When Religion Becomes Lethal: The Explosive Mix of Politics and Religion in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam / Edition 1

by Charles Kimball

Overview

A compelling look at today's complex relationship between religion and politics

In his second book, bestselling author Charles Kimball addresses the urgent global problem of the interplay between fundamentalist Abrahamic religions and politics and moves beyond warning signs (the subject of his first book) to the dangerous and lethal outcomes that their interaction can produce. Drawing on his extensive personal and professional knowledge of, experience with and access to all three traditions, Kimball's explanation of the multiple ways religion and politics interconnect within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam will illuminate the problems and give readers a hopeful vision for how to chart a safer course into a precarious future.

• Kimball is the author of When Religion Becomes Evil, one of the most acclaimed post 9/11 books on terrorism and religion
• Reveals why religion so often leads to deadly results 
• The author has scholarly knowledge and expertise and extensive personal experience with the peoples, cultures, and leaders involved

Readable and engaging, this book gives a clear picture of today's complex political and religious reality and offers hope for the future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470581902
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	04/12/2011
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	638,371
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

THE AUTHOR

Charles Kimball, Th.D., is presidential professor and director of religious studies at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. An ordained Baptist minister, he is a frequent lecturer in universities and church-related settings as well as an expert analyst on issues related to the Middle East, Islam, Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations, and the intersection of religion and politics. He is the author of five books, including the bestselling When Religion Becomes Evil.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

1 Christmas with the Ayatollah: The Volatile Mix of Religion and Politics 1

2 God Gave Us This Land: The Roots of Religion and Politics in Judaism 15

3 Israel: Deadly Conflict in Zion 33

4 “Render unto Caesar”: Religion and Politics in Christianity 58

5 America: One Nation Under God? 75

6 There is No God But God: Religion and Politics in Islam 96

7 Muslim vs. Muslim: The Struggle for the Soul of Islam 120

8 Iran and Iraq: Axis of Evil or Harbinger of Hope? 137

9 A Road to Disaster: The Fallacy of Fundamentalism 157

10 Hope for the Perilous Journey Ahead 178

Notes 193

Selected Bibliography 229

The Author 233

Name Index 235

Subject index 241