Co-authors Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis are at lunch one day. During their discussion the question pops up: "What does it mean to love your neighbor?" After a bit of bantering back and forth about what it would entail if people seriously followed Jesus' teaching in the parable about the good Samaritan, Carl suggests that they go find out what people in the Middle East think. Two years later, after much planning, they start their journey in Cairo, Egypt.
This book is a first-hand account of their journey: a compilation of their travels, dangers faced, conflicting feelings as Dekker's mind starts imagining various scenarios (not necessarily good), and recorded interviews with cab drivers, sheiks, leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas, and bin Laden's brothers, to name a few. Always, they seek to find out what these men believe about Jesus' admonition to "love your neighbor as yourself" and if it is really possible to love your enemy.
Dekker gave a lot of historical background to the ongoing conflicts in various parts of the Middle East, which was helpful. It was a little difficult for me to keep straight, since while the names are familiar, I don't necessarily follow the who, what and why of each area of fighting. It was also a little disheartening, as so many of those interviewed have a disagreeable view of the US, though they were careful to say it was the government, not the people, that they disliked.
If you have any interest in the Middle East conflicts, or really want to find out what the reaction is to the question, "How do you recommend we love each other as he [Jesus] taught?", read this book.
Hardcover, 2010 by Doubleday.
You can purchase this through Random House or Amazon.com
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