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A Christian View of Islam: Essays on Dialogue By Steven Blackburn
A Christian View of Islam: Essays on Dialogue. By Thomas F. Michel, edited by Irfan A. Omar. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2010. Pp. xxiv, 214. Paperback $34. This collection of fifteen essays by the head of the Office for Islam of the Vatican Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue reflects writings stretching over twenty years. Most of what Michel says is applicable to non-Catholic versions of Christianity; in addition, Michel touches upon interreligious dialogue with other faiths, including Hinduism and Buddhism. Michel argues that interfaith dialogue is not a tea party of irenic souls uttering polite nothings. Realizing the need to address issues that many Christians have with Islam, such as its perceived links with violence and terrorism, Michel does not shrink from controversial topics. But he is also interested in treating subjects that may not readily occur to Christians, such as Islam's success in holding the allegiance of so many of its adherents in the face of modernity and secularization. In propounding a "quartet" of dialogue types--the dialogue of life, cooperation in social concerns, theological exchange, and sharing religious experience--Michel emphasizes that dialogue is not reserved for "experts," but that dialogue has its own culture and outlook that make it most useful at the personal level. This is especially important given the nonhierarchical nature of Islam. Michel's essay on fundamentalisms, both Christian and Islamic, is engagingly informative. This is not to say that other articles were not intriguing. Michel's treatment of Hagar as an archetype relevant to both Muslims and Christians, as well as to Jews, was tantalizingly short, leaving the reader wanting more. The same can be said of the lengthier yet no less fascinating discussion entitled "Social and Religious Factors Affecting Muslim-Christian Relations." Always interested in addressing practicalities of dialogue rather than abstractions, Michel, in his chapter comparing John Paul II and Said Nursi, presents an incarnational way of treating the commonalities, as well as the contrastive emphases, that can be found in the approaches of the two faiths. Kudos to the editor, Irfan Omar, for pulling together an important collection. Steven Blackburn is Faculty Associate in Semitic Scriptures, Hartford Seminary, Hartford, Connecticut. COPYRIGHT 2011 Overseas Ministries Study Center Copyright 2011 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
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