Christians, Muslims, and Islamic Rage: What Is Going on and Why It Happened

by Christopher Catherwood

The world did not change on September 11. Instead, Americans found themselves in a wider struggle in which the rest of the world had been engaged for some time. The terrorist attacks marked the end of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310251389
• ISBN13: 9780310251385
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Take What is Valuable, Leave the Rest...

Catherwood has hit the mark with this book. This is the most succinct and balanced survey of Islam and Christianity that I have found. He shows how our world today is simply a continuation of a conflict that began over 1400 years. Catherwood writes for the layman, and his delivery is compassionate, balanced, and fair. He points out the mistakes of Christianity and Islam both with honesty. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand better the historical roots of what is happening today. There are no simple answers, but Catherwood does help us understand 'why they hate us.' (Much of this is rooted in the decline of Islamic culture, the ascendency of the West, and WHO is perceived as responsible for this situation...)As a non-practicing Christian, I, like some other reviewers, felt uncomfortable with some of Catherwood's conclusions which stem from his intense Christian beliefs, e.g. Islam is a false religion, and the ultimate solution is bringing the gospel to Muslims. My reactions stem from my American heritage where all Evangelical Christians seem to be right-wing republicans who scare me. Catherwood helps me realize that, unlike the polarized USA environment, Evangelical Christians can be from many different political persuasions in England, his home. Catherwood labels his personal beliefs for what they are, and they in no way diminish his scholarly analysis of the problem we must live with. While I may not share his religious views, I admire his gentle confidence which stems from them. My mind is not so closed as to wonder if perhaps he has something to offer in this area as well.In total, I recommend you take what is valuable (and there is very much in this book) and leave the rest.

I agree with those who found this a balanced book

I agree with those who found this a balanced and helpful book. It certainly does mention Muslims who are fanatical but it also mentions those who are moderate. As for the reader who found it chilling I too wonder, as has one of the other reviewers, whether or not he and I have read the same book! I did not find it at all chilling, since the author is clearly an optimist. It is excellent in particular on the subject of Islamic rage - it is not an exegesis of Islam per se, but a fascinating historical account of how the faith developed and why some Muslims today feel a profound sense of rage against the West. It is thoroughly to be recommended.

Can Tara Marshall and I have read the same book?

Can Tara Marshall and I have read the same book? It is full of references to moderate Muslims who hated the kind of extremism of bin Laden and his kind - Catherwood quotes the King of Jordan (a descendant of Mohammed) and President Khatami of Iran as being totally opposed to the kind of Islam we saw on 9/11. She also confuses "right wing" theology with "right wing" politics - Catherwood is certainly theologically conservative/evangelical but I did not detect any signs of political conservatism in this book (indeed he is unhappy with what he calls mindless Western materialism, which does not suggest anything politically conservative to me). I rather agree with the anonymous reviewer from West Palm Beach that this book is very balanced, careful and measured in its approach. As for Bernard Lewis, Catherwood quotes him as saying that the first 3 centuries of Christianity were of persecution and martyrdom, whereas the first 3 centuries of Islam saw the establishment of an empire from Spain in the West to the borders of India in the East. Since this is factually true, what objection to Bernard Lewis can there be? Not only that but Catherwood distinguishes between Palestinian nationalism (of the sort supported by Said, who was a Palestinian Christian, and not a Muslim) and that of extremist Islam which is entirely Islamic. I therefore think that this is one of the best and most balanced of recent books on this subject.

The best recent book on this subject by far

This is the best recent book on this subject by far. Catherwood goes out of his way to be balanced, thoughtful and judicious. He is also someone who can be read easily by a non-specialist reader like me - the many complexities of Islamic history and belief, the Crusades and the vagaries of 20th century history are all here in an easy to read yet never simplistic style. I cannot recommend it too highly to a wide audience.

Catherwood is an Evangelical but no fundamentalist

Catherwood is an Evangelical - but he is no fundamentalist. There is none of the foaming at the mouth kind of writing on Israel in this book that you see in fundamentalist literature. In fact one of the chapters of this book specifically criticises those who would demonise Islam, and points out that many of us in the materialist West are just as guilty of being against God in our self-centred materialism as the Muslims we all too easily demonise. Yes, this is sure a Christian book, but fundamentalist no. Read it and see for yourself - and make sure your Christian friends read it, because we in America sure need the voice of Evangelical but politically moderate Christianity that this author argues for.