Religions of the West Today

Description

Ideal for courses in Western religions, Religions of the West Today, Second Edition, covers the same material contained in the authors' longer textbook, World Religions Today, Fourth Edition.

Religions of the West Today, Second Edition, reveals the significance of religion in contemporary life. Judaism, Christianity, Islam, indigenous religions, and new religions are explored as dynamic, ongoing forces in the lives of individuals and in the collective experience of modern societies. This unique volume accomplishes two goals: it connects today's Western religions to their classical beliefs and practices and focuses on how these religions have responded to and been transformed by the modern world. The authors combine thorough coverage of the historical background of each religion with up-to-the-minute discussions of its current practices. This volume is enhanced by numerous pedagogical aids--text boxes, timelines, maps, discussion questions, a comprehensive glossary of key terms, and suggestions for further reading--and more than 100 photographs and illustrations.

ALSO AVAILABLE TO SUIT YOUR COURSE NEEDS:

World Religions Today, Fourth Edition (978-0-19-975951-4)

Religions of Asia Today, Second Edition (978-0-19-975949-1)

New to this Edition

• Updates throughout that cover more aspects of the current international situation and developments in religious life around the world
• "Rituals and Rites" boxes examining rituals that have changed in practice or meaning over time
• "Gender Focus" boxes that highlight gender-specific customs within each faith
• A revised and updated Instructor's Manual and Test Bank on CD containing overviews, learning goals, and summaries for each chapter; lecture outlines; PowerPoint-based lecture slides; fill-in-the-blank, multiple-choice, and true/false test questions; sample essay/discussion questions; flash cards of key terms; and suggested reading, viewing, and links
• An updated Companion Website at www.oup.com/us/esposito featuring all of the material on the Instructor's Manual and additional resources for students

Table of Contents

Chapters 2-5 open with an Overview.
Preface
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
Globalization: World Religions in Everyone's Hometown
Why Study World Religions?
Our Task
Understanding Religious Experience and Its Formative Elements
The Great Religious Stories of the World
Historical Overview: From Premodern to Postmodern
The Modern/Postmodern Transition: Colonialism, the Socialist Challenge, and the End of Modernity
Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
Conclusion: We Are All Heretics in the Postmodern Situation
Discussion Questions
Key Terms
Notes
CHAPTER 2. INDIGENOUS RELIGIONS
Origins of Homo religiosus: Prehistory
Religion's Origins Among Hunter-Gatherers
Indigenous Religious Traditions: Soul Belief and Afterlife
Shamans: "Technicians of the Sacred"
Indigenous Religions Today
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
Additional Resources
Notes
CHAPTER 3. THE MANY STORIES OF JUDAISM: SACRED AND SECULAR
Encounter with Modernity: Modern Judaisms and the Challenge of Ultra-Orthodoxy
Premodern Judaism: The Formative Era (2000 BCE-500 CE)
Premodern Judaism: The Classical Era (500 CE-1729 CE)
Judaism and Modernity
Judaism and Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World (1967-)
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
Additional Resources
Notes
CHAPTER 4. CHRISTIAN DIVERSITY AND THE ROAD TO MODERNITY
Encounter with Modernity: The Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy (1859-)
Premodern Christianity: The Formative Era (31-451 CE)
Premodern Christianity: The Classical Era (451-1517 CE)
Christianity and Modernity (1517-1962)
Christianity and Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World (1962-)
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
Additional Resources
CHAPTER 5. ISLAM: THE MANY FACES OF THE MUSLIM EXPERIENCE
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
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
Notes
CHAPTER 6. GLOBALIZATION: FROM NEW TO NEW AGE RELIGIONS
Encounter with Modernity: The Challenge of Global Diversity to the "Purity" of Tradition
New Religions
New Age Religions
Conclusion: The Postmodern Challenge
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings
Additional Resources
Notes
Glossary
Art Credits
Index