Bill Musk

The title of this updated edition of Musk's 1992 Passionate Believing was changed at the publisher's behest. It reflects the events of 9/11 and includes two new chapters on the histories of the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. In what he considers to be his most important book, Musk tries to help westerners enter into the Islamic fundamentalist mindset and sees an irony in the fact that it is maybe closer to the Biblical worldview than much of western secular humanism. He looks at the influence of some of the most important Muslim thinkers from al-Afghani to Mawdudi, Qutb and Khomeini, reflecting on the anger that many of them felt towards the West as a result of imperialism and globalization. He sees in Islamism and the Islamic doctrine of tawhid (God's oneness) an implicit critique of the shortcomings of the western secular worldview and a challenge to Christians to become more public about their faith. Christianity, however, is not to be equated with Islam. Quoting Lesslie Newbigin he points out that whilst Muhammad chose the way of power in conquering Mecca, Christ chose to suffer and die in Jerusalem. Thus there is ahead a struggle for Christians to witness, with its nuance of ‘martyrdom’", as they seek to put Christ back into the centre of life."… (lisätietoja)

This book is a challenge not just to Muslims but to Christians as well to rethink how they understand their respective scriptures. Whilst the Qur’an is not the sole cause of Islamist violence, a growing literalist, jihad-oriented interpretation of the text is winning support and presenting a significant challenge to the traditional understanding of the majority of Muslims. However, Christian fundamentalism provides no less of a challenge and Musk suggests that Christianity too is in 'a struggle for its own soul' and he is particularly critical of the support of some American Christians for both Zionism and the ‘war on terror’. He examines issues of revelation, transmission, exegesis and interpretation in both Islam and Christianity and concludes that it is essential today that both a ‘hermeneutic of certainty’ and a secularist ‘hermeneutic of suspicion’ make way for healthy doubt and critical re-evaluation. Throughout, however, he maintains a strong conviction of both the trustworthiness of the Biblical revelation, rightly understood, and also the need for Muslims to hear the Gospel. Indeed, he believes that ‘we live on the cusp of a dramatic shift in the willingness of Muslims to hear the Christian story’ and that a post-7/7 world provides a unique opportunity for Muslims to rethink their ‘unhelpful certainty’.… (lisätietoja)

'The honour shame tension is central to the manner in which many Muslim cultures cohere - but is fundamentally alien to the way that most Westerners function.' With this pointed observation Bill Musk starts his readers on a quest to grasp the essential differences between Muslim cultures and the Western world view. We must shed negative stereotypes, and the resulting prejudice, if we wish to gain a hearing for the gospel. Dr Musk investigates a number of key themes, including male and female, family and individual, honour and shame, hospitality and violence. In each case, he draws upon his wide personal experience to show how Muslims view such matters: the book is studded with illuminating stories. This new edition follows the structure of the earlier book, while investigating these themes in greater depth and bringing the whole up to date.… (lisätietoja)

Musk writes this sympathetic book with the aim of trying to change attitudes and helping Christians to see the similarities that they share with Muslims as their ‘cousins’. He examines themes such as prophethood, text and power in the two faiths and tackles the ‘big question’ of whether Allah is the God of the Bible. The answer lies in the continuity/discontinuity tension between Islam and Christianity which he suggests may reflect the same tension that the early church experienced with Judaism. Musk also deals openly and honestly with the history of conflict between the two faiths including Islamic imperial expansion, the Crusades and the competition created by their shared sense of ‘mission’. After culminating with a comparison of respective views of humanity and Jesus Christ he ends by echoing Cragg’s call for an openness and humility towards Muslims and a renewed sense of ‘neighbourliness’ with cousins.… (lisätietoja)