Customer Reviews

Terrorism, Jihad, and the Bible

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book's greatest strength is that it is short. In addition, the book is very interesting and it accuartely exposes how the Koran is driving terrorism. I have given it 5 stars because it makes its point quickly. It is an excellent starting point for the further study of Islam and its dangers.

To his credit, John MacArthur is a man who often speaks boldly and is willing to challenge conventional thought and say things that may not be popular or easy to hear, while effectively arguing his point and backing up what he says. Unfortunately, in this book, he only partially succeeds in doing this.

The stated purpose of this book is to provide answers to why God allowed the 9/11 tragedies to occur, why Islam is hostile towards the West generally and Israel and the US specifically, and can we possess any hope going forward given what's happened. The book has some strengths and I think it hits on a few important themes, but in the end, I felt that this book, like much of the Christian response to 9/11, was half baked and missed the mark.

The one sustained strength of the book was MacArthur's analysis of the history of Islam. He examines Biblical geneologies, along with a brief summary of the life and attitudes of Mohammed, coupled with an analysis of Islam's spread to the present day. The reader should be warned that this analysis is at a very top level. MacArthur further expounds on Quranic teachings relative to waging a holy war, or jihad. MacArthur's contention is that the Quran is very clear that jihad is acceptable and even admirable, and that Islam actually teaches that the only way a Muslim has a guarantee of going to heaven is by dying while fighting a holy war - and that this heaven is a highly sexualized experience. MacArthur contends that this is one of the main reasons why so many young Muslim men seem willing to die in this way, since MacArthur's contention is that Islam provides no guarantees about the believers eternal state if they die any other way.

The other modest strength of the book is in MacArthur's examination of the response of the world, and Americans in particular, to the tragedy. He makes a very good point that the total number of people who died in the tragedies were actually less than the average number of deaths in the US on any given day. MacArthur makes a compelling point that Americans have gotten very good at ignoring or minimizing death when it gradually occurs one person at a time. It's only when many folks die suddenly and simultaneously that many of us take the time to think about our own mortality. MacArthur would have been wise to expand on this point, as it would have been very relevant to what he was trying to address in the book.

While the above strengths are sufficient enough for me to grant the book 3 stars, I frankly expected more from MacArthur, and was a bit confused about his target audience. The book is very short and summary oriented, which leads me to believe that this was an attempt at a purely evangelistic tool, almost like an expanded tract. But if that was his intention, he should have included a list of suggested resources which would complement his book, since this short summarized treatise left many areas where the inquisitive reader would have additional questions or concerns. Similarly, some of his language was unnecessary and would likely turn off someone who is being witnessed to (intimating that Satan was behind the creation of Islam does nothing to further loving outreach to seekers, and does lots to turn them off - nor is it even vital to the premise of his book, it was unnecessarily inflammatory). Such language might be okay if the book was intended for mature Christians, but if this was his target audience, it is likewise a book that does not get the job done in terms of extensively critiquing Islam and how it differs from Christianity and how Christianity is better equipped to explain the 9/11 tragedy.

At the end of the day, I just didn't think that there was a lot of "there, there" with this book. It struck me as a book that was put together rapidly in order to get into people's hands while the wound was still fresh, and like much of the Christian church's response to 9/11, comes across as a bit stale and as an evangelistic rush job. With 'religious activity' levels today returning to their pre attack levels according to various polls, it is becoming increasingly clear that the church's response to the tragedy was insufficient. I would argue that a great deal of the reason is because the church was not thoroughly addressing the questions and issues that people were raising in the aftermath of 9/11. The church was providing too many canned answers for a wide audience that had been heard before, rather than presenting a meticulous apologetic for the truth and viability of the Christian faith as not only our best hope for humanity, but also as the best explanation for what happened on 9/11 and why. Unfortunately, this book by MacArthur struck me as being a good example of the former, rather than the latter.

John MacArthur is the Pastor of Grace Community Church in the San Fernando Valley, CA and the author of numerous popular Christian books. After the 911 attacks the author wrote this book to help Christians understand the roots of the conflict between Islam and the rest of the world.
This is not a book that offers an exhaustive study of Islam, but was written to encourage Christians in a time of Islamic terror and war. It is a small book (116 pages) and was given for edification and is not a robust apologetic against Islam.

The book covers:

- The Biblical perspective on war
- Who was behind the attacks of 911
- A starting discussion on the problem of evil
- Where real hope comes from.

