What’s the Big Deal About Other Religions?
John Ankerberg and Dillon Burroughs
Harvest House, 2008, 253 pp., $12.99, www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Muslims, Christians, and Jesus
Carl Medearis
Bethany House, 2008, 128 pp., $13.99, www.bethanyhouse.com
Increasingly, students in our communities come from faiths other than Protestant Christian traditions. Understanding foundational beliefs, motivations, purpose and history of the world’s religions is now vital for all those in ministry. These two books succinctly distill these diverse faith traditions, bringing valuable understanding and insight.
What’s the Big Deal provides a brief explanation of every major faith tradition. The faiths are categorized into groups, such as one-God religions, popular alternative religions (Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses), Eastern religions and multigod/anti-god religions. Clearly written histories and summative beliefs, as well as graphs and comparisons to Orthodox Christianity are included. This book provides a solid starting point and can be used as a reference resource.
Muslims, Christians, and Jesus is focused solely on the faith of Islam. The author’s expertise and experiences in the Middle East provide factual and experiential information about Islam, as well as personal anecdotes. This book provides an in-depth explanation of the most misunderstood faith of our generation.
This is truly a book designed to foster understanding in place of fear.
