Islamization: Conspiracy, subversion and expansion?
Are Muslims seeking to take over the West? Is the current wave of immigration part of a conspiracy? Should Christians mobilize to resist the ‘Islamization’ of the West? Or is the Muslim presence in the West part of God’s sovereign purposes? Might they be allies helping to re-introduce faith into the secular public square? The growth of Muslim communities in Western countries is a controversial topic and, as with much else, Christians do not agree on an appropriate response. This blog explores some of the factors and issues around the Muslim presence in the West.
Flags, Crosses and Religious Identity
The ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally of Saturday 13th September 2025 has already received a huge amount of comment. Over 100,000 people gathered in London to march, listen to speeches – and wave flags. Many Christians took part, and the cross was prominently displayed even as some speakers made anti-Muslim speeches. Why the flags? Why the crosses? In this blog I think about the power and importance of symbols in Christian-Muslim engagement.
Responses of Protestant Denominations and traditions
From learned conciliation documents crafted by bishops to fiery denunciations by revival preachers, there is a huge variety of responses to Islam amongst the world’s Protestant Christians. Some see Muslims as cousins, closely related believers in the One God, whilst others see them as followers of a demonic religion who pose an existential threat to Christians. This blog explores the approaches of mainline Protestant denominations as well as the divergent attitudes of evangelicals and Pentecostals.
‘Types’ of Christian responses to Islam
In the third blog of this series I explore typologies as a tool used by social science to simplify complex issues. It looks at polarisation within the Christian community with respect to Islam and examines the causes behind some of the reactions and the labels assigned to them.
‘What do you think of Muhammad?’
A prophet? A well-meaning reformer? A heretic? A false prophet? Even a historical fiction? These are just some of the ideas that different Christians have about Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam. The second blog in the new CMCSO blog series explores the controversial answers given by Christians to the question ‘What do you think of Muhammad?’
An Introduction to Christian Responses to Islam
To mark the publication of my book in paperback (August 2025) I am writing a series of blogs on the theme of Christian Responses to Islam which appear on the Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies Oxford website. They are broader than the book in that they include responses from non-evangelical and non-Protestant denominations wherever possible. I hope you find them helpful!