Christians and Muslims Encountering One Another

As I have noted on here numerous times before, the encounter between Christians and Muslims, of such interest to so many today, first began 1400 years ago when Eastern Christians were the first to be conquered by, and have to live under, Islam in Syria, Egypt, Armenia, and elsewhere. A new book comes out in paperback to look at numerous aspects of that encounter today:

Stephen Goodman, ed., World Christianity in Muslim Encounter: Essays in Memory of David A. Kerr (T&T Clark, 2012).

As the title suggests, this is a Festschrift, about which the publisher tells us:

Global Christianity in Local Context and Muslim Encounter is a unique collection of essays in honour of David A. Kerr, well-known for his contributions in the areas of Christian-Muslim dialogue, Ecumenical Studies and Missions. With contributions from recognized experts in these fields, the book provides a platform for examining contemporary Christian-Muslim relations and critical issues facing twenty-first century Christianity.

Volume 2 is a veritable Who’s Who of renowned Christian and Muslim scholars that have shaped the course of Christian-Muslim dialogue over the last half century. Their contributions in this volume address contemporary and pivotal issues facing Christians and Muslims today, such as Islamophobia, Islamism, Religious Freedom, Inter-religious Challenges and Urbanism, Mission and Economic Globalisation, Suffering and Social Responsibility, and others.

The whole book looks interesting, but perhaps of especial interest to Eastern Christians will be two chapters: 

• 5. Christian Muslim Relations in Ethiopia: Lessons from the Past, Opportunities for the Future, F. Peter Ford, Jr. (Reformed Church in America)
• 6. Some Medieval Muslim Views of Constantinople, Carole Hillenbrand (University of Edinburgh, UK) 

The first volume of this Festschrift, World Christianity in Local Context: Essays in Memory of David A. Kerr, also contains two articles of interest to Eastern Christians:

• 10. The Evolution of Nationalism within the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, James L. Hopkins (United Theological Faculty, Bulgaria) 
• 12. The Immediacy of Presence in the Experience of God: An Indian Christian Perspective, Geomon Kizhakkemalayil George (New York Divinity School, USA)