ebooks American Christians and Islam: Evangelical Culture and Muslims from the Colonial Period to the Age of Terrorism by Thomas S. Kidd in History

Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A Helpful Historical SurveyBy D. C. KosobuckiThis is a detailed and thorough documentation and analysis of what American Christians have been saying about Islam and/or Muslims throughout American history. It's interesting to see the key themes that have remained central to the discussion despite changing historical circumstances. The reader will be motivated to think more clearly about Islam in order to be sure he or she is not simply parroting views that have been articulated throughout several centuries or leaning on convenient stereotypes.7 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Serious; readable history of American Protestant views of IslamBy Kecia AliKidd points out early in his eminently readable account of American Christian images of Muslims and Islam that he is not a scholar of Islam but rather of American religion. Thus; he makes no attempt to assess the accuracy of the claims about Muhammad; the Qur'an; or Muslim "culture" that his mostly conservative; mission-focused Protestant scholars and authors make over three-plus centuries; from the colonial period until the aftermath of 9/11. Instead; he shows both continuous strands in views of Muslims and significant shifts in how Christians related to them. To do so; he draws from a vast array of church publications; newspaper accounts; and scholarly and popular books. His first chapter; on Anglo-American images of Islam; demonstrates how Islam was mostly used in intra-Protestant debate: one way to discredit your opponents was to liken them to Muhammad. (A parallel theme; the polemical Protestant link between Islam and "popery" [Catholicism] recurs throughout.) The next chapter; on images of Islam and Muslims in the early republic; addresses the concern over Barbary piracy and the captivity narratives that resulted; with increased attention to the political despotism as well as theological error of Muslims. The next three chapters focus on missionary activity aimed (largely in vain) at conversion of Muslims. These fascinating chapters; full of historical detail; illustrate the persistence of images of Muhammad as "false prophet" -- and the ways in which negative images of Islam's prophet and holy book could serve as a stumbling block to evangelization. Increasingly; however; Zionism and American foreign policy in the Middle East created a barrier to understanding between Arab Muslims and Christian missionaries. Kidd here; as earlier; draws links between various theological approaches (premillenial dispensationalism; postmillenialism; etc.) and attitudes toward Israel and the place of Arabs and Islam in end-times scenarios - a subject which recurs in the penultimate chapter. (For those without solid background in Christian theology; a few more sentences of explanation at strategic points would be useful.) A chapter on Muslims in America contains more exposition as a prelude to an exploration of how Christian theologians; white and black; responded to African-American Muslim movements; separatist and "orthodox" (not his term). The final chapter; on post-9/11 Christian approaches to Islam; makes the case successfully that though the negative images circulating are perhaps proportionately more present as part of evangelical Christian discussions; they are largely consonant with those offered by American Christian thinkers over the centuries.2 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Christian Evangelicalism in the Middle EastBy William Garrison Jr."American Christians and Islam" by Thomas Kidd (2009). This Christisan author presents a very unbiased review of Christian missionary activities in the Middle East (c. 1770s-2000). While the author reviews the efforts of various Christian sects; he does not support any particular sect or method. What I found of great value is that the author briefly discusses many specific missionaries; what thier objectives were; and what degree of success or shortcomings they had. The author noted that despite the missionary efforts very few Muslims actually converted. From the inside book cover: "He shows how accounts of 'Mahometan' despotism and lurid stores of European enslavement by Barbary pirates fuled early evangelicals' fears concerning Islam; and describes the groving conservatism of American missions of Muslim lands up through the post-World War II era. Kidd... demonstrates why Islam has become central to evangelical 'end-times' narratives.... Kidd explains why Christians themselves are ironically to blame for the failure of evangelism in the Muslim world." The author notes how American Christian evangelican leaders rebuked Pres. George Bush for maintaining that Islam is a "Religion of Peace" and how both Christians and Muslims "have the same God." The author noted the public impact of Pope Benedict XVI (c.2006)quoting a fourteenth-century Byzantine emperor who said "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new; and there you will find things only evil and inhumane." Good companion books include: "Power; Faith; and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present" by Michael Oren and "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam" by Robert Spencer.