Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras

Pengiun Books USA, Incorpora, 2002. Good. Religion scholar Diana Eck is director of the Pluralism Project, which seek s to map the new religious diversity of the United States, particularly the increasing presence of Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim communities. In this te nth-anniversary edition of Encountering God, Eck shows why dialogue with pe ople of other faiths remains crucial in today's interdependent world -- glo bally, nationally, and even locally. She reveals how her own encounters wit h other religions have shaped and enlarged her Christian faith toward a bol d new Christian pluralism. Editorial Reviews Eck, a leader in interfaith dialogue movements and professor of comparative religion at Harvard, here scans the current religious landscape, reshaped by recent immigrants to the U.S., and examines ``the challenge that religio us diversity poses to people of faith in every religious tradition.'' Her p ersonal Christian grounding in Methodism, begun in Bozeman, Mont., has been enhanced by Eastern spirituality, particularly her encounters with Hinduis m during her studies and travels in India. ``Today these two places, Bozema n and Banaras, both convey the spiritual meaning of home to me.'' In examin ing the differences among religious cultures, Eck continually places the Ch ristian believer in relationship with those who follow Hindu, Buddhist, Mus lim and Native American religious practices. In a splendid exposition of no n-Christian approaches to God, Eck encourages an increased religious litera cy that she suggests will contribute richness and diversity to our national identity. (Aug.) - Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly A Harvard professor of religion and Indian.