Topic
Muslims and Christians have debated their beliefs since the early centuries, sometimes in the courts of the caliphs.
What it means
A famous example is the discussion between the Nestorian patriarch Timothy I and the caliph al-Mahdi in Baghdad in about 781, which was conducted with courtesy on both sides. John of Damascus and Theodore Abu Qurra wrote in the same period. In modern times the South African teacher Ahmad Deedat took part in many public debates, including that with the American preacher Jimmy Swaggart in 1986.