Not Peace But A Sword: New Robert Spencer book coming March 25
My twelfth book, Not Peace But A Sword: The Great Chasm Between Christianity and Islam, will be published on March 25 by Catholic Answers. It is especially timely in light of the decision, under media and Islamic supremacist pressure, of the Roman Catholic bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts to drop me from speaking at a conference there. This is because the book explores the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam, the nature of the dialogue that has gone on between the two so far, and the prospects of such dialogue in the future. What happened to me in Worcester unfolded rather like a scripted illustration of what I explain in the book.
Here are some advance reviews:
"Dialogue with Islam may be the order of the day, but what exactly should we talk about? Before we can discuss what we, as Catholics, might have in common with Muslims, we had better be aware of the defining differences as they are understood by Muslims themselves. This is the invaluable service Spencer provides in this book, which directs our attention to what the Islamic revelational texts actually say and how they are understood by the majority of Muslims today. With his usual clarity and insight, Spencer gets to the essence of the problems that anyone who thinks we can talk our way out of the challenge Islam presents must face. Catholics need to know this material." -- Robert Reilly, author of The Closing of the Muslim Mind
"Robert Spencer is a careful observer of Islam and a courageous voice on behalf of Christians. In his new book, Not Peace But a Sword, he shows Catholics how to take Islam seriously without falling into alarmism, hatred, or bigotry. He provides a needed corrective to the misinformation and disinformation propagated by so many media today." -- Scott Hahn, author of The Lamb's Supper, Understanding the Scripturesand many other books
"In Not Peace but a Sword, Robert Spencer carefully examines the multifaceted challenge posed to Christianity by an increasingly militant Islam. His case is calm, lucid, accurate, and uncompromising in its presentation of the facts of history. He provides an honest and unflinching account of the roots of Christian/Muslim tensions, a robust defense of Jesus Christ and Christianity in response to Muslim claims, and a sobering wake-up call to all Christians everywhere that objects in the mirror are closer (much closer) than they appear." -- Patrick Madrid, author of Envoy for Christ: 25 Years as a Catholic Apologist and host of the "Right Here, Right Now" radio show
"As Robert Spencer clearly shows in this much-needed book, a great many Catholics know only a Disneyfied version of Islam. While Christians in North Africa and the Middle East are being exterminated in the name of Islam, Catholics in the West still cling to the dangerous illusion that Muslims and Christians share much in common. But beneath the surface similarities, as Spencer ably demonstrates, lies a deep and possibly unbridgeable gulf. This is must reading not only for Catholics but for all Christians." -- William Kilpatrick, author of Christianity, Islam, and Atheism: The Struggle for the Soul of the West
