 January 2024

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Origins of Vampire Stories: When, Where, and How

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 17 August 2023

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A Flawed Film Brings Attention to the Soviet Terror-Famine in Ukraine

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 28 April 2023

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