Truth over Fear

“This book is highly useful to wipe out lies about Islam from the public sphere. As a guidebook, the style of presentation and the language are simple and easily attainable without any theoretical smoke and mirrors. The questions at the end of each chapter encourage the reader to revise the aforementioned concepts and to engage critically with the subject at hand.”
—Reading Religion

“A welcome addition to a growing genre by Christian authors which seeks to address and mitigate the ‘fear and confusion’ about Islam and Muslims in their home countries.”

—Church Times

“In today’s academy, religious studies professors seldom address theological questions so directly and with such insight as Charles Kimball. His book is urgently needed, not only to correct our dangerous misconceptions about Islam but also to challenge simplistic understandings of religion held by persons of faith and agnostics alike. Kimball guides even those with little background through complex issues and in the process opens up whole new ways to think about a meaningful life of faith.”

—Helen Lee Turner, Reuben B. Pitts Professor of Religion, Furman University

“‘But what can I do?’ well-meaning Christians often ask when confronted with the Islamophobia that permeates our nation. For starters, we could read Charles Kimball’s informative book Truth over Fear. Not only will we receive an overview of Islam and the story of Muslim-Christian interchange through the last six hundred years, we will gain the resources we need for not bearing false witness against our neighbors, for loving our neighbors, and for living peaceably with all our neighbors into a future marked by respect and care rather than hate and harm.”

—Nancy Claire Pittman, President and Stephen J. England Associate Professor of the Practice of Ministry, Phillips Theological Seminary

“Charles Kimball’s latest book, Truth over Fear, is a timely and concise read on Islam and the Muslim-Christian relationship, which should not only be in every pastor’s library but also read widely by non-clergy in order to combat the general lack of understanding among Americans about the world’s second largest religion.”

—Rev. Dr. Robert S. Rice, former Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Norman, Oklahoma

“At a time when a chorus of strident voices seems to point to Islam on a daily basis as the root of all evil, Charles Kimball’s new book offers clarity and insight. Kimball provides an informative overview of Islam; an immensely helpful history of Muslim-Christian relations, including a thorough analysis of the geopolitical shifts of the last half century in the Middle East and their implications for interfaith and multinational relationships; and an assessment of current challenges and future opportunities. He faces head-on the distortions within Islam, Christianity, and other faiths that lead to conflict and violence. He charts a path with practical help for the faithful to engage in interfaith dialogue without giving up their missionary calling, a way to respect other views without succumbing to theological relativism—with the minimal goal of not bearing false witness against our neighbor and the lofty goal of increasing the love of God and neighbor (teachings common to all three Abrahamic faiths). My hope is that Truth over Fear will reach a broad audience of clergy and laity, elected officials and ordinary citizens, Christians and Muslims, and others. Our shared future may depend on a willingness to engage the subject matter of this book.”

—Dr. Christopher C. F. Chapman, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina