Christianity and World Religions - Participant's Book

by Adam Hamilton

Adam Hamilton, named by PBS’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly as one of the top “Ten People to Watch,” has created an inviting new series of video-and-book studies on love and marriage, life issues, world religions, and Christian denominations. Hamilton calls these small-group studies “fishing expeditions,” because they include tools for congregation wide and communitywide programs to draw in new members. Components include DVD, participant’s book, leader’s guide, and pastor’s guide with CD-ROM. 6-8 sessions / 60-90 minutes Christianity and World Religions: Wrestling With Questions People Ask is a video-based small-group study and outreach program that explores four major world religions- Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism – and compares the beliefs of each with those of Christianity. This six-week study deals openly and honestly with questions people ask about other religions, including why we should believe the claims of Christianity over those of other faiths. As part of the study, author and presenter Adam Hamilton interviews a religious leader from each tradition. He treats the world religions with great respect, recognizing the unique contributions of each. In examining these major world religions and the beliefs of their followers, the Reverend Hamilton urges us as Christians to build bridges with others so that we might grow in our faith, seek peace in our world, love our neighbor, and find positive ways to share the gospel. For group or individual study, the book can be used by class participants during the study group meeting or at home for additional reflection. Includes detailed content for the six sessions.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Theology, Faith, Christian, Christianity, Spirituality

134 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Rev. Adam Hamilton is the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. He grew up in the Kansas City area. He earned a B.A. degree in Pastoral Ministry from Oral Roberts University and a Master of Divinity Degree from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection has grown from four people in 1990 to more than 16,000 adult members with an average weekly worship attendance of more than 8,600 in 2011. The church was listed as the most influential mainline church in America in a 2005 survey of American pastors.

Adam has been married 30 years to LaVon. They have two grown daughters.

Reviews

[Patricia K Batta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make no mistake, Adam Hamilton is a Christian. For this book, he spent time studying and interviewing leaders of the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu religions to find out where our faiths intersect and where they differ. There is a surprising amount of agreement among all of us, and we have much to learn from the others about practices that would enrich our Christian lives. After exploring where we all agree, he went on to explain how our Christian faith differs. The major difference is our belief in a personal relationship with God and the redemptive power of Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross. What happens to us when this life ends is another way we differ. I recommend reading this book to gain perspective on the people in the world we live in today.

[Patty Corwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a class at my church. Investigates Buddhism, Himduism, Islam, Judaism, and then gives a very brief summary of the basic reasons why Christianity is different. I agree with Hamilton when he says we have nothing to fear by studying other faiths - and ours will thus possibly grow. In our diverse world, we need to model how to hold strong convictions and still treat another's beliefs with respect. (We sometimes share our own faith with others in ways that repel them.) I found this book very helpful & learned a great deal.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting attempt to be as politically correct as possible while explaining the differences among the main five religions of the world. Very little of the content was new to me.

I take exception to the author’s premise in the last paragraph on Buddhism that I would need to learn from Buddhists about meditation, prayer, material things versus spiritual things, the transience of the world, or about justice, righteousness and love. All of these concepts are covered quite successfully in Christianity. The fact that all Christians do not display each of these practices every single moment only reminds all of us that we are fallible and mortal beings.

In the chapter about Islam the author states merely that the religion spread like wildfire, and failed to explain that folks could become Muslim or die. Not that these kinds of incidents didn’t happen in the Christian world, but the Christian incidents he did mention later in the book. He should have been honest about the history of Islam and that it is still spread in much the same way today – accept Mohammad or we will cut off your head. Then he brags that Muslims give 2.5% of their income to the poor when in Christianity we give 10% to the Lord and that includes ministries to the poor. Hmmm …. When he extols the Muslim for praying 5 times per day (one short identical prayer) and asks us to consider emulating that, well, many of the Christians I know do pray off and on all day long. “Pray without ceasing,” I believe it is called, many praying much more than 5 times per day, and they are not keeping count. His further adulation that he was welcomed with open arms into mosques and wished that the reverse were true, should cause him to reflect that no Christians are being exhorted by Christian leaders to murder Muslims (and I wish the reverse were true.)