This is a firm, simple, and clear introduction to Islamic terrorism and what is the rightful response of nations and Christians.
One Way to God: Christian Philosophy and Presuppositional Apologetics Examine World Religions

as usual, john macarthur writes about these subjects biblically and concisely. very interesting subject matter and very relevant to our culture today. also talks about the death penalty in light of the Bible, which is really interesting. i highly recommend reading this book- it's a short, easy read.

I have read this book now a number of times, I have studied the Muslim faith on my own on more than a few occasions, and I have read the Koran - If Pastor John was lying - I would be the first to admit it. But I have never heard Pastor John distort the doctrines of any false religion. He is one of the world's most notoriously meticulous Biblical scholars, and his inquisitive nature and honest study habits have caused him to expose the truth behind Muslim terrorism, Muslim jihad, and what the Word of God has to say about both.
I would caution any future reviewers of attacking a man who is so fastidious with making sure he is correct on his interpretation of a single Biblical passage, when you have not studied the needed material to make an educated statment about a book. It exposes ignorance and creates even futher confusion - which I do not believe either side would want on this important issue.
As far as the content of this book is concerned - the author does not make any statements about the truth behind Islam without offering the reader supplementary evidence for his cricism of the religion from Muslim sources themselves. Pastor John also does this with Roman Catholicism and especially with the Charasmatic movement in such books as "The Gospel According to Jesus", "Faith Works", and "Hard to Believe". Every statement is backed by facts.
What are the facts in this book? Pastor John exposes the fact that Jihad is not only recommended but commanded of every true Muslim and that the only way to enter into paradise and enjoy eternal carnal indulgence is to die in that struggle. Without dying in "holy war" - a Muslim cannot be sure of ever entering into the kingdom of paradise. He makes the point that most of the young Muslim men are deceived into this heresy by older imams who encourage their youth to shed the blood of innocents - especially Jews.
I would also not be doing my job as a reviewer of Pastor John's work if I did not also warn you about his study of the life and character of the False Prophet Mohammed. It is extensive, well researched, and of a high level of understanding. It will probably cause an Arab Muslim to question the man who he has believed had spoken on behalf of the false god Allah - and rightly so. A man seeking after truth would not want to praise a so-called prophet who was a racist, polygamist, pedafile (his youngest wife married him at the age of nine - her name was Aisha), and most of all - a weakminded individual swayed easily by the mind of one of his wives when trying to determine if his spiritual revelations were truly angelic or demonic. (By the way, Mohammed was in a state of utter despair when trying to determine whether angels or demons were speaking to him - the "angels" tortured the poor man and put a terrible amount of fear into his mind. Only by having one of his wives decide for him that the revelations were angeleic did he continue to be the false prophet of this infamous false religion) -a sad response to a sadly sinful life.
One reviewer has questioned the identity of Pastor John's intended audience. I have to confess that I have had the same doubts. The probable reason for this is because it is intended to be an historical and biblical insight into the inner history and working of the faith of those behind the deaths of our loved ones on the part of Christians, while at the same time educating the non-Christian audience. Most of the author's other books are obvious as to their target audience. This one is intended for both believers and non-believers - and yes, time after the 9/11 attacks did play an important role and for good reason. What merit is there in producing a book of answers when the public is no longer asking the targeted questions?
I have to say that this book is well-researched, well-structured, and most of all - well-written. Islam is NOT a loving religion. It is a religion of spread, conquer, and make war. Take into account the following quotes from the Koran which Pastor John includes in his book.
"Allah is an enemy to infidels." (2:92) "Fight for the cause of Allah." (2:245) "Allah loves no infidel." (2:276) "O Believers! Take not the Jews or Christians as friends. They are but one another's friends. If any one of you takes them for his friends, he surely is one of them!" (5:56) "Fight then against them until strife be at an end, and the religion be all of it Allah's. (8:40) "Kill those who join other gods with Allah wherever you shall find them; and seize them; besiege them, and lay wait for them with every kind of ambush: but if they shall convert, and observe prayer, and pay the obligatory alms, then let them go their way." (9:5) You can find more of these quotes on pages 46-48 of the book.
The heresy of Islam and the desire to shed of blood of innocents by Muslims is overwhelming - matched only by their cowardice, I fear. So in the light of the Bible, and history, and my desire to see the truth proclaimed, I recommend this five-star book.

