Dirks, a former ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, explores the meanings of the early Christian writings and the Qu'ran in an effort to show both Muslims and Christians that their religions are much closer philosophically and even doctrinally than most people realize. In the majority of the essays he examines the Gospels and analyzes what the original Christians may have thought about certain matters such as the status of Jesus as the son of God. In one essay Dirks reaches the surprising conclusion that many of the early Christians were in disagreement about whether Jesus was actually crucified, an act which the Qu'ran denies.