The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent: An Informed Response to Islam’s War with Christianity

by Erwin Lutzer

Islam is on the rise all over the West, including America. In this compelling new book, bestselling author Erwin Lutzer urges Christians to see this as both an opportunity to share the gospel and a reason for concern.

We have now reached a tipping point—the spread of Islam is rapidly altering the way we live. These changes are cause for alarm, for they endanger our freedoms of speech and religion.

At the same time, this opens an incredible door of ministry for Christians, for Muslims normally do not have access to the gospel in their own lands.

In The Cross in the Shadow of the CrescentThe Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent, readers will discover helpful answers to these questions and more:

How does Islam’s growing influence affect me personally?
In what ways are our freedoms of speech and religion in danger?
How can I extend Christ’s love to Muslims around me?
A sensitive, responsible, and highly informative must-read!

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Paperback, 256 pages

Published February 1st 2013 by Harvest House Publishers

tags: theology, religion, nonfiction, islam

Book Quotes

“From the seventh to the tenth centuries, Muslims conquered “fully two-thirds of the Christian world.”8 Not until the eleventh century did Europe finally respond. So it was hundreds of years of unrelenting violence and persecution by Islamic armies that sparked the Crusades. Thomas F. Madden, among the world’s foremost authorities on the Crusades, explains, “The crusades were in every way a defensive war.”9 Today, there are many—even in the Western media—who perpetrate the notion that the Crusades were an unprovoked, imperialistic attack upon peaceful Muslims.”

― Erwin Lutzer

“because the Muslim Arbitration Tribunals operate as tribunals under the United Kingdom’s Arbitration Act of 1996, their rulings are binding under UK law—even when their rulings are contrary to UK law.12 What’s more, these tribunals do not provide the legal safeguards many Western court systems have.”

― Erwin Lutzer

“Even in America this is a problem. In the summer of 2011, Middle East Quarterly published the results of an intensive four-year study on “sharia-adherence and the promotion of violent, jihadist literature in U.S. mosques.”14 The results? A stunning 81 percent carried jihad hate literature—with 51 percent carrying texts “rated as severely advocating violence,” and 30 percent carrying texts “rated as moderately advocating violence.”15 Especially disturbing was the discovery that “mosques with this literature were not merely repositories but incubators for the messaging of this material.”16 And fully 58 percent of the mosques “invited guest imams known to promote violent jihad.”17”

― Erwin Lutzer

“Muslims cannot know the assurance of salvation, for in the end, Allah does with each person as he desires. According to the Hadith, Muhammad himself said he was unsure of his eternal salvation. He wrote, “Though I am an Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me!” (Bukhari 5.58.266). And the Quran states that only death by jihad assures a person of instant access into paradise. Christians, however, can know the assurance of their salvation. That’s because salvation is a free gift made available through the sacrifice and triumph of Jesus. No matter how great our sin, Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf was greater. Because it is Christ who obtained our salvation and gives it to us, we cannot and will not lose it. As the apostle John said, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:12-13). This free gift is available to anyone who receives Christ as Savior: “To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).”

― Erwin Lutzer

Erwin Lutzer

Erwin W. Lutzer (born October 3, 1941) is an evangelical Christian pastor, teacher and author. He is currently the senior pastor of Moody Church, in Chicago, Illinois. The church and its ministries have grown significantly under his leadership, leading to the construction of a new Christian Life Center to complement the existing 75-year-old building.

Dr. Lutzer is the speaker on three radio broadcasts: "Songs in the Night," "Running to Win" and "The Moody Church Hour." These broadcasts are heard on radio stations across the United States and across the world through the Internet. Sunday morning services at the church are streamed live, worldwide, through the church's website. Lutzer speaks internationally at churches, conferences and retreats.

Dr. Lutzer has authored more than 30 books

Erwin W. Lutzer is an evangelical Christian pastor, teacher and author. He is currently the senior pastor of Moody Church, in Chicago, Illinois.

Erwin Lutzer was born in a town near Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, the last child of Gustav and Wanda Lutzer's five children. He graduated from Winnipeg Bible College (B.Th.) and then attended Dallas Theological Seminary, in Dallas, Texas. In 1967, he graduated from Dallas (M.Th.) with honors and as president of the student body.

Dr. Lutzer has authored more than 30 books, including Hitler's Cross, which won a Gold Medallion award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

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