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Why Study Religion?: Understanding Humanity's Pursuit of the Divine

Why Study Religion?: Understanding Humanity's Pursuit of the Divine

by Terry C. Muck
Why Study Religion?: Understanding Humanity's Pursuit of the Divine
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Why Study Religion?: Understanding Humanity's Pursuit of the Divine

Why Study Religion?: Understanding Humanity's Pursuit of the Divine

by Terry C. Muck

Overview

Why Studying Religion Matters in a Pluralistic Context

This brief primer explains why Christian students should study religion, how they should go about it, and why it is important in our contemporary, pluralistic context. Senior religion scholar Terry Muck introduces the discipline and explains how it can be approached by Christian students. He explores the contemporary significance of studying religion in a complex, multicultural world and concludes by addressing the skills students must bring to the study of religion in the twenty-first century. Written in accessible prose suitable for undergraduates, this introduction can be used to supplement any standard religion textbook.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780801049958
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Publication date: 06/21/2016
Pages: 224
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Terry C. Muck (PhD, Northwestern University), now retired, served as executive director of the Louisville Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, after teaching for many years at Austin Presbyterian Seminary and Asbury Theological Seminary. A senior scholar of religion, he has authored, coauthored, or edited numerous books, including Christianity Encountering World Religions and Handbook of Religion.

Table of Contents

Contents

Study Aids
Introduction
Part 1: Why?
1. The Study of Religion
2. The Student of Religion
Part 2: Why Now?
3. Changing Societies: Radical Differentiation
4. Complex Individuals: Hybrid Personalities
5. Clashing Religions: Contestation, Consilience, Confession
Part 3: How?
6. The Scholarly Skills: Studying Texts, Collecting Ethnographic Data, Comparing and Contrasting
7. Perspectival Objectivity: From Premodern to Modern to Postmodern
8. New Trajectories for the Study of Religion
Conclusion
Appendix 1: Classic Books in the Study of Religion
Appendix 2: Classic Essays in the Study of Religion
Appendix 3: Categorizing Religious Traditions: An Assignment
Appendix 4: Twelve Guidelines for the Study of Religion
Index

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