As I was reading Diana Eck’s book, A New Religious America, I was reminded that the average American does not have a clue about religious movements in America. Our attitude of tolerance, privatization of religion, and pluralism has made America the most religiously diverse nation on earth. These factors have also kept America from seeing both the challenge and the gravity of this situation.

However, Sept. 11, 2001 opened some eyes to one of the fastest growing religions in America and the world, namely Islam. We have challenged our readers to be aware of what is happening as more and more Muslims are populating all areas of our country. Because there is so much to read of varying quality, we attempt to be very selective and present books that are strategic, informative, and readable.

Christopher Catherwood teaches courses on Islam and religious conflict for the University of Virginia. He lives in England and is a well-known historian. In many ways, Islamic Rage is similar to Bernard Lewis’s book, The Crisis of Islam. I believe the books reinforce each other and thus help us to have a fuller and more accurate picture of our world today.

Catherwood is another easy to read writer. He focuses on key issues that have caused the war between Christians and Muslims in the west. He states that this book is for the general reader, though he clearly writes from much knowledge and expertise on the topic. He intentionally leaves out many technical details in order to appeal to the non-technical reader.

This book will give us some basis for asking and answering the question of what can and should we be doing about current events. While it is true that many Muslims abhorred and decried what happened on Sept 11, 01 at the twin towers, others praised and celebrated the event. It was all part of the jihad (Holy War) for Islam. Part of our perplexity is that in America we have learned to isolate and privatize our religion from politics or economics. However with Islam, religion is the energy behind all those areas.

Catherwood points out that with today’s Islamic terrorists, “they have no such qualms and actually want to massacre people on a vast scale for reasons we shall see” (in this book). In saying that, Catherwood attempts to explain why Islamic rage is such a 20^th and 21^st century phenomenon.

In contrast to Lewis’s book, Catherwood does help us think about the past, present, and future from a Christian perspective. He wants us to understand that what is happening today actually had its beginning a long time ago. We are still paying for the mistakes of the Crusaders, as far as Islam is concerned.

As I read Catherwood’s book, I realized that it was bad theology that led to the Crusades. It was bad theology that led to the development of Islam. Hence we find in history both Muslims and Christians using the same tactics in the name of religion, which was a false religion. So if bad theology got us into this predicament, then good theology must be our hope of getting out of the morass that has engulfed us.

There is so much in this book, like The Crisis in Islam, that I would like to quote, but space does not allow it. However, if you want to understand what you are hearing on the daily news, you will not want to miss the chapter “Oil and America: The Political and Religious Consequences of Everyday Decisions.” In that chapter he points out that seeing ourselves as others see us is crucial, whether they are right in their observations or not. He even deals with the burning question some have, “Can a Christian Drive a SUV?”

Catherwood closes his book on a positive optimistic view because as he says, Islamic extremism will fail because God’s purposes will not be thwarted. God tells us his ultimate purposes in the Bible and it is not for extreme Islam to succeed with their jihad. As an added value, Catherwood has a helpful glossary of Islamic related terms at the end of the book.