God's Battalions: The Case for the Crusades

Stark, Rodney

ISBN 10: 0061582611 / ISBN 13: 9780061582615

Published by HarperOne, 2009

A book that has been read but is in overall good condition. Very minimal wear damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no major holes or tears. The dust jacket if applicable may not be included. Binding may have minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing. May have minimal pencil underlining and or highlighting of text and possible small amounts of writing. No missing pages. May have some light marks on the page edges or a remainder mark. May have pale yellow yellowed pages. Fast Shipping, safe and secure mailers. Stock photo used. Seller Inventory # FWV.0061582611.G

Synopsis:

In God s Battalions, distinguished scholar Rodney Stark puts forth a controversial argument that the Crusades were a justified war waged against Muslim terror and aggression. Stark, the author of The Rise of Christianity, reviews the history of the seven major crusades from 1095-1291 in this fascinating work of religious revisionist history. In God's Battalions, award-winning author Rodney Stark takes on the long-held view that the Crusades were the first round of European colonialism, conducted for land, loot, and converts by barbarian Christians who victimized the cultivated Muslims. To the contrary, Stark argues that the Crusades were the first military response to unwarranted Muslim terrorist aggression. Stark reviews the history of the seven major Crusades from 1095 to 1291, demonstrating that the Crusades were precipitated by Islamic provocations, centuries of bloody attempts to colonize the West, and sudden attacks on Christian pilgrims and holy places. Although the Crusades were initiated by a plea from the pope, Stark argues that this had nothing to do with any elaborate design of the Christian world to convert all Muslims to Christianity by force of arms. Given current tensions in the Middle East and terrorist attacks around the world, Stark's views are a thought-provoking contribution to our understanding and are sure to spark debate.

About the Author: Rodney Stark grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota, and began his career as a newspaper reporter. Following a tour of duty in the U.S. Army, he received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, where he held appointments as a research sociologist at the Survey Research Center and at the Center for the Study of Law and Society. He left Berkeley to become Professor of Sociology and of Comparative Religion at the University of Washington. In 2004 he joined the faculty of Baylor University. He has published 30 books and more than 140 scholarly articles on subjects as diverse as prejudice, crime, suicide, and city life in ancient Rome. However, the greater part of his work has been on religion. He is past president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and of the Association for the Sociology of Religion. He also has won a number of national and international awards for distinguished scholarship. Many of his books and articles have been translated and published in foreign languages, including Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Slovene, and Turkish.

Bibliographic Details

Title: God's Battalions: The Case for the Crusades
Publisher: HarperOne
Publication Date: 2009
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: good