This book investigates the persistent and complex intersection between religious belief and the practice of warfare, questioning why these two domains remain inextricably linked in human history. Mark Juergensmeyer, a scholar with three decades of field research, utilizes his extensive interviews with activists involved in religious-related terrorist movements to construct his argument. He posits that both religion and war function as alternative realities created in the human imagination to address profound personal and social crises. By examining these psychological and sociological frameworks, the author explains why individuals and societies frequently frame their conflicts as divine battles.

Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of religious violence and the sociology of conflict. Readers frequently note the clarity of the author's prose despite the complex and often disturbing nature of the subject matter.