Beyond Dialogue

Tensions between Christians and Muslims are rising around the world, and Craig Considine, a prominent advocate of interfaith dialogue, argues that the need for peace and harmony has become pressing. In Beyond Dialogue he puts forward the Synthesis of Civilizations, a theory holding that Western and Islamic civilizations are already joined in a deeper union than is usually recognized, and that they have been throughout history and remain so today. Writing with an open mind and a strong respect for the Abrahamic tradition, Considine traces the history of Christian-Muslim relations and surveys their present state in seven "battleground" regions of the world. He does not play down the real conflicts between the two faiths. The shared fear, persecution, and violence that Christians and Muslims experience appear in the headlines every day, and the book addresses them directly. The book also introduces DEUCE, a tool for building interfaith communities, which stands for dialogue, education, understanding, commitment, and engagement, and it applies the tool to its case studies. Combining wide civilizational scope with sociological analysis, it is aimed at interfaith bridge builders who are committed to defending and promoting civility, humanity, and pluralism internationally.