Christianity Face to Face with Islam: First Things Reprint Series

Robert Louis Wilken, preeminent historian and First Things contributor, concisely traces the fascinating but uneasy history between Christianity and Islam from the seventh century until today. Wilken offers this sobering overview: "When Islam arrives, it comes to stay." That is, most territories that were Christian 1,300 years ago are now Muslim. Will Christianity survive despite Islam's expanding political geography or succumb to its mounting numbers in Europe, Asia Minor, North Africa, and elsewhere? This extraordinary essay will help broaden your perspective on the dangers and opportunities that Islam presents to the West.Robert Louis Wilken is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Virginia. This essay is adapted from his 2008 Erasmus Lecture, sponsored by First Things.