Against Revivalism

After centuries of hostility between Christendom and the Islamic world, a most heartening phenomenon has appeared in the field of scholarship—the Christian missionary writing on Islam, not with a view to denigrate, but, to convey his understanding of the faith borne out of study and empathy. Wilfred Cantwell Smith is one such scholar, another is the Rev. Christian W. Troll, Professor of Islamics and Christian-Muslim Relations at Vidyajyoti Institute of Religious Studies in Delhi. He is also a regular Visiting Professor at Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth in Pune. A Jesuit, Father Troll received his training in philosophy in the universities of Bonn and Tuebingen and holds a diploma in Arabic from a West Asian University and a doctorate from London University. To these solid scholarly credentials are added a zealous attachment to the cause of promoting understanding bet¬ween religions.