Please join WITS author's assistant Sarah Moore this Friday when she interviews Aaron Taylor, author of the forthcoming book Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War.
Aaron Taylor is a first-time author who has been traveling the world as a missionary since high school. In Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War, Aaron describes his one-on-one meeting in London with a militant jihadist named Khalid. In what was supposed to be a clash of civilizations to be filmed for a documentary, Aaron found that his long-held views about the role that Christianity should play in government and geopolitics. He now advocates the belief that Christians are called on to be pacifists, and explains in his new book how he came to this philosophy and specific examples of its potential for practice in current events.
During the interview, Aaron Taylor will be discussing the details of his meeting with Khalid, his opinions on the prevailing Christian leadership in our country, and what he finds in the teachings of Christ to support his new world view.
Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War will be released this fall.
Author: Aaron D. Taylor
ISBN: 978-1-934466-13-1
Publisher: Foghorn Publishers
Genre and Target Market: current events, religion, philosophy
Publication Date: 2009
Book Length in Pages: 215
Reviewed by Sarah Moore
As I sit to write this book review, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu have just wrapped up their first series of meetings together as world leaders. Among the topics of discussion were the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, how to handle the Iranian regime, and other serious issues based in the Middle East. I could not help but reflect on the intention and possible outcome of these talks through the lens of the amazing new release Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War, written by first-time author Aaron D. Taylor. In fact, much like one conversation greatly altered Mr. Taylor’s perspective on global events and the individual’s role within them, his one book has led me to intense personal reflection on the relationship between faith and political philosophy.
The book Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War details Aaron Taylor’s meeting with a militant, Christian-hating jihadist named Khalid. Aaron, a lifelong participant in his Midwestern charismatic church and active missionary for the past ten years, entered the cold warehouse in London at which the two were to meet with the intention of converting Khalid to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Instead, Aaron came away with his own views challenged, particularly concerning the relationship between government and the advancement of the Christian faith. He transitioned from a belief that aggression with a religious aim was to be advocated by Christians to a new understanding that Christians are taught through Scripture to be pacifists.
Aaron Taylor now shares the message that Christians are to live outside the existing government structures and return to a focus on the Prince of Peace. Taylor uses a powerful combination of conviction and compassion in detailing this newfound perspective, about which he writes and speaks regularly. Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War includes Scriptural references throughout the text to support the view that believers of Christ are not to take arms against those who do not subscribe to the same ideology, but instead be pure examples of brotherhood. While he ardently believes in the truth he is sharing, Taylor’s writing also displays his understanding for those who have not reached the same conclusion. He acknowledges the teachings of most traditional evangelists, as well as the tragic experiences of many around the world which make the notion of pacifism a difficult philosophy to embrace, and never belittles or nullifies their viewpoints. With his background as a former advocate of military force and through his visits to more than a dozen countries, Taylor submits a resume that makes his arguments worthy of attention and serious consideration.
Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War is a book with an impact that lasts well beyond the moment at which the final pages are read. Through his writing, which is not only passionate but also reasoned and well-researched, author Aaron Taylor offers all of his readers the opportunity to rethink their entire outlook on war, government, and the role of religion. If you are a Christian who has felt conflicted over a country’s use of force in the name of promoting religious freedom, you will want to read Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War.
If your religious convictions are unwavering, regardless of your specific mantra, you will be intrigued at how one powerful conversation can shake someone’s ideological core. If you simply are a person who considers himself a scholar of history and world affairs, you will find in this book an excellent addition to your personal library. Anyone who is living in this world in which battle lines are blurred and the Bible is used by some as a blueprint for military strategy will want to read Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War. Through this work, Aaron Taylor has developed a thesis that, if implemented, would revolutionize individuals and governments. I look forward to seeing how Aaron will continue to use his one meeting with a single jihadist, a man who was supposed to be his enemy, to further his cause of peace and brotherhood.
To learn more about Aaron and his work, please visit his website at www.AaronDTaylor.com and his blog at www.AaronDTaylor.blogspot.com.
