Buddhism: A Christian Exploration and Appraisal

by Keith Yandell, Harold Netland

The disproportionate influence of Buddhist thought and philosophy found in cultural circles such as education, entertainment and the media coupled with the dramatic recent surge of asian immigrants, many of whom are Buddhist, has brought Buddhism to the forefront of Western culture. And more and more of those who have become disenfranchised from Christian spirituality are embracing Buddhism as a replacement way of organizing their life. In this clear and balanced introduction, Keith Yandell and Harold Netland set out to educate Christians about Buddhism, laying out the central metaphysical claims of this significant world religion, including a concluding chapter which offers an honest comparison with Christianity. The authors acknowledge some overlap of belief while also noting the clear and significant differences between the two religions. As both religions affirm, these distinctions have enormous consequences for the spiritual well-being of adherents. This book guides any reader who wants to understand the central tenets and claims of Buddhism more deeply and how learn how it compares to Christian faith.

Genres: Theology, Religion

230 pages, Paperback

First published May 22, 2009

Reviews

[Caroline Garza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very thorough but incredibly difficult for me to follow and understand. I’m not sure if this is on me, but I read quite a bit so I feel the book itself is difficult to understand. I did learn a lot but it was hard to read more than 2-3 pages a day.

[Blake Reas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Yandell and Netland give an analytic introduction and critique of Buddhism. The doctrines of “no-self”, Nirvana, and General ontology are all examined. Final chapter is an excellent compare and contrast of Christianity and Buddhism. Highly recommended.

[P. Es · Rating 4 out of 5]

Index was mighty thin for something that - without one - entails flipping back and forth a lot to find a statement/concept articulated elsewhere. That I think was the biggest flaw. Also would have helped many of his points to include Donald S. Lopez's work on Buddhism and science (I can't recommend enough "Scientific Buddha"), though I think his specific "Buddhism and Science" book came out the same year (in a nutshell; engagements between Buddhism and the deliverances of [western] science have gone on since the early days of East/West contact; the historical religion of Buddhism, as per its narratives, doctrines, etc - is not such an easy fit with "the latest cutting edge in cognitive science/physics/etc" - as many western proponents of a 'philosophized' Buddhism may contend).

[Brian Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a helpful survey of Buddhism: its background, history, and variants. This survey includes a discussion of Western appropriations of Buddhism and how they differ in various ways from their historical roots. The explicit Christian appraisal occurs primarily in the final chapter and deals with the questions of the existence of God and the uniqueness of Jesus. However, Christian appraisal is implicit in other chapters.