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The Battle For Godby Karen Armstrong
Synopses & ReviewsFrom Powells.com:"In The Battle for God, Armstrong brilliantly traces the struggle between the burgeoning Western secularism and the religious fundamentalism that has dogged its heels for the past five hundred years, culminating in that greatest of all fundamentalist attacks on secularism, 9-11. But 9-11 holds a fresh irony. While Osama and Co. wouldn't exist without the hegemony of Western secularism to rally against, their most effective attack on the Great Satan has breathed new life into our own fundamentalist tendencies.... Perhaps it's time to reread The Battle for God. Last year we read it to understand our enemies. This year we should read it to understand ourselves." C. P. Farley, Powells.com (read the entire Powells.com review) Publisher Comments:In our supposedly secular age governed by reason and technology, fundamentalism has emerged as an overwhelming force in every major world religion. Why? This is the fascinating, disturbing question that bestselling author Karen Armstrong addresses in her brilliant new book The Battle for God. Writing with the broad perspective and deep understanding of human spirituality that won huge audiences for A History of God, Armstrong illuminates the spread of militant piety as a phenomenon peculiar to our moment in history. <BR>Contrary to popular belief, fundamentalism is not a throwback to some ancient form of religion but rather a response to the spiritual crisis of the modern world. As Armstrong argues, the collapse of a piety rooted in myth and cult during the Renaissance forced people of faith to grasp for new ways of being religious--and fundamentalism was born. Armstrong focuses here on three fundamentalist movements: Protestant fundamentalism in America, Jewish fundamentalism in Israel, and Islamic fundamentalism in Egypt and Iran--exploring how each has developed its own unique way of combating the assaults of modernity. <BR>Blending history, sociology, and spirituality, The Battle for God is a compelling and compassionate study of a radical form of religious expression that is critically shaping the course of world history. Review:"An impressive achievement. Armstrong has mastered a mountain of material, added some brilliant insights of her own, and made it accessible to the general reader." Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People Review:"Karen Armstrong takes the bull by the horns in this richly detailed study of fundamentalism's many faces through the ages...The book is a timely reminder: that religious ideologues and secular advocates of the nation-state, having helped create each other, must moderate their conflicts or pay the price?in violence at the expense of spirit." Michael Wolfe, author of The Hadj and One Thousand Roads to Mecca Review:"Going beyond her best-selling A History of God, Karen Armstrong has given us a wide-ranging review of the wrenching "Battle for God" between the forces of modernity and fundamentalism. Too many prefer to curse and denigrate the rise of fundamentalism. Karen Armstrong chooses to light a candle of understanding and comparative analysis." Rabbi Irving Greenberg, president of the Jewish Life Network Review:"The Battle for God presents us with a sweeping panoramic view of the cultural and religious development of the Western world. Karen Armstrong first leads her readers into a brilliant udnerstanding of our present situation, then with equal skill she enables us to grasp a vision of a apiritual future that holds enormous promise. No one who occupies a role of leadership in political, educational, or religious arenas should ignore this illuminating book." Rt. Rev. John S. Spong, author of Why Christianity Must Change or Die Review:"Armstrong's Battle for God must immediately have a place on the bookshelf of anyone who wants to understand contemporary religious revivalism. She combines historical perspective with clear and balanced analysis in a way that provides remarkable insight into how religion interacts with modernity to create both conflict and new visions." John Voll, author of Islam: Continuity and Change in the Modern World Review:"As a portrait of militant fundamentalism — Jewish, Islamic, and Christian it is a stunning acheivement." Campbell, The Christian Science Monitor Review:"Whether or not you see fundamentalism as a threat, as Karen Armstrong does in The Battle for God, hers is one of the most penetrating, readable and prescient accounts to date of the rise of the fundamentalist movements in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Rather than make sweeping pronouncements, she wisely focuses on the fundamentalist strains in the United States, Israel, Iran and Egypt. She displays, as she should, sympathy for the plight of those who turned to fundamentalism after being shunted aside by forces and states that have little patience with the quest by the poor and the dispossessed to find meaning and purpose." Chris Hedges, The New York Times Book Review Table of ContentsPt. 1. The old world and the new. Jews : the precursors (1492-1700) ; Muslims : the conservative spirit (1492-1799) ; Christians : brave new world (1492-1870) — Jews and Muslims modernize (1700-1870) — Pt. 2. Fundamentalism. Battle lines (1870-1900) — Fundamentals (1900-25) — Counterculture (1925-60) — Mobilization (1960-74) — The offensive (1974-79) — Defeat? (1979-99). What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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