Islam presents new challenges and new questions to Christians and to the West in a post-9/11 context.  
However, in many situations in the world, where Christians and Muslims live peacefully side-by-side as neighbours, political considerations are not uppermost. Challenging us to examine our own attitudes, Colin Chapman considers the issues involved in Christian engagement with Muslims and Islam. He explores, ultimately, how Christians can effectively bear witness to Jesus.  
This revised and updated edition incorporates brand new material on 'Islamic Terrorism', 'What is Islam?', 'The Qur'anic View of Christians' and 'Explaining Christian Beliefs About Jesus'. It will equip Christians to better understand Muslims and Islam in a rapidly changing world.

Colin Chapman

Cross and Crescent

Part One: Relating To Our Muslim Neighbours

Part Two: Understanding Islam

Part Three: Entering Into Discussion And Dialogue

Acknowledgments

Preface to the Second Edition

Introduction

How are the challenges of Islam perceived?

What is involved in Christian responses to Islam?

Part One Relating to Our Muslim Neighbours

1. Meeting face to face

Starting where we are

The secret of real dialogue

Greetings

Visiting

Visiting a mosque

Where will all this lead?

2. Appreciating Islamic culture

How can we begin to appreciate Muslim culture?

Festivals

Marriage and family life

Diet

Dress

Social manners

Comments on this description of Muslim culture

What is special about Islamic culture?

Some controversial aspects of Islamic culture

What do Muslims think about Western culture?

Some basic dos and don'ts

3. Examining our attitudes

'Look at the way they persecute Christians!'

'Islam seems to be a religion of violence'

'Islam wants to rule the world!'

'If Christianity is true, then Islam is false'

'It's impossible to convert Muslims, and we shouldn't try anyway'

'Muslims seem to be very prejudiced and have closed minds'

Part Two Understanding Islam

4. What is Islam?

The different faces of Islam

5. Basic Muslim beliefs and practices

Basic beliefs

Basic practices

6. Muslims at prayer

The call to prayer

The ablutions

The compulsory prayers (sala or salat)

The Fatiha

Other kinds of prayer

7. The life of Muhammad

Arabia before the time of Muhammad

The life of Muhammad

The successors of Muhammad

Christianity at the time of Muhammad and Muhammad's relations with Christians

The significance of the life of Muhammad for Muslims and Islam today

8. The Qur’an

The origins and interpretation of the Qur'an

Translations of the Qur'an

Reading the Qur'an

Important verses in the Qur'an

9. Tradition (hadith and sunna)

Collections of hadith

Further questions about tradition

Examples of hadith

10. Law (shari‘a) and theology (kalam)

The basis of law

Examples of Islamic law

Theology

Some examples of Islamic theology

11. Sufism

The origins of Sufism

Basic practices and emphases in Sufism

Sufism and orthodox Islam

Examples of Sufi writing

12. Folk Islam or popular Islam

Examples of folk or popular Islam

The world view of folk Islam

A text illustrating aspects of folk Islam

13. The spread and development of Islam

The first Islamic conquests

The spread of Islam in Africa and Asia

Relationships between Islam and Europe

Islamic empires and dynasties

European imperialism

Movements of revival and reform

14. Branches and movements within Islam

The break between Sunnis and Shi'ites

Distinctive beliefs of Shi'ites

Modern movements within Islam today

15. Issues facing Muslims today

1. Islam and the nation state: What does it mean for a state to be Islamic?

2. Pluralism and Muslim minorities: Can Muslims accept pluralism, and how should Muslims justify their existence as minorities in non-Islamic countries?

3. Unity: How should the unity of the Muslim world be expressed?

4. Economics: Is there a uniquely Islamic approach to questions of wealth and poverty?

5. Questions about truth and scripture: How does Islam respond to questions about the truth of its scriptures?

6. Israel: Can Islam tolerate the Zionist state?

7. Human rights: Can Muslims accept concepts of human rights as widely understood today?

8. Democracy: Is Islam compatible with democracy?

9. The struggle between fundamentalists and modernists: Which side will win?

__Islam presents new challenges and new questions to Christians and to the West in a post-9/11 context.__

However, in many situations in the world, where Christians and Muslims live peacefully side-by-side as neighbours, political considerations are not uppermost. Challenging us to examine our own attitudes, Colin Chapman considers the issues involved in Christian engagement with Muslims and Islam. He explores, ultimately, how Christians can effectively bear witness to Jesus.

This revised and updated edition incorporates brand new material on 'Islamic Terrorism', 'What is Islam?', 'The Qur'anic View of Christians' and 'Explaining Christian Beliefs About Jesus'. It will equip Christians to better understand Muslims and Islam in a rapidly changing world.

"Christians who are seeking to relate faithfully and intelligently to their Muslim friends and neighbours will find invaluable resources in this revised and updated edition of Cross and Crescent." David Marshall, Lecturer in Islamic Studies and author of God, Muhammad and the unbelievers  
   
 "This is one of the best books on Islam available today. Expect it to change you as well as inform you." Bryan Knell  
   
 "Muslims will not be won by sincere superficiality. Through this careful, thorough book burns a desire for God's unveiling." Howard Peskett

The Good Book Stall

This excellent, almost essential, reference work on the relationship between Islam &amp; Christianity has been a stalwart title for 12 years and appreciated by many. However, the seismic changes in world religious politics since its inception has required Colin Chapman to re-trace his steps and to revise whole sections in response to the seemingly inexorable rise of international terrorism and atrocities performed in the name of Islam. Cross and Crescent is both scholarly and very readable and is easy to use as a reference tool for Christians at all levels of their faith understanding. Chapman deliberately assumes no prior knowledge of Islam and skilfully demolishes any misguided preconceptions and replaces them with carefully crafted and Biblically based platforms from which the reader can both learn about Islam’s tenets of faith as well as presenting a way in which a Christian can interact with confidence a dialogue with most Muslims. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who has a desire to interact with Muslims or who lives close by a Muslim community and wants to understand this major religion better from a Christian standpoint. Even if you have the first edition, I would suggest that there is sufficient new material to justify the purchase of the second which brings the reader completely up to date with the current state of affairs.

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