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23 January 2017

Pope on a Mission: Muslims in the Mix (2)

Written by David L Johnston

The potential future effects of global climate change include more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought in some regions and an increase in the number, duration and intensity of tropical storms. Credit: Left - Mellimage/Shutterstock.com, center - Montree Hanlue/Shutterstock.com.

In the second half of this blog post I make three points. After an introduction to Christian mission (and Islamic da’wa), I first argue that Pope Francis in his first encyclical is intentionally engaging in Christian mission. In fact, by addressing all humanity on an issue that impacts the whole planet with potentially disastrous consequences, he is leveraging his influence…

13 December 2016

Pope on a Mission: Climate Change & Creation Care (1)

Written by David L Johnston

Polar bears are losing their habitats across the glacier regions, and many are drowning as a result of the excessive floodwaters.

*** For the last five months a combination of projects, teaching, and family affairs have forced me to neglect my blog. I hope to get back to at least a monthly post by January, once the first draft of the Ghannouchi book translation is finally completed. Like many others, I’ve been reeling under the shock of a Trump presidency…

06 June 2016

The Impossible Islamic State? (3)

Written by David L Johnston

Rachid Ghannouchi, right, the leader of the Ennahda party in Tunisia, and Abdelfattah Mourou, the vice president, on Friday at the party’s congress. On Monday, Mr. Ghannouchi won re-election with 800 of 1,058 ballots cast. Credit Fethi Belaid/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

We now come full circle in this trilogy on the “impossible Islamic state.” Two months have elapsed since the second installment and only a couple of weeks ago a dramatic event took place that “puts the icing on the cake” in a way that I could never have anticipated. Ghannouchi himself in his opening speech to his party’s (Ennahda) Tenth…

05 April 2016

The Impossible Islamic State? (2)

Written by David L Johnston

Jocelyne Cesari discusses her new book, "The Awakening of Muslim Democracy: Religion, Modernity, and the State" in the CGIS South on Tuesday (photo by Shunella Grace Lumas). She is Professor of Religion and Politics at the University of Birmingham, UK, Senior research fellow at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center on Religion, Peace and World Affairs. She teaches on contemporary Islam at the Harvard Divinity School and directs the Harvard interfaculty program “Islam in the West” hosted at the Alwaleed Islamic Studies Program.

In the first installment of this blog we looked at Wael Hallaq’s The Impossible State (2013) and in following the assessment of two reviewers, Lama Abu-Odeh and Andrew March, we felt Hallaq helpfully highlighted some of the challenges of pressing traditional Islamic legal norms into the service of a modern nation-state. On the other hand, his rather rigid and dogmatic…

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Books

Muslims and Christians Debate Justice and Love

This book is now published and available as an ebook. Unfortunately, with the current COVID-19 pandemic, the publisher cannot send out the actual physical books. Read a summary for each of the 6 chapters and buy it on the publisher's page. Here's the abstract, or précis:

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Earth, Empire and Sacred Text

This book seeks to construct a Muslim-Christian theological discourse on creation and humanity, which could help adherents of both faiths work together to preserve our planet, bring justice to its most needy inhabitants and contribute to peacebuilding in areas of conflict. For more information or to purchase (now also in paperback!)

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