Thomas F. Michel, A Christian View of Islam: Essays on Dialogue.

Kim, Heon C.

Thomas F. Michel, A Christian View of Islam: Essays on Dialogue. Edited by Irfan A. Omar. Faith Meets Faith Series. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2010. Pp. 214. $34.00, paper.

The post-9/11 world has observed a religious resurgence grounded in fundamentalist sensibilities, increasing the need for interfaith dialogue and relevant scholarly works. To put it mildly, religion has become an increasingly controversial subject. While many believe it to be a major source of violence and wars, others consider it a necessary ingredient in the effort to resolve conflicts and build peace. The topic of Christian-Muslim relations inevitably comes up in discussion of religion and peace, usually with the question of whether it is possible for these two religions to have a constructive dialogue in our post9/11 context.

This book is an up-to-date answer. It provides persuasive rationales for Muslim-Christian dialogue toward "mutual enrichment" (p. 26) and "for the benefit of all" (p. 154). Michel is "a major force in Catholic-Muslim dialogue across the world" (p. xvi), who has over three decades' experience in dialogue. As an outcome of his experience, this book shows an insider's approach, which, far from theoretical speculation, enables a realistic discussion on Christian-Muslim dialogue. This approach attempts to "see the Other with the Eyes of the Other" (p. 9) in treating the questions, problems, and possibilities for interfaith dialogue.

With this realistic approach, Michel's text addresses a wider readership. It is an excellent resource for Christians and Muslims who engage in dialogue. For instance, any reader who faces evangelicalism in Christianity and Dawah in Islam as a serious obstacle for a constructive dialogue would find this book an eye-opening inspiration. For a reader who looks for peace amid religious exclusivism and war, this book presents peace, not in the abstract but in practice. Not only by investigating theological, historical, and cultural roots of Muslim-Christian conflicts but also through the author's lived experience it demonstrates that peace is innate in both religions and thereby provides the foundation for a dialogue.

The rigorous method that this book employs should also attract academics. A study of comparative religions is neither a simple parallel of differences nor a subjective choice of which one is right or better. Rather, it aims to employ meaningful connections for a better understanding of each religion. This book employs interfaith dialogue itself as a method of comparison, which may be called "dialogic method." Defining dialogue as "coming to know each other" (p. 9), it uncovers what is "real" beyond the differences and argues that "the Christian and the Muslim are not out to convince each other that their way is superior" but to share "from their riches what makes sense to them and what gives direction to their lives" (p. 191). Likewise, by using a dialogic method, this book successfully depicts how Christianity and Islam can collaborate to help the world.

Heon C. Kim, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA