Product Description: According to one study, 200 million Christians, or ten per cent of the global total, are socially disadvantaged, harassed or actively oppressed. In the large area between Morocco and Pakistan, there is scarcely a country in which church life operates without restrictions, and there is now a serious risk that Christianity will disappear from its biblical heartlands...read more

The aim of this book is twofold: One is to counter the huge weight of column inches being spent on the perceived, and actual, persecution of Islam. The second is to turn up the volume on the side of Christians rather than Atheists (a position which has been underpinned so vociferously by Dawkins et al in recent times). In fact there have been - and still are - many terrible stories of murder, oppression and persecution of Christians around the world, in East Timor, Burma, Egypt, China, Iran, and many other countries. The reason we don't hear much about them, says the author, is the fear of giving offence; the fact young Christians don't become radicalised; and persecuted Christians tend not to respond with violence. Yet Christians are persecuted in greater numbers than any other global religious body, and this fact is severely under-recognised. It looks likely interfaith relations will be a major challenge of the 21st century, and harmony between religions is looking pretty remote. Why are faiths now so associated with violent conflict? Why has the communications revolution had a deeper impact on Islam than on Christianity? Why is there a tendency to associate Christianity with the West, and with overt/covert forms of colonialism? Just how insular and prejudiced are we in the West about Christians abroad?

Product Description: For decades before his election, Pope Benedict XVI was known across the world as an unwavering upholder of Catholic orthodoxy. But what kind of man is Benedict XVI? What were the influences that shaped him, and how might the Catholic Church evolve under his leadership? Written for the general reader, this book aims to answer these questions as well as why the future Pope disavowed his youthful liberalism...read more

Product Description: Theology has shown a remarkable recovery of nerve over the last quarter-century. What is happening at the cutting edge of Christian thought, and why does it matter? In this valuable entr?e to recent theology, religion journalist Rupert Shortt offers a rich and accessible survey of the best of contemporary Christian thought from around the English-speaking world and beyond...read more

Product Description: The first occupant of Lambeth Palace in several generations with an international reputation as a theologian, he is nevertheless often considered a difficult writer, more admired than read and understood. Many people remain puzzled by how his social radicalism can coexist with a reputation for orthodoxy in doctrine...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)