Grant Kaplan, Faith and Reason in Christian History: A Theological Essay (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2022), pp. xvi + 360. $29.95.

Abstract

Christ, is not indicative of the main theme of the book’s two parts. None of them offers an Arabic theological interpretation of Jesus Christ’s event or life, identity and ministry, let alone reasoning theologically about Christology. On the other hand, the description of an ‘Arab Christian theology of conviviality’ in the book’s subtitle in terms of ‘towardness’ gives the impression that the author is inviting the readers to ponder the possibility of developing a theological discourse that has not been moved towards before, and that the author is initiating, if not pioneering, this towardness. The second part of the book demonstrates that this is far from being the case. A more appropriate and telling title to the book would be something like: The Lebanese Christians: Politico-Contextual Models of a Theology of Conviviality. Notwithstanding these qualifications, this book offers a useful text to expose students, scholars and interested readers on what is going on theologically in that turbulent part of the world.