John MacArthur is well deserved in his reputation as the no.1 Bible expositor in the USA today - and this again shows the master expositor at his best. Needless to say, John does not steer clear of controversy - which is not surprising for those who know him! If I may modestly suggest my own book CHRISTIANS MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE - you will see in it that I have quoted John and his views on several occasions and I trust that his book and mine will give the overall picture Christians need in these troubled times. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)

I don't know any of the men who flew those planes into the Trade Center towers. Never met them. Even if I did, I would have no right to pass judgment on them. And when I say judgment, I'm referring to their hearts. I can't judge their hearts. John Macarthur can't judge their hearts. Only God can judge their hearts. What's my authority for such an unpopular statement? The Bible. When I read my Bible, I see many times the command to look inward, to judge your own actions and sins. To remove the plank from your own eye. Likewise, a nation must look inward and judge its own actions and sins. We have many foreign policies that cause people of the world to suffer. People who live in disadvantaged parts of the world. They don't have supermarkets and shopping malls and good medicine and 100 different kinds of candy bars... They have hunger, they have poor schools and poor medical facilities. They have dictators that we have supported. But they also have oil. And as John Macarthur stated in his book, "Desires for pleasure and self-fulfillment are what motivate people to wage war."

America's hands are not clean in this. We as a nation are not blameless, are not sinless. Don't get me wrong, the people who died on 9/11 were innocent victims. Don't get me wrong, the hijackers commited terrible mass-murder. But some of the victims blood is on us all: the government officials who enacted selfish foreign policies, and those of us who benefit from those policies. That means you and me folks, every one of us who want our oil to drive our nice cars and complain because it costs $.50 a gallon more this month. John Macarthur never once mentions any of OUR failed/selfish/uncaring/ungodly foreign policies in his book. He says we are 100% blameless. That's a lie. And if you think that I'm referring to that Michael Moore movie, I'm not. I've never even seen it. It's just a movie. There are lots of movies. Movies are for entertainment. But there are other ways to find out the truth. We don't get allot of the truth in this country. Not from our media. Our media is for entertainment. It's for making us feel better. If we really knew the price that we pay (the price that the rest of the world pays) for the high standard of living that we enjoy, I think our 100 different kinds of candy bars wouldn't taste quite as sweet.

So how do you find the Truth? It says in the Bible: "Seek and you shall find." Seek with an open heart. Oh, and don't get all of your information from one source. If you really feel the desire to judge a "terrorist," I suggest you fly out to the middle east and talk to one first. Ask him how many loved ones he's watch die. Ask him about the ruthless dictators he's had to suffer under, because the United States decided that said dictator would be a good ally.

I think of the verse, "To whom much has been given, much will be required." Listen folks, we, as the people of the free and democratic United States of America, have been given much. Democracy, high standards of living, health-care, human rights, shopping malls, candy bars... And lots and lots and lots of guns and bombs. Much is now required of us. Much thoughtfulness, much care, and yes, much forgiveness, before we start bombing the hell out of another impoverished part of the world.

Since 911 I have read several books dealing with the surrounding issues. When I picked this up I was hoping for something more balanced. MacArthur's viewpoint is Muslims are committing violent acts because that is what their religion teaches them. If this is the case can we blame Christianity for the violent acts of Christians (for example, IRA, UVF) and why is it that the vast majority of practicing Muslims are not violent? Believe me, atheists make the same kinds of charges against Christianity and religion in general that MacArthur makes about Islam, using the same disingenuous techniques.

MacArthur takes Koranic verses out of context, including historical context, to make his point. One could also take Biblical verses out of context and portray the Bible as a book that encourages hate and violence. For example, most Muslims don't believe in viirgins in heaven. This is an interpretation of extremists Muslims (mainly Wahhabis, Deobandis and Salafis) rather than the mainstream. By using the most extreme interpretations of the Islamic faith he has portrayed his own anti-Islamic biases.

When Christians falsify Islamic history, the life of Muhammad, and the Koran to suit our prejudices and biases we are violating our own faith, which teaches us to treat our neighbor the way we want to be treated. I wouldn't want my faith attacked and misrepresented, therefore I will not do the same to others. Considering that Christian South America has the highest rate of terrrorist attacks every year I feel that MacArthur is seeing the speck in his neighbor's eye while ignoring the beam in his own.

If you want bias and a superficial treatment of the issue of the current chaos in the Muslim world you will like this book. If you want an intelligent, scholarly explanation, I suggest you read the works of Ahmed Rashid, David Fromkin's A Peace to End All Peace, Hamid Algar's Wahhabism: A Critical Essay, and Israelis and Palestinians by Bernard Wasserstein.