Marcus Braybrooke is a prolific writer in the field of interreligious relations. His books have covered many of his assignments in dialogue. He has written about the Jewish-Christian dialogue, about the World Congress of Faiths, about the Parliament of World Religions, the discussion on a global ethic and now about Christianity. The Explorer's Guide to Christianity is a book about Christian faith written for people of other religions and of no religion. Rabbi Julia Neuberger having read the book says, "Whilst fascinated, I never once felt I was being proselytised - this is a time guide for those who want to know more, with no pressure to join. A tour de force." And yet this is not a book of the sterile academia. It is written with the "intention to convey the devotional heart of faith". And at the same time, this book does not only deal with the inner side of faith. Its index shows that the book addresses pertinent questions to Christianity today: homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia, non-violence, economic justice, the gender issue, etc. It discusses the problems people of other faiths have with some of the theological claims of Christian self-understanding.
In this book representatives of Baha'i, Brahma Kumari, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism , Judaism, Rastafarian, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism and a non-religious contributor comment on some dimensions in the Declaration Toward a Global Ethic signed at the Parliament of World Religions in 1993. The Declaration Toward a Global Ethic declares that the moral values that are shared by people of faith can provide the basis for communities and nations to live together in a peaceful and harmonious way.There are four particular dimensions in the Declaration Toward a Global Ethic, the commitment to a culture of non-violence and respect for life, the commitment to a culture of solidarity and a just economic order, the commitment to a culture of tolerance and a life of truthfulness and a commitment to a culture of equal rights and partnership between men and women. Supported by verses from their holy Scriptures or quoting from various literary or philosophical sources, the representatives of the different religions explore agreements and differences in relation to the ethical concerns expressed in the Declaration. The book is conceived for study groups containing questions for further reflection.
This book takes the reader deep into Buddhism as a religion, as a philosophy, as a technique and in the most important places of Buddhist history and presence in the world. The introduction demonstrates the difficulties one is faced with when trying to define Buddhism. It is, says, von Brück, a science about the psychological processes and components in our conceptualising and thinking as well as describing the inner mental prerequisites. Buddhism is a philosophy, which comprises cosmology and anthropology. It is a religion providing an ethical system and the veneration of Buddha, it is practical meditation and a way of life comprising all aspects of life itself.A useful bibliography and information on the study of Buddhism in its various forms (intellectual, meditative, esthetic, dialogue) is followed by a chapter on the sources on Buddhist thinking. Chapters on the life of Buddha, the history of Buddhism, Buddhism in China, Japan, Tibet and in the West conclude this thorough introduction to Buddhism.
It has since the downfall of State Socialism been said that Islam has replaced Communism as the enemy of the West. Jacques Waardenburg deals in this book - five lectures given at the university of Lausanne - with relations between Christians and Muslims in the European and Mediterranean context.The first chapter, "Islam as the antipode of Europe", deals with attitudes towards Islam in the last 100 years. Some key-words are colonisation, orientalism, the Turks in Europe, islamisation of the state, Muslim images of Europe: a danger and an ideal. The second and third chapters about Christianity and Islam in disputation and dialogue give a historic over-view, go from polemics via mission to dialogue, describe Islamic reactions to Western Christianity, Islamic renewal, themes and issues in Muslim-Christian dialogue and summarise how education, formation and publications are an outcome of dialogue. The fourth chapteris a prospective look at Europe and its religions, while the fifth and concluding chapter presents some ideas on dialogue and relations between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. There is a useful bibliography which covers important chapters in the history and present relationship of Christians and Muslims, e.g. the medieval period, from 1950 to contemporary times, books and studies relevant to particular European countries, the Christian-Muslim dialogue and politicised Islam.
Conversion was and still is in many places often understood as a way to gain protection, education and status. In India it was more than often to get away from the shackles ofthe caste-system. The author, Andrew Wingate, who for some years taught in India, studies in this book the issue of conversion, the changes in perception of conversion. He notes that conversion to Christianity is no longer advantageous, Christians are considered to be economically and politically disadvantaged and one couldn't escape one's caste anyway. The church is also a place of casteism. Instead there have been reversions back to Hinduism or conversions to Ambedkar's Buddhism and Islam. Converting to Christianity meant leaving one's cultural and religious traditions and the question has been raised in missiological circles whether one should not de-link conversion and baptism. The question is asked whether it is possible to be a Christian without baptism and joining the church. If this is a possibility, isn't it time for Indian Christians to reconsider their whole relationship to India and the Hindu religion and culture? The book contains an interesting survey of the phenomenon conversion as it has been discussed in the ecumenical movement, conversion as new birth, with a clearly defined before' and after', conversion and social quietism, conversion and social insensitivity, conversion as a response to a personal crisis. As a conclusion the author illustrates with diagrams various push and pull-factors and their hurdles in religious/theological, cultural/social, personal/psychological and political, economic, institutional conversions of Christians to Hinduism, Hindus to Christianity, Christians to Islam. The final reflection centres around questions of mission and dialogue, salvation and theology of religions.
