Synopses & Reviews
The twenty-first century is witnessing a resurgence and globalization of religion. Around the world, religion has become an increasingly more vital and pervasive force in both personal and public life. Revealing the significance of religion in the contemporary world,
Religion and Globalization: World Religions in Historical Perspective explores seven major religious traditions as dynamic, ongoing forces in the lives of individuals and in the collective experience of modern societies.
Written by three highly respected scholars--the authors of World Religions Today, Second Edition--this text covers Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, East Asian Religions, and new religious movements. Taking a fresh approach, it uses historical coverage of the religious traditions as a framework to help students understand how faiths have evolved to the present day and continue to have an impact on belief, politics, and society. The book connects today's religions to their classical beliefs and practices but also shows how they have been transformed by globalization and by their contact with one another. The authors examine how the global changes that began with the Scientific Revolution influence the ways that religions are practiced today. They reflect not only on how ancient traditions have been modified in order to accommodate current realities but also on how the global synergy of these traditions is changing current social and political realities. To help students grasp what might be "new" about the emerging era of religious life in the twenty-first century, each discussion opens with a contemporary scenario of religious experience that illustrates the tension between pre-modern views and modernity.
Ideal for courses on religion and globalization, religion and politics, and comparative religion, Religion and Globalization features sixteen custom maps, key terms at the end of each chapter, a glossary, and timelines of major events in each tradition.
Table of Contents
Each chapter begins with an Overview and concludes with Discussion Questions, Key Terms, Suggested Readings, and Notes. Chapters 2-7 end with a Conclusion.
Preface
1. Introduction
Religion and Globalization
Understanding Religious Experience and Its Expressions
The Great Religious Stories of the World
Modernization in Global Perspective
Modern Colonialism, the Socialist Challenge, and the End of Modernity
Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
2. Christianity and the Road to Modernity
Encounter with Modernity: The Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy
Premodern Christianity: The Formative Era
Premodern Christianity: The Classical Era
Christianity and Modernity
Christianity and Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
3. The Many Faces of Judaism: Sacred and Secular
Encounter with Modernity: Modern Judaisms and the Challenge of Ultra-Orthodoxy
Premodern Judaism: The Formative Era--Biblical Origins
Premodern Judaism: The Formative Era--From Torah to Talmud
Premodern Judaism: The Classical Era
Judaism and Modernity
Judaism and Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
4. The Globalization of Islam and Muslims
Encounter with Modernity: The Challenge of Western Colonialism
Premodern Islam: The Formative Era
Premodern Islam: The Classical Era
Islam and Modernity
Islam and Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
Islam: Postmodern Challenges
5. Hinduism: Myriad Paths to Salvation
Encounter with Modernity: Hindu Challenges to India as a Secular State
Premodern Hinduism: The Formative Era
Premodern Hinduism: The Classical Era
Premodern Hinduism: The Postclassical Era
Hinduism and Modernity
Hinduism and Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
6. Buddhism: Ways to Nirvana
Encounter with Modernity: Socially Engaged Buddhism
Premodern Buddhism: The Formative Era
Premodern Buddhism: The Classical Era
Premodern Buddhism: Buddhist Expansion
Buddhism and Modernity
Buddhism and Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
7. East Asian Religions: Traditions of Human Cultivation and Natural Harmony
Encounter with Modernity: Postcolonial Confucian Economics
East Asian Religions in the Premodern Era
East Asian Religions and Modernity
East Asian Religions and Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
8. Globalization: From New to New Age Religions
New Religions
New Age Religions
Religious Postmodernism and Global Ethics
Glossary
Time Lines
Index