Aaron Taylor is a first-time author who has been traveling the world as a missionary since high school. In Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War, Aaron describes his one-on-one meeting in London with a militant jihadist named Khalid. In what was supposed to be a clash of civilizations to be filmed for a documentary, Aaron found that his long-held views about the role that Christianity should play in government and geopolitics. He now advocates the belief that Christians are called on to be pacifists, and explains in his new book how he came to this philosophy and specific examples of its potential for practice in current events.
During the interview, Aaron Taylor will be discussing the details of his meeting with Khalid, his opinions on the prevailing Christian leadership in our country, and what he finds in the teachings of Christ to support his new world view.
Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War will be released this fall.
Author: Aaron D. Taylor
ISBN: 978-1-934466-13-1
Publisher: Foghorn Publishers
Genre and Target Market: current events, religion, philosophy
Publication Date: 2009
Book Length in Pages: 215
Reviewed by Sarah Moore
As I sit to write this book review, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu have just wrapped up their first series of meetings together as world leaders. Among the topics of discussion were the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, how to handle the Iranian regime, and other serious issues based in the Middle East. I could not help but reflect on the intention and possible outcome of these talks through the lens of the amazing new release Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War, written by first-time author Aaron D. Taylor. In fact, much like one conversation greatly altered Mr. Taylor’s perspective on global events and the individual’s role within them, his one book has led me to intense personal reflection on the relationship between faith and political philosophy.
The book Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War details Aaron Taylor’s meeting with a militant, Christian-hating jihadist named Khalid. Aaron, a lifelong participant in his Midwestern charismatic church and active missionary for the past ten years, entered the cold warehouse in London at which the two were to meet with the intention of converting Khalid to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Instead, Aaron came away with his own views challenged, particularly concerning the relationship between government and the advancement of the Christian faith. He transitioned from a belief that aggression with a religious aim was to be advocated by Christians to a new understanding that Christians are taught through Scripture to be pacifists.
Aaron Taylor now shares the message that Christians are to live outside the existing government structures and return to a focus on the Prince of Peace. Taylor uses a powerful combination of conviction and compassion in detailing this newfound perspective, about which he writes and speaks regularly. Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War includes Scriptural references throughout the text to support the view that believers of Christ are not to take arms against those who do not subscribe to the same ideology, but instead be pure examples of brotherhood. While he ardently believes in the truth he is sharing, Taylor’s writing also displays his understanding for those who have not reached the same conclusion. He acknowledges the teachings of most traditional evangelists, as well as the tragic experiences of many around the world which make the notion of pacifism a difficult philosophy to embrace, and never belittles or nullifies their viewpoints. With his background as a former advocate of military force and through his visits to more than a dozen countries, Taylor submits a resume that makes his arguments worthy of attention and serious consideration.
Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War is a book with an impact that lasts well beyond the moment at which the final pages are read. Through his writing, which is not only passionate but also reasoned and well-researched, author Aaron Taylor offers all of his readers the opportunity to rethink their entire outlook on war, government, and the role of religion. If you are a Christian who has felt conflicted over a country’s use of force in the name of promoting religious freedom, you will want to read Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War.
If your religious convictions are unwavering, regardless of your specific mantra, you will be intrigued at how one powerful conversation can shake someone’s ideological core. If you simply are a person who considers himself a scholar of history and world affairs, you will find in this book an excellent addition to your personal library. Anyone who is living in this world in which battle lines are blurred and the Bible is used by some as a blueprint for military strategy will want to read Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War. Through this work, Aaron Taylor has developed a thesis that, if implemented, would revolutionize individuals and governments. I look forward to seeing how Aaron will continue to use his one meeting with a single jihadist, a man who was supposed to be his enemy, to further his cause of peace and brotherhood.
To learn more about Aaron and his work, please visit his website at www.AaronDTaylor.com and his blog at www.AaronDTaylor.blogspot.com.
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