You are in your car. You break out in a cold sweat. You realize that you have no idea what Abu Daoud is reading these days. Well, fear not. I am done with Day of the Jackal (hardly academic, I know) and almost finished with Andrew Walls' The Missionary Movement in Christian History which has been very influential for me.
So what am I reading now? This little gem found in a nearby library: Ten Muslims Meet Christ by William McElwee Miller. It is a very good read, and is all about the history of missions in Persia/Iran. It really is like reading a history of the Presbyterian and Anglican missions in Iran. I also like that it is written by a Presbyterian who seems to have a genuine appreciation for the historical churches in the region (Catholic, Armenian). He does not mind talking about sacraments like baptism and Communion. He tells of one Muslim believer who was in the opium den and as he was preparing to smoke his opium he realizes, "I have eaten the holy bread of my Lord with this mouth and now will I smoke opium?" and he leaves opium behind.
I say this book is like a history because it is set in the late 19th C. and early 20th C. So you get to read about Russians invading Iran and traveling by caravan to and fro, and the birth of the Baha'i religion, and so on. One is also struck by the motly assortment of Christians in the early days of the Protestant mission: you will often find descriptions of a baptism done by, say, an Armenian pastor of a Muslim believer, witnessed by an American missionary and a Jewish convert. I highly recommend this book.
