A Bounty of Books

The Gospel for Muslims: An Encouragement to Share Christ with Confidence by Thabiti Anyabwile is a primer from an ex-Muslim on tips for effectively sharing the gospel with Muslims. The book is broken into two sections, one about the gospel and one called "As You Witness." Each of the eleven chapters are short and comprised mainly of practical tips, though there are some personal stories from Anyabwile.

While there are good practical tips, there is nothing new or super unique about this book, except for Anyabwile's personal experiences. The main components of sharing the gospel with anyone regardless of religious background, is knowing the truth and sharing it and depending on Holy Spirit to do the actual work in a person's heart. Almost all of the advice given in this book could be applied to sharing the gospel with anyone.

Overall, The Gospel for Muslims is a good resource, but not a great one. It is short and easy to read if one is pressed for time, or needs a quick boost of confidence.

I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Moody Publishers Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, See Part 255

Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward by Nabeel Qureshi is a primer on understanding jihad and how it affects our world. Qureshi was raised as a devout Muslim. In his early twenties, after an in depth investigation of Islam that led him to reject the faith he was raised he, he converted to Christianity.

Qureshi states in the preface that he felt more comfortable addressing these questions individually rather than writing a book. However, he felt compelled to do so by the recent terrorist attacks in San Bernadino and Paris as well as the fiery responses to these attacks offered by certain American presidential candidates. As he says, "...lives are in the balance, and we must respond carefully. I cannot feign impartiality. Ignoring the reality of jihad endangers my nation, while responding with fear endangers my Muslim family" (11).

In Answering Jihad, Quershi provides a very understandable and basic explanation of both modern and historic Islam, jihad, and how people, specifically in the West, should respond to both. Using a question and answer form, Quereshi address eighteen questions he commonly gets asked, including "Is Islam a Religion of Peace?" and "How Does Jihad Compare with the Crusades?" Qureshi acknowledges that his treatment of each question is very basic and gives suggestions for resources that provide a more in depth look.

There are four appendices included at the end of Answering Jihad. They are "A Selective Timeline of Jihad in Islam," "Muhammad's Words on Jihad in Sahih al-Bukhari," "What Is the Caliphate?" and "Ahmadi Muslims and Details about My Former Sect of Islam." There is also a two page glossary of common Arabic and Islamic terms used throughout the book.

Overall I enjoyed Answering Jihad. I learned some important distinctions about subjects that are too often painted with a broad brush. This is a subject relevant to every American. Wherever one falls on the political spectrum, everyone can benefit from more information, and less fearful rhetoric. Answering Jihad is accessible enough to be a useful tool to aid in this conversation, therefore, I recommend it to anyone willing to more thoughtfully engage in this crucial topic.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookLook book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

In the Land of Blue Burqas by Kate McCord (which is a protective pseudonym) is a description of McCord's five years spent living in and ministering to the women of Afghanistan. Mainly through sharing anecdotes of her time there, the author shares many simple yet profound truths she learned about Jesus, being a follower of Christ, Islam, and the Afghanistan culture.

The author's humble and teachable spirit struck me in the first few pages and is one of the most prominent aspects of this book. The cultural adaptations she made in order to fit into her community and not offend those she was working with are impressive, as were the lengths she went to in order to understand both the religious and cultural lenses through which the people of her community saw life. McCord's accounts of different conversations she had with both the men and women in her area of Afghanistan were informative on two levels. The most obvious is that it provides a small window of insight into both the cultural and religious aspects of a country with which America is heavily involved in, though most of us have little to no understanding of its history or its people.

The less obvious is how the things McCord did and they way she approached things allowed her to have open and honest conversations with her neighbors about important topics which had the potential to be divisive, yet were simply instructive.  Her account was an encouragement and challenge to me about how I interact with those around me, especially those with whom I may have very little in common. The hope of Jesus Christ transcends every barrier humanity has created; McCord is a great example of how His followers can help knock those barriers down in constructive and healing ways.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in Afghan culture, living in a different culture, or learning how to better connect with others.

I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Moody Publishers Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Miraculous Movements by Jerry Trousdale is a collection of stores about Muslims around the world giving their lives to Jesus. Trousdale is the Director of International Ministries for CityTeam International. It is through this position that he has access to amazing stories of entire mosques and sometimes entire communities surrendering their lives to Christ. Using a simple model of discipleship based on Jesus and taken straight from the Bible, the events Trousdale's teams have witnessed everywhere from the African bush to cities in some of the most hostile countries truly are miraculous.

The format of the book is very appealing. Trousdale mixes first hand accounts of Muslims who have given their lives to Christ with the simple principles and strategies behind how his teams operate. Almost every principle has a story that goes along with it. While the principles and strategies are important, it is the stories that grabbed my attention and blew me away. The things that Christ does when we get out of the way are often beyond description. I appreciate that Trousdale does not lessen the power of each story with a lot of commentary; each story has power and impact on its own, and he lets them stand that way.

This book was interesting and and one of the most encouraging I've read in a long time, and I have no specific interest in foreign missions. Anyone who is interested in hearing about Christ moving among thousands of people will find Miraculous Movements an enjoyable read, as will anyone interested in living as Jesus did. Its in the simplicity of His life that change occurred; we don't need complicated programs and events to show Christ to people. The main thing I took away from this book is that the best discipleship happens as we go, and community is a key aspect of that. My favorite quote comes from page 183 and says, "Many of us are not conditioned to trust that the Word and the Spirit are really 'enough' without trained professional Christians in every new community of faith. Trust that God's Word and the Holy Spirit are enough for people seeking to know and obey God." Like a lot of this book, this statement was both convicting and encouraging. I would recommend Miraculous Movements by Jerry Trousdale to any follower of Christ.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255