As I promised yesterday, today’s post is an annotated list of resources to better acquaint you with the subjects of pluralism and the world’s religions.
PLURALISM
The Reason for God, Tim Keller. Highly recommended for this issue and countless others. Keller lucidly addresses this issue in the opening chapter. I have a pastor friend who told me of an acquaintance who loves the book so much that he buys it by the case – and gives copies away to strangers.
Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias. This book is extremely popular and easy to read. Zacharias argues intelligently and passionately for the supremacy of Christ over the competing worldviews present in today’s culture.
Encountering Religious Pluralism, Harold Netland. This book is considerably more exhuastive, but provides the most comprehensive analysis and response to the current climate of religious pluralism, especially how it impacts our expressions of faith and our mission to the outside world.
WORLD RELIGIONS
Can Evangelicals Learn from World Religions? Gerald R. McDermott. According to the author, the answer to the titular question is “yes.” McDermott focuses on points of contact between Christianity and world religions. While I disagree with some of his method (the standards for comparison do not always seem consistent, and he is not always clear on the issue of scripture), the book is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in religious dialogue.
The Baker Pocket Guide to World Religions, Gerald R. McDermott. Everyone should own this. It is a very concise (less than 200 pages), easy-to-use book full of charts, useful quotes and other information on world religions. Hear about Buddhism on the news? Want to know what they believe? In five minutes, you have a clear (though not exhaustive) picture of their religious beliefs.
The World’s Religions, Huston Smith. Smith is widely known for his ability to distill religious truth for the masses. This book is an excellent single volume work on the world’s religions. Written from a secular perspective.
Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions, Winfried Corduan. This work is considerably more advanced and detailed, but provides a valuable resource for those needing still more information regarding a specific faith system.
A World Religions Reader, Ian S. Markham. This is a very useful resource to have, as it takes selected texts from the various religions and organizes them in one volume so that you can easily learn about other faiths from the primary source.