Light in the Shadow of Jihad

by Ravi Zacharias, Multnomah Publishers, Inc., Sisters, OR
ISBN: 1-57673-989-9, 1998, 252 pages

One of the outstanding Christian apologists of our day is Ravi Zacharias. This man is exceptional not only because of his academic strength, but also from his background. He has been raised in a Hindu culture and has had extensive contact with all religious groups. Because he has had extensive academic training, he also can deal extensively with intellectual arguments. We have reviewed some of his other books in this journal in the past as well as books by those who work with him in the RZIM Ministries. Although he is less well known than people like Josh McDowell or Hugh Ross, he is an articulate spokesman for the validity of the Christian faith. He avoids issues that lead to doctrinal confrontations and operates more in the fields of philosophy, history, and theology. This book is a discussion of September 11 and its implications for Moslems, atheists, and followers of Jesus Christ.

The first reaction one might get from the title of the book is that this is an attack on Muslims, but that is not the case. Zacharias starts out reviewing the struggle between good and evil and how we know good and evil exist--jumping off the assertions of atheists like Richard Dawkins that they do not exist. He then develops a brief history of Islam, showing various variants of the Islamic faith. Being from India and a recognized authority on comparative religion, his viewpoint is unique and informative.

Chapter 4 is titled "Were Events Such as These Prophesied?" Zacharias does not suggest a specific prediction of the W T C. catastrophe, but does review Old Testament references to the coming of Christ as the ultimate cure for this kind of disaster. He then discusses the presence of God in the disaster and concludes with uniqueness of the Christian system as an ultimate solution to the problems the world is facing. There is an appendix titled "Steadying the Soul While the Heart is Breaking" that offers encouragement to all people.

This is a positive book. It calls on moderate Moslems to realize how important this role is in the problems we face. It also is a strong apologetic for the teachings of and about Jesus. We recommend this book highly.

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