World Religions in Seven Sentences: A Small Introduction to a Vast Topic (Introductions in Seven Sentences)
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Understanding the beliefs and practices of other faiths is essential not just to the task of interreligious dialogue, but also to grasping one’s own faith.
In this brief volume in IVP Academic’s Introductions in Seven Sentences, philosopher Douglas Groothuis creatively uses a single sentence representing each of several world religions as a way to open readers to their depth and complexity, including:
Atheism: “God Is Dead.”
Judaism: “I Am Who I Am.”
Hinduism: “You Are That.”
Buddhism: “Life Is Suffering.”
Daoism: “The Dao That Can Be Spoken Is Not the Eternal Dao.”
Christianity: “Before Abraham Was, I Am.”
Islam: “There Is One God, and Mohammad Is His Prophet.”
With a sympathetic but not uncritical approach, Groothuis welcomes readers to a vital and global conversation.
The accessible primers in the Introductions in Seven Sentences collection act as brief introductions to an academic field, with simple organization: seven key sentences that give readers a birds-eye view of an entire discipline.
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- Uses a single sentence representing each of several world religions as a way to open readers to their depth and complexity
- Gives readers a birds-eye view of an entire discipline
- Introduction
- 1. Nietzsche: God is Dead
- 2. Judaism: I AM WHO I AM
- 3. Hinduism: You Are That
- 4. Buddhism: Life Is Suffering
- 5. Daoism: The Dao that Can Be Spoken Is Not the Eternal Dao
- 6. Christianity: Before Abraham Was, I Am
- 7. Islam: There is One God, and Mohammad is His Prophet
- Conclusion
Most of us will never become scholars of the major world religions. But as society becomes more pluralistic and technology increases our awareness of and interconnection with countries all over the world, there has never been a time when it is more crucial for believers to understand the major religious worldviews. Enter Douglas Groothuis's marvelous book World Religions in Seven Sentences. Groothuis has earned the reputation of being a first-rate scholar who deals fairly and accurately with views he critiques. And World Religions in Seven Sentences may be his best example yet. This work is unique in that it accurately presents the major religious worldviews; provides fair, hard-hitting criticisms of them; and accomplishes all this in a brief, easy-to-read way. In my view, this is now the first book to read for anyone who wants to get at the heart of important religions and compare them with Christianity. I love this book!
—J. P. Moreland, distinguished professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, and author of A Simple Guide to Miracles
This innovative primer succeeds where most introductory texts fail, namely in combining a lucid and succinct exposition with accuracy and precision. Another great virtue of the text is its capacity to introduce religious and atheistic positions in a most hospitable manner while adding some constructive, critical observations from the Christian point of view. All in all, an extraordinary tool for both seasoned and novice students of living faiths and secularism.
—Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary and docent of ecumenics at the University of Helsinki
- Title: World Religions in Seven Sentences: A Small Introduction to a Vast Topic
- Author: Douglas Groothuis
- Series: Introductions in Seven Sentences
- Publisher: IVP Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Pages: 164
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
- Subject: Religions
- ISBNs: 9781514005835, 9781514005828, 1514005832, 1514005824
- Resource ID: LLS:INTRO7WORLDREL
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-08-21T19:53:09Z
Douglas R. Groothuis (PhD, Philosophy, University of Oregon) is professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary in Denver, Colorado. He has also been a visiting professor or adjunct faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary (Colorado Springs extension), Metropolitan State College of Denver, Westminster Theological Seminary (California campus), University of Oregon, New College Berkeley and Seattle Pacific University. His articles have been published in professional journals such as Religious Studies, Sophia, Theory and Research in Education, Philosophia Christi, Themelios, Think: A Journal of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, Christian Scholar's Review, Inquiry and Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. He has written several books, including Truth Decay, In Defense of Natural Theology (coeditor), Unmasking the New Age, Jesus in an Age of Controversy, Deceived by the Light, The Soul in Cyberspace, and, in the Wadsworth Philosophers Series, On Pascal and On Jesus.