The Popular Handbook Of World Religions

A Christian’s Guide to the World’s Most Prominent Religions Meeting people from other religions is an incredible blessing and a unique challenge. As Christians, what do we need to know about their beliefs to effectively interact with them? And how can we share about Jesus with sensitivity for someone’s relationship to their current faith? A compilation from some of today’s top religion scholars, The Popular Handbook of World Religions is a clear and insightful guide to understanding and conversing with followers of the world’s major belief systems. You will… gain a balanced, nuanced comprehension of what followers of other religions believe, and see how those beliefs compare with those of Christianity develop deeper respect for different cultures and appreciate their unique traditions and ideas learn how to share about Christ with true compassion and a recognition of other people’s individuality and heritage Featuring the writings of Dr. Douglas Groothuis, Dr. Paul Copan, Dr. Winfried Corduan, and more, The Popular Handbook of World Religions is designed to help you gain the wisdom you need to interact with people of other faiths, from atheism to Judaism, Buddhism to Islam, Jainism to Sikhism, and more.

Confused by the varying religious views in your workplace, neighborhood, even your family? Check out the Handbook of World Religions-contrasting 50 faiths with Christianity. Christians believe Jesus' claim to be "the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6)-though dozens of other religions propose varying pathways to God, heaven, or ultimate personal fulfillment. Describing these alternate viewpoints fairly and non-judgmentally, the Handbook of World Religions features major world faiths (Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism), Christian-based religions (Mormonism, the Unification Church, Christian Science), traditional religions (African, Chinese, Native American), and various hard-to-categorize beliefs (Gnosticism, Hare Krishna, New Age Spirituality, Rastafarianism, Wicca). This fully-illustrated guide is a fascinating and useful tool to help Christians understand others' beliefs.

This comprehensive handbook provides a Christian perspective on religion and its many manifestations around the world. Written by top religion scholars from a broad spectrum of Christianity, it introduces world religions, indigenous religious traditions, and new religious movements. Articles explore the relationship of other religions to Christianity, providing historical perspective on past encounters and highlighting current issues. The book also contains articles by adherents of non-Christian religions, offering readers an insider's perspective on various religions and their encounters with Christianity. Maps, timelines, and sidebars are included.

Chapters on ancient religions, primal religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Over 200 photos and a glossary.

In this indispensable reference tool for parents, students, and pastors alike, Larson analyzes dozens of world religions and spiritual movements from Islam to UFOs, New Age movements to witchcraft. This volume helps address tough questions from a biblical perspective.

A comprehensive and accessible textbook which explores the traditions and beliefs of the world’s living religions – the fully updated and revised new edition The World Religions Reader is an inclusive, student-friendly examination of the history, teaching, practices, and appeal of the world’s major religions. Covering both the fundamentals and complexities of each religious tradition, this popular textbook brings together significant texts from scriptures and scholars, as well as writings from philosophers and other significant thinkers throughout history. Students are provided with an introduction and overview of the tradition, taken through its primary texts, and presented with a text which seeks to persuade the student of the tradition’s merits. This new edition has been thoroughly updated to be even more accessible for students new to interreligious engagement and to reflect current trends and developments in religions worldwide. Every chapter opens with a substantial overview which orients the new student and then flows into a carefully chosen set of texts - a regular textbook is now combined with a Reader. New content examines areas such as the Rastafarian tradition, while revised chapters cover secular humanism and indigenous and emerging religious traditions. The methodology of the book focuses on an empathetic approach – representing each tradition from the perspective of a conventional adherent – enabling students to develop understanding of each tradition and appreciate similarities and differences in their most typical forms. Invites students to study each tradition from the perspective of a follower, aiming to understand why the tradition is popular and powerful Explores representative passages, world-views, rituals and institutions, ethical expressions and modern outlooks for each religion Features discussions of interfaith perspectives on the role of women in religious traditions and the impact of world events and politics on interfaith communication Encourages students to consider questions of truth, the relation of religion and society, and the changing nature of a tradition in the modern world Includes a complete set of pedagogical tools and instructor resources, including end-of-chapter fact sheets, topic summaries, key term sections, and essay and discussion questions The World Religions Reader, Fourth Edition is an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in religion, especially for liberal arts and non-affiliated colleges, as well as general readers wishing to increase their knowledge of the world’s religious traditions.

Comprehensive, informative and authoritative, The Penguin Handbook of the World's Living Religions is compiled by a team of leading international scholars, and is the definitive guide to the religious belief systems and practices of the world today. This in-depth survey of active religions has now been fully updated to include modern developments and the most recent scholarship. It explains the sources and history of the world's religions, includes material on the phenomenon of Black African and Asian diaspora religions around the world and explores the role of gender in modern religion.