A Practical Guide for Embracing the Growing Religious Pluralism in America"In the process of [interfaith] engagement, we discover … a world in which our faith is richer, deeper, and more contextualized, and God's very Self is seen in more of its fullness."—from the IntroductionThis practical guide to the key methods and resources of the interfaith movement will help you effectively engage people of other faith traditions in order to increase understa...

A Concise, Easy-to-Understand Overview of the World's ReligionsWhat religions are represented in your neighborhood, your workplace, and your children's school? Things seem to be changing every day, and it can be hard to keep up. You may know a little about some of these religions. Others are new to you. You'd like to learn about them and how they differ from your beliefs, but who has time to do all the research?In Understanding World Religions in 15 Min...

Four Australian thinkers come together to ask and answer the big questions, such as:What is the nature of the universe? Doesn't religion cause most of the conflict in the world? and Where do we find hope?We are introduced to the detail of different belief systems - Judaism, Christianity, Islam - and to the argument that atheism, like organised religion, has its own compelling logic. And we gain insight into the life events that led each author to their current position....

In this thoroughly revised and updated edition, leading religion and Middle East expert Charles Kimball shows how all religious traditions are susceptible to these basic corruptions and why only authentic faith can prevent such evil.The Five Warning Signs of Corruption in ReligionAbsolute Truth ClaimsBlind ObedienceEstablishing the "Ideal" TimeThe End Justifies Any MeansDeclaring Holy War

Why Understanding America's Religious Landscape Is the Most Important Challenge Facing Us TodayThe 1990s saw the U.S. Navy commission its first Muslim chaplain and open its first mosque.There are presently more than three hundred temples in Los Angeles, home to the greatest variety of Buddhists in the world.There are more American Muslims than there are American Episcopalians, Jews, or Presbyterians.

Journalist Katherine Ozment's Grace Without God is a thought-provoking exploration of how secular Americans find fulfillment without organized religion.A Nautilus Gold Award Winner: Religion and Spirituality of Other TraditionsStudies show that religion makes us happier, healthier and more giving, connecting us to our past and creating tight communal bonds. Most Americans are raised in a religious tradition, but in recent decades many have be...

Shows how globalization has impacted interreligious relationships and dialogue and argues that the future of interfaith dialogue must include those marginalized voices that have not been invited to the table, especially women.

Named A Best Spiritual Book of the Year by Spirituality & Practice The last twenty years have seen a dramatic increase in "nones": people who do not claim any religious affiliation. These "nones" now outnumber even the largest Protestant denominations in America. They are not to be confused with secularists, however, for many of them identify themselves as "spiritual but not religious" (SBNR). The response to this dramatic change in American religion has been amazingly mixed. Whil...

Malise Ruthven tackles the polemic and stereotypes surrounding this complex phenomenon - one that eludes sim today, a conclusion impossible to ignore since the events in New York on September 11 2001. But what does 'fundamentalism' really mean? Since it was coined by American Protestant evangelicals in the 1920s, the use of the term 'fundamentalist' has expanded to include a diverse range of radical conservatives and ideological purists, not all religious. Fundamentalism could now mean bot...

More than almost anything else, globalization and the great world religions are shaping our lives, affecting everything from the public policies of political leaders and the economic decisions of industry bosses and employees, to university curricula, all the way to the inner longings of our hearts. Integral to both globalization and religions are compelling, overlapping, and sometimes competing visions of what it means to live well. In this perceptive, deeply personal, and b...

When church and culture look the same...For the many Christians eager to prove we can be both holy and cool, cultural pressures are too much. We either compartmentalize our faith or drift from it altogether—into a world that’s so alluring.Have you wondered lately:Why does the Western church look so much like the world?Why are so many of my friends leaving the faith?How can we get back to our roots?

This book investigates the origins of fundamentalism, outlining its characteristics and the history of key fundamentalist movements around the world, considering examples from Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. The book argues that fundamentalism develops when modern lay religious leaders challenge the authority of secular states and traditional religious establishments. These new leaders and their followers seek to infuse religious values and practices into all spheres, especiall...