The world is a very religious place. Wherever you look, people are worshipping, praying, believing, following, even dying for their faith. But are all faiths the same? Do they all call on the same God using different names? Are their beliefs and practices simply cultural expressions of the same spiritual longings? In this timely book, John Dickson presents each of the world's major religions in its best light. He carefully outlines the history, belief systems and spiritual practices of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam so that the interested 'spectator' can explore their similarities and differences. For sceptics, believers and students of religion the book provides a fair and friendly introduction to this ultimate subject.

"In a multi-cultural world with an ever-growing diversity of ethnic and religious belief, the study of comparative religion, worldviews and value systems has never been more relevant. This handbook examines the claims of the world's five major religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity - what they teach, how they view the world, how they differ from one another and, most importantly, challenges the reader to see that these five religions cannot all be true ... Written for Year 10 and 11, the student handbook contains a range of stimulating and thought provoking activities designed to help the student wrestle with the claims of each religion"--Publisher's website.

In this introduction to the life and teaching of Jesus, Dr. John Dickson takes readers through the historical data to reveal in Jesus a man who will surprise both the religious and the not-so-religious. The Jesus who emerges from the ancient sources challenges the norms of his culture, society, and religion. This Jesus associates with sinners, demands compassion toward the needy, and denounces imperialism. The historical Jesus is not left-wing or right-wing. The Jesus of history transcended these simplistic modern categories. Instead, he was a man unlike any other.

Confused by the varying religious views in your workplace, neighborhood, even your family? Check out the Handbook of World Religions-contrasting 50 faiths with Christianity. Christians believe Jesus' claim to be "the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6)-though dozens of other religions propose varying pathways to God, heaven, or ultimate personal fulfillment. Describing these alternate viewpoints fairly and non-judgmentally, the Handbook of World Religions features major world faiths (Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism), Christian-based religions (Mormonism, the Unification Church, Christian Science), traditional religions (African, Chinese, Native American), and various hard-to-categorize beliefs (Gnosticism, Hare Krishna, New Age Spirituality, Rastafarianism, Wicca). This fully-illustrated guide is a fascinating and useful tool to help Christians understand others' beliefs.

Harvard psychologist and philosopher William James' The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature explores the nature of religion and, in James' observation, its divorce from science when studied academically. After publication in 1902 it quickly became a canonical text of philosophy and psychology, remaining in print through the entire century. "Scientific theories are organically conditioned just as much as religious emotions are; and if we only knew the facts intimately enough, we should doubtless see 'the liver' determining the dicta of the sturdy atheist as decisively as it does those of the Methodist under conviction anxious about his soul. When it alters in one way the blood that percolates it, we get the Methodist, when in another way, we get the atheist form of mind."

The Das Kapital of the 20th century,Society of the Spectacle is an essential text, and the main theoretical work of the Situationists. Few works of political and cultural theory have been as enduringly provocative. From its publication amid the social upheavals of the 1960's, in particular the May 1968 uprisings in France, up to the present day, with global capitalism seemingly staggering around in it’s Zombie end-phase, the volatile theses of this book have decisively transformed debates on the shape of modernity, capitalism, and everyday life in the late 20th century. This ‘Red and Black’ translation from 1977 is Introduced by Notting Hill armchair insurrectionary Tom Vague with a galloping time line and pop-situ verve, and given a more analytical over view by young upstart thinker Sam Cooper.

For believers and skeptics alike, A Doubter's Guide to World Religions introduces the five major world religions so that you can explore their similarities and differences in a fair and engaging way. The world is a very religious place. Wherever you look, people are worshipping, praying, believing, following, even dying for their faith. But what does it mean to be religious? Are all religions the same? Do they all call on the same God simply using different names? Are their beliefs and practices simply cultural expressions of the same spiritual longings? Written by historian and theologian John Dickson in his characteristically engaging style, this book presents each of the world's five major systems of faith, carefully outlining the history, doctrines, beliefs, and spiritual practices of: Hinduism ("The Way of Release") Buddhism ("The Way of Enlightenment") Judaism ("The Way of the Torah") Christianity ("The Way of the Christ") Islam ("The Way of Submission") In his own words, Dickson acts as an art curator in a gallery, presenting each of these "works of art" in their best light and letting each have their say. Along the way, he demonstrates the importance of religion in general—to society and to individual believers—and addresses many of the universal questions that all of these serious and ancient religions ask: Who are we? What is our worth? How should we live? Are we alone? At the end of each section is a bibliography of helpful books and websites for those who are interested in learning even more.

If you appreciate Operation World as an adult, your kids will love this invaluable and age-appropriate prayer resource that develops cultural, political, and geographical awareness. This revised edition includes new entries for more countries and people groups, with updated information and prayer points. Young people and adults alike can discover and pray for the peoples of the world.

In The Future of the Global Church, Patrick Johnstone, author of six editions of the phenomenal prayer guide, Operation World, draws on his fifty years experience to present a breathtaking, full-color graphical and textual overview of the past, present and possible future of the church around the world.