Who Is My Enemy?

by Camp, Lee C.

• ISBN13: 9781587432880
• ISBN10: 1587432889
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-10-01
• Publisher: Brazos Pr

Summary

Current discussion of Islam in America tends toward two polar extremes. On one hand is the notion that Christianity is superior to Islam and that Muslims are warmongers. On the other is the notion that all religions basically say the same thing and are peaceable. Theologian and critically acclaimed author Lee Camp argues that both these extremes are wrong. He introduces Christian and Islamic views on war and peacemaking and examines Christian and non-Christian terrorism to help readers confront their own prejudices. Camp shatters misconceptions about religious violence, arguing that American Christians often opt for an ethic that has more in common with the story of Muhammad than with the story of Jesus. This book shows readers how to respond faithfully and intelligently to Muslims in today's world as well as to the New Atheists who suppose that all religion is inherently violent. It provides balanced teaching on war and peacemaking, offering hope for reconciliation in a post-9/11 world.

Author Biography

Lee C. Camp (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is professor of theology and ethics at Lipscomb University. He is the author of Mere Discipleship and hosts Tokens radio show.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
The Muslim Enemy	p. 1
To Seek to Understand Rather Than to Be Understood	p. 6
"Double Vision"
Double Vision at Ground Zero
"You Are Doing the Very Same Things"
Looking for New Testament Christianity	p. 13
Restricted Vision
Listening to New Stories
The Early Church and the Jesus Story	p. 18
The Early Church
Calls for Renewal
The New Testament and the Politics of Jesus	p. 26
To Istanbul and Back
On the Meaning of Politics
A Thought Experiment: The New Testament as Political Manifesto
The Idolatry of the Nation-State
Why "Conservatives" Are "Liberals" in Sheep's Clothing
The Qur'an and the Politics of Muhammad	p. 37
Basics of the Muhammad Story
An Important Development: Retaliation Permitted
Two Different Stories
The Narrative Logic of the Muhammad Story and the Jesus Story
What the Difference Is Not
Historical Outcomes as Theological Vindication
On the Christian, the Old Testament, and War	p. 48
The Early Muslims and the Muhammad Story	p. 55
The Classical Position on War in Islam
But Is It Really?
What to Make of the Parallels?
The Constantine Story and the Christian Just War Tradition	p. 65
The Rise of Christian War-Making
The Logic and Criteria of the Just War Tradition
But Do We Care?
Crusading for Christ	p. 75
Why the Crusades Are Not as Historically Irrelevant as We Might Think
Who Defines the "Justice" for Which War Is Rightly Waged?
The Cowboy Museum	p. 82
Taking Stock
Our Christian Forebears upon the Eastern Shores
Our Christian Forebears beyond the Western Shores
The Western Tradition of Terror	p. 90
On Possibly (but Perhaps Necessarily) Belaboring a Point
The Birth of "Total War"
"Total War" and the "Good War"
Terrorism bin Laden Style	p. 97
On '"Moral Equivalency"
Bin Laden's "Moral Equivalency"
Bin Laden's Rationale for Targeting Civilians
Taking Stock	p. 103
Why "Religion" Is Not (Necessarily) the problem	p. 109
visiting Abraham's Burial place
The Myth of Religious Violence
America as Savior A Parable
The Oklahoma Bombing, and Why America Can Never Commit Terrorist Acts	p. 117
Back in Oklahoma City
The Fight for America
Christian Church as Chaplain to America
Making Exceptions for US
On the Sign of Jonah, and the "Clash of Civilizations" Thesis	p. 125
The Sign of Jonah Selective Discernment Shared Cultural Practices
On Muslim Hospitality	p. 132
Good Friday	p. 140
Taking Stock
The Qur'an's Rejection of a Crucified Jesus
Theodicy
Evil as Mundane
A True Story to Live By
The Arab Barbershop, Changing Neighborhoods, and Other Small Exercises in Courage	p. 148
Notes	p. 155
Index	p. 171
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