A rather awkward exchange occurred on Fox News' "Spirited Debate" program Friday, with religion correspondent Lauren Green somewhat incredulous that Muslim scholar Reza Aslan could write a book about Jesus Christ.
Aslan's book, "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth," pieces together gospel and many historical sources to paint a picture of Jesus and the time in which he lived.
"You're a Muslim, so why did you write a book about the founder of Christianity?" Green asks at the beginning of the interview.
"Well, to be clear, I am a scholar of religions with four degrees, including one in the New Testament, and fluency in biblical Greek, who has been studying the origins of Christianity for two decades," Aslan says, "who also just happens to be a Muslim."
This wouldn't be the only time Aslan had to remind the host he was a religious scholar and an academic. As a professor of religion, Aslan says, "that's what I do for a living, actually."
Later in the interview, Green likens his writing on the topic to having a "Democrat write a book about why Reagan wasn't a good Republican. That just doesn't work."
"It would be like a Democrat with a Ph.D. in Reagan who has been studying his life and history for two decades writing a book about Reagan," responds Aslan.
The full interview is below:
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