By Dr. Jerald F. Dirks. In The Cross and The Crescent, Dr. Jerald Dirks, a former ordained minister (deacon) in the United Methodist Church and a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, reaches out to the Christians and Muslims for an interfaith dialogue. Drawing on his seminary education and thirty years of interaction with Muslims in America and overseas, the author digs deep into the roots of Christianity to bring out obscure information that highlights what was once common between Christianity and Islam. He envisioned that, "In writing this book, I would like to touch the lives of those Christians who have not been given the knowledge that I have gained both about Islam, from my direct contact with Muslims, and about Christianity from my seminary education. I want to share with those Christians who are willing to listen--what is so often known by their clergy and church leaders, but seldom finds its way into their knowledge of their own religion. Likewise, I also would like to reach out to the Muslims, in order to help them understand the religious commonality that they share with Christians."

Dr. Dirks holds B.A. and M. Div. from Harvard University, M.A., and Doctorate in Psychology from University of Denver. He is a former ordained minister (deacon) in the United Methodist Church and has traveled extensively in the Middle East and interacted widely with the Muslim communities in the United States. Amana Publications (August 25, 2001), English, 272 pages.