Peter G. Riddell and Peter Cotterell Baker Academic, 231 pp., $17.99 |
Islam stands at a crossroads, say Peter G. Riddell and Peter Cotterell. Will Muslims advance down the road of peaceāor will they increasingly veer toward the path of violence?
Avoiding stereotypes and generalizations, Riddell and Cotterell (both with the Center for Islamic Studies and Muslim-Christian Relations at London Bible College) offer balanced summaries of different Muslim groups. But they don't shy away from acknowledging Muslim "Westophobia." Muslim antipathy, they write, "derives from a potent cocktail of ingredients that go far back in time, to the beginnings of Muslim-Christian historical contact and to the very Islamic texts themselves."
The authors also propose ways to resolve tensions between Christians and Muslims. That includes urging Muslim scholars to put verses of the Qur'an that advocate violence and demean women back into their original contexts.
Riddell and Cotterell familiarize readers with Islam's history and theology. The information provided is well organized, accessible and comprehensive, although the addition of a glossary would have been helpful.
Christians who desire a greater understanding of Islam and current events in the Middle East will find this lucid overview lends context to newspaper headlines.
Cindy Crosby is a frequent contributor to Publishers Weekly.
Related Elsewhere
Islam in Context is available from Christianbook.com and other book retailers.
More information about Peter G. Riddell is available on his page of the London Bible College web site.
Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.
Our digital archives are a work in progress. Let us know if corrections need to be made.
Annual & Monthly subscriptions available.
- Print & Digital Issues of CT magazine
- Complete access to every article on ChristianityToday.com
- Unlimited access to 65+ years of CT’s online archives
- Member-only special issues
- Learn more
More from this Issue
Read These Next
- TrendingAmerican Christians Should Stand with Israel under AttackWhile we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
- From the MagazineShould the Bible Sound Like the Language in the Streets?Controversy over Bibles in Jamaica, the Philippines, and Germany reveal the divide between the sacred and the relatable.
- Editor's PickShoes Stay On for Maundy ThursdayFew Protestant traditions continue the footwashing that Jesus did at the Last Supper. Some want a revival of the practice.