An incredible overview of Islam and Christian-Muslim interaction. The book also delves into religious-political challenges in the largely secular western world. An excellent book to read if a Christian brother or sister intends to relate well to Muslim neighbours, with systematic and in depth coverage of a lot of topics.

Written from a Christian perspective comparing Islam and Christianity, this book feels nearly exhaustive in its scope of topics in regards to Islam. Chapman provides overviews and specifics of Islam in its various forms, and in the latter part of the book moved into Christian engagement with Islam and ministry examples and ideas.

A few finer points I disagree with (that Christians and Muslims worship the same God because they are monotheists) but overall a helpful guide along with interesting starting points for ministry to Muslims.

This is the first book about Islam from a Christian perspective that I have read, so I don't have anything to compare it to. I appreciated Chapman's irenic tone above all. I found it a genuinely Christian alternative to all the "West vs. East" culture war rhetoric that has been flying around, especially within the last 10 years. He is measured in his recommendations, and takes pains to allow Muslims to describe what they believe in their own words. That said, he doesn't gloss over the differences between Christianity and Islam. Some of the quotes are longer than necessary, and he repeats himself more often than necessary. Apart from those quibbles, I'd recommend this book to a Christian seeking to respond to Islam in a distinctively Christian way.

Reasonable intro on bringing Christianity to Muslims.

A great book, that did a great job at looking at all sides of the issue, fairly, and objectively.

This was a surprisingly easy book to read, especially as it was designed to be a textbook. The author does not assume any prior knowledge of Islam and then seeks to educate and challenge a Christian reader regarding how to interact with Islam and Muslims. The writing style of the book is outstanding, and the book is very approachable and manageable. It seemed that the author was afraid to confront anything bad that has come out of Islam, or done in the name of Islam, but rather spent more effort talking about the horribly things (e.g. the crusades) that were done in the name of Christianity. As a result, I had mixed feeling about the book. So while I completely support what the author is doing in terms of how we interact with individual Muslims, I was not convinced regarding his methodology of interacting intellectually with Islam.

This is a pretty new area for me and I do believe Chaplin's book has helped me a great deal. The author begins with the basics and progressively unravels what it means to engage the Muslim community in a dialogue about faith. He takes from history, other scholars, and other missionaries and provides crucial information that all Christians should know of before approaching someone of the Muslim faith. And he not only promotes knowledge and access to information, but also understanding and love while not at all downplaying the message of Jesus.

For anyone in our post 9/11 world who has no idea what is going on in the Muslim world, this is the book for you. A concise and easy read, this book does a great job at giving readers a great introduction to the Muslim world.

I really appreciate this book. I say this, in part, because it covers so much. And maybe some might argue this is its downfall, but there is a lot to be said when comparing two major religions.

Colin Chapman starts his book well, offering suggestions on ways in which we might relate to our Muslim neighbours. This is good, because we often fall prey to pressures that would have us see Muslims as "the other." With an awesome quote, Chapman starts this first chapter like this: "'Hello, how are you?' This was the short answer to a student who asked: 'How should I approach a Muslim?'" With this quote, Chapman sets the tone for the rest of his book. He is fair in his assessment of the similarities and differences between the two religions and makes sure that his readers know that we mustn't demonize one another; we are all humans with similar needs and desires.

Out of the five large sections from his book, I most appreciated Part Four: Facing Fundamental Differences. Chapman does not shy away from the differences we possess and is the first to say that these are legitimate concerns. That being said, Chapman should be commended for his approach to common questions such as "Is the God of Islam the same God as the God of Christianity?" Chapman refuses to answer this question simplistically. Instead, he prefers to "break the question down to several smaller questions" (235). His approach to the fundamental differences between Islam and Christianity is nuanced and is certainly appreciated.

Overall, this is a very good book, but does attempt to tackle a lot. This is to be expected of a book that attempts to both inform readers of Islam and offers suggestions in how to discuss and share the Christian faith with Muslims. Good book!

As a brief, easy-to-read and (relatively) non-partisan account of Islam and its relationship with Christianity, this is a very good book. The chapters are short and written in such a way that, whilst being clearly Christian in intention and orientation, polemic is studiously avoided. Colin Chapman is at all times courteous to the Muslim faith. Liberal and non-stereotyped opinions and attitudes are given alongside more conservative readings, allowing the reader to understand something of the breadth of Islamic doctrine and culture.

The first edition of this book was published in the seemingly long-vanished world of 1995. It was apparently updated in 2003 although apart from one reference to the Iraq invasion of that year there seems to be little new material that was added. Significantly 9/11 is not mentioned: indeed Islamic terrorism is a subject barely touched upon. This is doubtless due to the non-confrontational tone of the book, but in 2017 this particular elephant in the room is so big that any such book written now would have to devote significant time to it.

However, the tone and content of Cross and Crescent should remind us that for the "ordinary" Muslim attempting to live a life of faith in a tough culture, there are many more pressing concerns in their life than the tragedies being played out in the Middle East.

Hands down, the BEST, most user-friendly book to help Christians understand and engage with their Muslim neighbors. Might make an interesting small group discussion book.

Very thought provoking in this time of tension between the two religions. What can we do to our Islamic neighbors? How can we live in harmony?