The Essential Advent and Christmas Handbook: A Daily Companion Book

How sad that a book published originally in 1991 is even more topical now than it was then. Religious violence shows no sign of disappearing, despite (because of?) the secularization myth thriving in the 1960s and 70s, which seems to be referenced in the title. This book shows a strong understanding of the roots and foundations of Islamic, Jewish and Christian revival movements on the political world stage, and is of value to anyone wanting to find a more complex investigation of what's happening in the world.

I own an older edition (purchased in the late 90s, if I recall correctly), so I don't know about updated versions, but it could certainly use a new edition if one doesn't already exist (at least a preface or epilogue updating the situation), but the history and ideology remains currently valid. It perhaps assumes too much homogeneity between the three religions, but the theories behind why all three are in resurgence in the same time periods remains compelling, and it is very true that many of the characteristics are common to all three "Abrahamic faiths".

This might be a hard book for some religious people to read, but it is generally balanced, and one shouldn't flinch from things just because they are unpleasant. It's vital that we try to understand how religious extremism rises and works (in more traditions than just Islam) and the "mainstream" ideologies that relate to those movements, and this book is a good start. It very correctly analyzes these movements within the context of modernity and secularism, and the grass roots movements of the 70s, rather than just presenting these movements as primitive or anti-modern, as the media is too apt to do, which is a useful reminder.

I particularly recommend this to professors seeking readings for mid-level undergraduates in religious studies and/or global politics. It's readable and not too dense, and provides a lot of food for thought and discussion.