The Revenge of God

The Revenge of God is a compelling account of the resurgence of religious belief in the modern world. Kepel compares Islam, Christianity and Judaism revealing the similarities between all three religions and uncovering a hidden and often disturbing reality. Acknowledgements.

Introduction.

1. The Sword and the Koran.

2. Mission Field Europe.

3. Saving America.

4. The Redemption of Israel.

5. Conclusion: Reconquering the World.

Index.

'The Revenge of God is truly eye-opening. It may well change the way we think of the direction our world is going.' Zygmunt Bauman, University of Leeds

'Kepel has provided the reader with a clear and competent introduction to the subject.' The Sunday Times

'Well researched and enlightening.' The Guardian

'This is an important contribution to background knowledge, for those seriously interested in what the new religious vigour is about...' The Times

'A good and interesting read.' Times Higher Education Supplement

'Excellent.' New Statesman and Society

'A challenging and provocative book.' Reviews in Religion and Theology

'A thoroughly-researched and intelligently-written guide to three major expressions of modern religious fundamentalism ... Kepel's study is intelligent and informative, and the overall effect is harmonious.' New Humanist

'A challenging and provocative book.' Reviews in Religion and Theology

'Kepel's work will attract readers' attention from all levels of life. I strongly urge every student of religion, political science, and history to read this book. It is destined to become a classic of its kind.' Journal of Ecumenical Studies

'French expert on Islamic extremism, Gilles Kepel ... indicates that Islamic extremism is not primarily the result of alienation, marginalisation, or global inequality (which is the view of modernisation theory). It is a response to a widespread crisis in secular materialism in both the West and the Third World.' Church Times

Gilles Kepel is Research Director at the Centre for International Studies and Research, Paris The Revenge of God is a compelling account of the resurgence of religious belief in the modern world, and of the conflict and strife to which it has given rise.

Gilles Kepel examines this development by comparing three major world religions - Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. He shows that there are striking similarities between all three religions: despite the individual character of each religious doctrine and the revival of conflicts between them, all violently resist the spirit of the Enlightenment and the secular values which it has produced - liberalism, democracy, individualism and the privatization of morality.

Kepel argues that all three religions have benefited from a growing disenchantment with political ideologies and secular utopias. Each of them includes a 'militant' membership of young, educated and modern people; each pursues both a strategy 'from above', seizing state power and using state legislation to promote its ends, and a strategy 'from below', by evangelizing the masses and taking control of their daily lives.

Carefully and convincingly documented, Kepel's highly topical account ranges from Europe to America and the Middle East, from Protestant 'televangelists' to ultra-orthodox Jews, from Islamic militants to the 'charismatic renewal', and uncovers a hidden and often disturbing reality.

Now available in English, The Revenge of God has sold 60,000 copies in France and thousands more throughout the world. It addresses one of the most important issues of our times and deserves to be widely read.