On Islam (Abraham Kuyper Collected Works in Public Theology)

“Abraham Kuyper took the public power of Islam seriously. He did not reduce the complex global faith to a private spirituality, a medieval superstition, or a battle cry. Nor did Kuyper believe that Islam would be quickly overcome by the power of modernity and Western reason. No, Kuyper understood Islam as a complex, pervasive, and potent global force with profound implications for politics, economics, education, science, and the family. Limited and imperfect to be sure, Kuypers insightful reflections represent a fascinating window into how a Christian might take Islams public and cultural implications seriously. Throughout this text, Kuypers many moments of Christian wonder and curiosity at Islams historic influence and future potential all model a posture that contemporary Christians would do well to note.”

“Abraham Kuypers travelogue volume written at the turn to the twentieth century is an invaluable time capsule for understanding Islam. The issues and problems Kuypers saw in the Muslim world in 1907 are still the major issues of the Muslim world today. Kuyper deals with the fears that Christians of the Middle East felt from resurgent Islam. Most of the Christian communities he describes either no longer exist or are in exile. He wrote before the Armenian genocide. He deals with the lack of education of women in Islam and their oppression. He saw in the Mahdi of Sudan the same forces we see today in al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. One might say that his understanding of Islam in 1907 far exceeds that of the reflexive multi-culturalism dominant in Europe of the twenty-first century. His reflections on the Russo-Japanese War and its fallout, particularly Muslim expectations of western weakness, are worth the entire volume. Read this book!”

“It would be sufficient to commend this volume to say that it brings to the world the writings on Islam of this extraordinary Christian statesman and intellectual, who treats this great world religion with respect, sensitivity, admiration, and a travelers insight, all the while remaining rooted solidly in his deep Christian faith. But it is more: a model of engagement for our world, in which the relationship between Christianity and Islam is critical for the global future. The volume will be invaluable for the Christian engaged with Muslims but also for anyone interested in peace and productive friendship between the worlds great religions.”