[Laura Dallas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I particularly appreciate Adam Hamilton’s studies on other faiths because he emphasizes what we can learn from others. There is a clear lack of judgment. Never does he say, “This faith is wrong because . . .” Instead, he shows us what the differences are from our own faith, and then he does something radical. He invites us to learn from them. Whether it is devotion or knowledge of their faith or reverence, Hamilton sees opportunities for us to grow as Christians by learning about non-Christians. Along the way, he challenges us to be ambassadors of our own faith. He gives us examples of what to say and how to say it, and it not-so-subtly makes us question, “How do I make Christianity appear to those who are not Christians?” By understanding other faiths, we can talk with non-Christians from an educated perspective that puts mutual respect at the center of our conversation and opens up dialogue that we would not entertain without it. Hamilton makes sure we understand that this is just an introduction to other faiths, and that if we are to truly engage in witnessing to non-Christians, then we need to be open to understanding where they are coming from if we have any hope of them wanting to understand about Jesus and His love.

The book looks at Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. With the introductory chapter, there are seven sessions. Each session has a video portion that features Hamilton’s sermons on these faiths and interviews with faith leaders.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finishing the book. An overview with points where the religions diverge as well as are of the same mind.
I just finished this book and really enjoyed it. Although I had taken a World Religions course in college that led the reader into more depth, Hamilton's goal in writing this book was to cover major beliefs with a comparison of each to Christianity's beliefs. I found it to be a good overview of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism. This was followed with a comparative analysis with Christianity. A video accompanied the study, with leaders of the faiths speaking about their respective faiths.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great study on the major world religions:Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Hamiliton is a Christian, but his treatment of the other faiths is fair. He explores the similarities of these faiths with Christianity and where they differ. There is a dvd series that goes along with this book and it is a great small group study. I read this book in preparation for doing this study in our Sunday School class. I am looking forward to it.

[J. Ewbank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Adam Hamilton gives you a short course covering the other large world religions. He does an excellent job of presenting them, commenting on them as faithfully as he can with quotes from those who are followers, and then presenting Christian alternatives. Finally he presents the Christian faith and why he believes in it. He does an excellent job.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" and "To Whom It May Concern"

[Kathy Boyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

We used this book in a study group. This was a good basis to study other religions. We also brought in people from those other faiths to give us more information on their practices and beliefs. I felt I could still disagree with some of this authors take on what it means to be a Christian, but still feel secure in my beliefs of what a Christian means to me. If nothing else, it gave me an appreciation for other faiths while strengthening my own.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the subject of a study at our church. This is one of Hamilton's earlier works but it did not disappoint. He gave a brief although thorough for our purpose summary of Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Christianity from a Christian perspective. His aim was to show areas of agreement and fundamental areas of difference with the idea of understanding and being respectful to other faiths. I highly recommend this work for Bible studies and Sunday School classes.

[JD Waggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to the study of other religions, and it's really nice to have it Christian-based but not "aaah Mother Church!!". The last chapter breaks down Christianity, which is nice--everyone should be able to stand up to personal scrutiny, really. A very good jumping off point, I think, for the five major world religions.

[Brittany Nasgovitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good refreshing read! I found his view on hell to be interesting and encouraging. Similar to C.S. Lewis' belief too. This book is a loving, unbiased reflection of each of the main world religions. It helped me understand and appreciate the other religions but strengthened my commitment to the Christian faith.

[wulfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a few years ago and quoted it while I was doing a philosophical study of life after death pertaining to various religions and I found it to be extremely helpful. It was particularly good for understanding the basics of certain religions and proved to be a vital resource. Aside from this, it was an interesting and worthwhile read.

