Islam: Towards a Christian Assessment

It is always very difficult for believers to make a fair assessment of religious convictions which are different from their own. The nature of religious belief is such that it involves a total commitment of heart and mind, and this makes it particularly difficult to acquire and practise the kind of balanced detachment which one would normally expect in any scholarly investigation. Christians and Muslims have both been guilty of caricaturing each other's beliefs, and this has produced a tradition of misunderstanding and mistrust which bedevils inter-faith communication today.
 
Having warned against comparing theological ideals with practical reality, this study investigates key concepts in Islam relevant to Christianity, then looks at some historical events, both in Islamic development and more recently. It concludes with a fresh slant on the challenge of Islam today, and some helpful further reading.