World Religions Today - Softcover

Esposito, John L.; Fasching, Darrell J.; Lewis, Todd

3.75

122 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195102533 ISBN 13: 9780195102536

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2001

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The twenty-first century is witnessing a resurgence and globalization of religion. Around the world, religion has become an increasingly more important and pervasive force in personal and public life, and faith and politics now play a powerful role in international affairs. Revealing the significance of religion in contemporary life, World Religions Today explores major religious traditions--Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and East Asian religions--as dynamic, ongoing forces in the lives of individuals and in the collective experience of modern societies. Moving beyond the almost exclusively historical perspective of many books in the field, this text takes a fresh approach, using solid historical coverage of the various religious traditions as a framework to help students understand how faiths have evolved to the present day. It connects today's religions to their classical beliefs and practices but also shows how these religions have responded to and been transformed by the modern world. To help students grasp what might be "new" about the emerging era of religious life in the 21st century, the authors open each discussion with a contemporary scenario of religious experience that illustrates the tensions between pre-modern views and modernity.
World Religions Today includes a general introduction that provides essential background information for students and features many pedagogical aids including timelines, maps, numerous illustrations, questions for discussion, and a glossary of key terms. Ideal for undergraduate courses in world religions and comparative religion, World Religions Today emphasizes the interconnectedness of faith, culture, politics, and society, providing a peerless examination of the diverse ways in which contemporary human beings are religious.

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About the Author:

John L. Esposito, Professor of Religion and International Affairs; Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service. Darrell J. Fasching, Professor of Religious Studies, University of South
Florida. Todd Lewis, Associate Professor of World Religions, College of the Holy Cross.

Review:

"An excellent survey--modern, elegant, and challenging."--Joshua Landis, University of Oklahoma

"[This book] sets religions in their context in the modern world, showing cultural interaction through the history that has shaped them. It contains a helpful general introduction, glossary, and timelines. The anecdotes help to illustrate the reality of religious experience."--Wayne C. Weld,
North Park University

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