[Danell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I thought this was a good book. It introduced the reader to other religions and the basic concept of each of them and how they differ from Christianity. This book was written by a Christian and I would like to read a book similar to this, written by a person of a different faith.

[Jeanne Ply · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book several years ago but would like to re-read it. It was a great easy to read overview of the major religions of the world.

[Lindsay Lock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book comparing religions. I wish there was some more detail on each- that's my only complaint. This is a good intro-guide and for learning to take things from other faiths.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good overview of the major world religions and always love Adam Hamilton's style of writing.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short over view of a few of the worlds religions.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good summary of the major Religions

Well written with a fair summary. I have liked all of Hamilton's books and study guides. I recommend all of his works.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great high level overview of five of the worlds major religions and a compare and contrast with the principles of Christianity.

[Rosemary Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a class at church. Good concise comparison of several world religions with Christianity.

[Krista Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with a group so it took us awhile because some weeks we were unable to meet. The book gives a very brief overview of each of the five religions, and I do mean brief. Something to dip your toe into, whet your appetite, get you to dig deeper should you choose to. I feel like this could have gone a little deeper, but the videos were a wonderful recap of the main ideas in each chapter. So if you are going to get the book, the CD that went along with it and the instructor book were AMAZINGLY helpful. If you are someone just curious, this is an "okay" book for that, but I would recommend something that dives slightly deeper into each idea that he addressed for each religion. With that being said, our group has agreed to dive into another one of his books because he is an author we enjoyed and we would like to see what else he has to say.

[Philip Guzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great survey of many worldwide religions done in the great teaching mode of Pastor Hamilton. He is down-to-earth, easy to read, and writes a through review of all the great religions with warmth and understanding. His purpose here is for Christians (and all of us for that matter!) to understand and find similarities and points of connection to all the great religions of the world. At the same time, Pastor Hamilton explains why he is Christian and shares a passion for his faith that is contagious for those who share it!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for those of any of the faiths mentioned within and Christians to start a conversation that can build respect between communities. I especially like Adam's use of the resources he has in Kansas City as a bustling hub of city life. Talking with experts and spiritual leaders in the other faiths is key. I am a Unitarian-Universalist and know that I have no ability or right to decide how other religions interpret their sacred books and stories. All you can do is start a conversation, which will hopefully lead to a greater sense of peace and less fear in this world.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set against the backdrop of Christianity, Adam Hamilton did a wonderful job writing concise comparative religion. This is a terrific book to use as a quick look at the way others believe, why they believe the way they do, how we compare, how we differ, and how God is at work in the middle of us all. Many Christians live in fear of other faiths. Fear usually comes from lack of knowledge. With understanding comes relationship; and, that seems to be the bedrock of any faith.

[Rebecca E Mentzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* My small group at church studied this with Hamilton's dvd messages as well. I know in this format maybe it's harder to go into more detail, but that's my complaint. I wanted to know more. I wanted longer excerpts from his interviews with people of the various faiths. Still, it led to good discussion in our group's study.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, our Sunday school class used this book for a 6 week study (6 chapters) along with the accompanying video -AWESOME IN MANY WAYS BUT WELL RECEIVED AND INFORMATIVE - Kudos once again to Adam Hamilton for nailing the Christian understanding of Christianity

[Loretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by Adam Hamilton, a United Methodist pastor, discusses the five biggest world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. He compares and contrasts the different religions to Christianity and why Christians believe the way we do. It is an interesting read.

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a Sunday school class. It was good for me in that it gave a very basic understanding of other faiths in comparison to Christianity. Our class discussions helped me to learn more.

[Marco Santucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who seeks understanding about the other main faiths of the world outside of Christianity, this is very well written in the most simplistic way possible. Whatever your spiritual beliefs are, you will gain needed knowledge by reading it. Everybody has questions right?

[Clifton Glasgow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but could be improved

Some nice background and thought angles. It would have been much improved if it had original sources cited in support of religions positions.