Show 3185. Gods Battalions The Case for the Crusades By Rodney Stark chap 3 Western Ignorance vs Eastern Culture   God's Battalions. The Case for the Crusades By Rodney Stark This audiobook selection consists of chapter 3, Western Ignorance vs Eastern Culture . This small sample of the book serves as an introduction to this fine book. Purchase the book. Available on Audible. Highly recommended by ACU. Publisher's Summary- In God's Battalions, award-winning author Rodney Stark takes on the long-held view that the Crusades were the first round of European colonialism, conducted for land, loot, and converts by barbarian Christians who victimized the cultivated Muslims. To the contrary, Stark argues that the Crusades were the first military response to unwarranted Muslim terrorist aggression. Stark reviews the history of the seven major Crusades from 1095 to 1291, demonstrating that the Crusades were precipitated by Islamic provocations, centuries of bloody attempts to colonize the West, and sudden attacks on Christian pilgrims and holy places. Although the Crusades were initiated by a plea from the pope, Stark argues that this had nothing to do with any elaborate design of the Christian world to convert all Muslims to Christianity by force of arms. Given current tensions in the Middle East and terrorist attacks around the world, Stark's views are a thought-provoking contribution to our understanding and are sure to spark debate. -----------------------------------------------------------------------    HELP ACU SPREAD THE WORD! Please send to friends, post on Facebook, twitter, etc… Over 3,000 commercial free archived shows are available on our podcast site here.     Ways to subscribe to the American Conservative University Podcast Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click here to subscribe via RSS You can also subscribe via Stitcher You can also subscribe via SoundCloud If you like this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and subscribe! People find us through our good reviews.   FEEDBACK + PROMOTION You can ask your questions, make comments, submit ideas for shows and lots more. Let your voice be heard. Download our FREE iOS App. Download our FREE Android App. Email us at americanconservativeuniversity@americanconservativeuniversity.com