Hearing the Call across Traditions: Readings on Faith and Service - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1683361105 ISBN 13: 9781683361107

Publisher: SkyLight Paths, 2011

Synopsis

An inspiring collection of readings that will raise deep questions about service and its roots in faith.

"There is a deep yearning among the vast majority of people of all religious and philosophical traditions to make real their most enduring shared principles―to care for creation, to serve others with compassion, and to protect and enhance the gift of life.... We believe that reflecting on these principles strengthens our capacity to embody them."
―from the Introduction

Explore the connections between faith, service, and social justice through the prose, verse, and sacred texts of the world's great faith traditions―Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and more. Drawing from diverse literary genres, religious and philosophical perspectives and historical periods, these short and provocative readings cut to the heart of the many obstacles and joys that accompany lives devoted to faith and service:

Why do I serve? · Whom do I serve? · How do I serve?

This rich collection will create a platform for discussing and understanding the faith-based service of others as well as inspire you to reflect on the meaning behind your own commitment to improving the world.

Contributors:

Umar Faruq Abd-Allah · Jane Addams · Sholom Aleichem · Bidpai · Cesar Chavez · Chuang-Tzu · Dorothy Day · Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni · Mahatma Gandhi · Linda Gregg · Hafiz · Hamzayusuf · Thich Nhat Hanh · Mark Helprin · Abraham Joshua Heschel · Gerard Manley Hopkins · Kabir · Martin Luther King Jr. · The Dalai Lama · Anne Lamott · Lao-Tzu · Abraham Lincoln · Maimonides · Valerie Martin · Gabriela Mistral · Mikhail Naimy · Friedrich Nietzsche · Tim O'Brien · Flannery O’Connor · Mary Oliver · George Orwell · John Oskison · Eboo Patel · Peggy Payne · I. L. Peretz · Rumi · Ryokan · Tayeb Salih · Harold M. Schulweis · Leslie Marmon Silko · Anna Swir · Rabindranath Tagore · William Trevor · Shih Te · Swami Vivekananda · Walt Whitman

About this title

From the Inside Flap

What inspires you to roll up your sleeves and reach out your hand?

Across the world's diverse religious traditions--Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and more--the call of faith and the call of service often go hand in hand. Yet just as there are many different faith traditions, there are also many understandings of service and its manifestation.

In this thought-provoking collection, spiritual and literary luminaries--young and old, contemporary and ancient, male and female--examine the many ways people of diverse backgrounds have worked to improve our world through service. They invite you to reflect on the connections between faith and service, and encourage you to consider how individuals belonging to different communities and believing in distinct creeds can live and serve together in mutual trust.

With useful discussion questions and a guide for interfaith reflection and service, this resource will help you gain a greater appreciation of and respect for the religious and philosophical traditions of your neighbors, and may just inspire you to take action.

"A delightful symphony of inspiring readings from the world's religions. Finds harmony in a shared commitment and value for service and celebrates the distinctive and inviting melodies on this theme played in diverse communities of faith."
--Anantanand Rambachan, professor and chair of the religion department, St. Olaf College

About the Author

Adam Davis, senior research and teaching associate at the Project on Civic Reflection, is coeditor of The Civically Engaged Reader: A Diverse Collection of Short and Provocative Readings on Civic Activity and Talking Service: Readings for Civic Reflection.

About this edition

• Publisher: SkyLight Paths
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1683361105
• ISBN 13: 9781683361107
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352
• Editor: Davis Adam