Handbook of Religion: A Christian Engagement with Traditions, Teachings, and Practices

by Terry C. Muck (Editor), Harold A. Netland (Editor), Gerald R. McDermott (Editor)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781540966247
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/07/2022
Pages:	832
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Terry C. Muck (PhD, Northwestern University) has been a religious studies scholar for more than thirty-five years. Prior to his retirement, he served as executive director of the Louisville Institute after teaching for many years at Austin Presbyterian Seminary and Asbury Theological Seminary. Muck has authored or edited numerous books, including Christianity Encountering World Religions, Handbook of Religion, and Ministry and Theology in Global Perspective: Contemporary Challenges for the Church. He is cofounder and president of the Society for Buddhist Christian Studies and has been the lead writer for three Christian interfaith statements.

Harold A. Netland (PhD, Claremont Graduate University) is professor of philosophy of religion and intercultural studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, where he has taught for more than twenty-five years. He previously served as a missionary in Japan and taught at Tokyo Christian University. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including Christianity and Religious Diversity, Encountering Religious Pluralism, and Buddhism: A Christian Exploration and Appraisal. He is also the coeditor of Globalizing Theology and Handbook of Religion.

Gerald R. McDermott (PhD, University of Iowa) teaches at Jerusalem Seminary and Reformed Episcopal Seminary (ACNA). He was Anglican Chair of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School for five years and taught at Roanoke College for twenty-six years. He is an Anglican priest who serves at an Anglican church in Crozet, Virginia. McDermott has written two dozen books and hundreds of articles on Jonathan Edwards, world religions, the meaning of Israel, and assorted other subjects such as race and stuttering. He has also written for Christianity Today, the Christian Century, and First Things.

Table of Contents

Contents
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: World Religions
Part 3: Indigenous Religions
Part 4: New Religious Movements
Part 5: Essays

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2015
The editors of this volume on the religions and religious-like philosophies of the world are explicitly evangelical in their approach. However, rather than focusing on an impartial description of the various religious movements or on an apologetical comparison, the 134 essays contained here seek to describe the basic beliefs as well as their interactions with Christianity. The volume consists of five parts that cover the study of religion in general, world religions, local religious movements based on geographic regions, newer religious movements, and the interaction of religion and cultural themes. As with any work by multiple experts, the writing at times assumes a general knowledge of the topic and is dense or overly simplistic in explaining the basics. The "study aids" sprinkled throughout, including bulleted lists, maps, time lines, and statistics, add greatly to the usability of the volume as a textbook. As a general reference work, the design of multiple essays on a religion or religious topic somewhat limits its relevance since one must read multiple essays to gain the full picture. For instance, the section on Hinduism's history, beliefs, and practices will leave the reader puzzled until they read the other essays on Hinduism. Many of the writings can stand on their own, but the design is clearly to read them as a group. VERDICT Despite some issues, overall the editors accomplish their aim of providing a introductory evangelical perspective of various religions and their encounters with Christianity.—Ray Arnett, Fremont Area Dist. Lib., MI

Library Journal