Philip Jenkins, The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa and Asia—and How It Died (New York: HarperOne, 2008), 315 pages, ISBN 9780061472800.

If you would read back-to-back, as I did recently, the two books reviewed here, one by a historian of the Crusades and another by a Church historian on the Eastern Church, you will surely broaden your knowledge of world history and gain a surprising perspective on both ecumenism and the prospects of peace with religious extremism.

Both of these books are a good overview of the battlefield called “jihad” by Muslims and “Crusade” by Christians and contain insights into the mistakes made as well as ways people have been successful in working together, though the mistakes far outweigh what went right. Jonathan Phillips is the expert on Crusades history and European medieval secular and religious politics, while Philip Jenkins addresses religious matters in-depth.

If we might borrow from Socrates’ saying, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” we ought to grasp that no movement in the history of humanity was either simple or pure. Phillips does a good job of sustaining the point that both the call to Crusade by popes and the response from the nobles and people was a mixture of sincerely held religious beliefs and the desire for success, power and wealth. Moderns like to say that the Crusades show what is wrong with religion and the Church, but leave out (probably from ignorance) that the Crusades began with a request from Christians in the Middle East, not a European desire for a blood frenzy. However, what Pope Urban II in 1095 decided to do with the appeal from Emperor Alexius of Constantinople and each and every occasion for “taking the cross’ until the reconquest of Granada in 1492 was a mixture of piety and pride resulting in the waste of human lives as well as multiple failures in the goals they hoped to achieve. For example, what the Emperor had in mind was a special forces team of perhaps 300 knights but what happened was one of history’s first carefully orchestrated international public relations campaigns, resulting in an army of tens of thousands of princes and peasants on a long march to Jerusalem. The misdeeds and missteps along the way are well known, but Phillips’ research is highly informative and I learned a great deal. As he points out, it is amazing that those in the First Crusade were successful at all, yet they were the most successful of all.

Harry R. Jackson, Jr., The Warrior’s Heart (Grand Rapids: Chosen Books, 2004), 224 pages.

Despite its militaristic title, and soldiering themes, The Warrior’s Heart is a very spiritual work. Bishop Harry Jackson’s work is rather thoughtful, yet focused on the realities of living a purposeful Christian life in today’s world. This work is obviously the result of much prayer, Christian experience and careful consideration of today’s Christian walk.

The writing in The Warrior’s Heart is accessible and direct. Jackson quotes a wide variety of writers and personalities in his work, making good use of anecdotes and stories to deliver his message. This writing style allows The Warrior’s Heart to serve a great variety of potential readers. Pastors and church leaders can read the book and gain valuable insights. Laymen will find the book a valuable and easily understood learning tool.

The twelve chapters of The Warrior’s Heart are divided into three major parts: The Warrior’s Inner Life, The Warrior’s Relationships and The Warrior’s Corporate Connections. Each part addresses a different aspect of Christian soldiering, starting from the inside and working out.

Inner Life: Just as a natural army would, the church must teach and strengthen the individual soldier. Chapter 2, Honor Code and Conscience: Hearing the Voice of God provides strong teaching on the role and purpose of conscience in a believer’s life. Not content with the common interpretation of conscience, Jackson demonstrates how our inner voice must become a direct line to God’s Will and Purpose.

Team Life: After building up the individual warrior, an army turns its attention to the relationships among the troops. Chapter 7, “Friendly Fire: The Difficult “Significant Others’” teaches us how to uphold and strengthen each other. Using the dubious help of Job’s friends and comforters as a backdrop, Jackson points how we must help each other live the Christian life.

Far from condemning, this chapter points out how all armies hurt or kill their own during the chaos of the battlefield. Jackson’s point is to show Christians how to avoid giving or getting “friendly fire.” Despite the turmoil and rush of our modern lives, we can become a blessing to our fellow believers, no matter the circumstances.

Corporate Life: Strong individual soldiers, and superior small units, do not automatically create an excellent army. If the leadership and structure of the controlling organization are poor, the war will be lost. Chapter 10: “Corporate Destiny: Esprit de Corps,” emphasizes this point.

Jackson explains how individual local Churches have unique callings, much like individual Christians. He shows how the corporate church and the individual believers must interact to advance God’s Kingdom in harmony and order. The only agenda that should be advanced is the one that comes from God.