Book Study!!!

 

Due to my Yoga Intensive weekend from July 26-28th, I was not able to worship so I read book instead! If you know me, you know I LOVE to read! It is not uncommon for me to have anywhere from 3-5 books going at one time. Anyway, I read two books with very different views on religious pluralism. Both books were well worth the read and had excellent points about Christianity. I would like to reflect a bit on these books...

The first book I read was called " Encountering God" by Diana L. Eck. Diana is a professor at Harvard, teaching religious and Indian studies. She is the director of the Pluralism Project, which seeks to map the new religious diversity of the United States. She details her journey as a Christian from her childhood in Bozeman, Montana to her studies in Banaras, India. She reveals how other religions have shaped and enlarged her Christian faith. Her book is based on interfaith dialogue; exploring the challenges of religious diversity and the importance of inter-religious dialogue for mutual understanding and transformation not only for ourselves but for the world we live in. It is a wonderful read if you, like myself, enjoy interfaith dialogue and learning about other faiths. Diana takes you into the hearth of India lets you in on what challenged her Christian faith during her travels and studies and what made her faith stronger.

The second book I read was called "Jesus Among Other Gods" by Ravi Zacharias. Ravi Zacharias is a Christian apologist who disagrees with the current attitude of religious pluralism and searches for the truth. Having been born in India and raised Hindu, Zacharias came to Christianity as a young adult. He is very knowledgeable in both western and eastern religions.  His view is that all this religious pluralism and acceptance is absurd and that all religions simply can not be true. Zacharias considers six questions Jesus answered in a way that skeptics can not challenges Jesus' uniqueness in claiming he was the divine.

Although I lean more towards religious pluralism, Zacharias's book is a must read for Christians as it answers some tough questions concerning the Christian faith. I enjoyed reading both book equally, although there are some things I do not agree with. It is interesting to read others view points about religion. I strongly recommend both books to anyone interested in the Christian faith, inter-religious dialogue,  and religious pluralism.