EM621 - Living Faiths

  • 0 Standard Tuition Fee
  • 4
    Credit Points
  • 0.125 EFT 
  • 8
    AQF level
  • evangelism missiolUnit Discipline

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will

A. Know and understand

  1. The beliefs and practices of a selection of living faiths.
  2. Principles of Christian engagement with a selection of living faiths.
  3. Selected approaches to Christian engagement with other living faiths.

B. Be able to

  1. Account for the historical development of selected living faiths.
  2. Compare the beliefs of selected living faiths with biblical teaching.
  3. Explain the practices of selected living faiths as a consequence of participants’ belief system and cultural world view.
  4. Analyse the contemporary reforms and responses to change in global culture in selected living faiths.
  5. Evaluate selected approaches to Christian engagement with other living faiths.

C. Be in a position to

  1. Integrate perspectives from ‘Living Faiths’ with their other theological and ministry studies.
  2. Engage with living faiths as a reflective practitioner.
  3. Communicate a contextualised biblical message to adherents of living faiths.

Content

The historical roots, beliefs, practices, cultural influences and contemporary reforms in TWO, THREE or FOUR of the following living faiths: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Australian Aboriginal religions, primal religions.

Set Readings

Bhaskarananda, S., The Essentials of Hinduism (Seattle: Viveka, 2002).

Burnett, D., The Spirit of Buddhism (Sussex: Monarch 2003).

Catherwood, C., Christians, Muslims and Islamic Rage (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003).

Gross, R. M. and T. C. Muck (eds), Buddhists Talk about Jesus, Christians Talk about the Buddha (New York: Continuum, 2000).

Partridge, C. H. and D. R. Groothius Dictionary of Contemporary Religion in the Western World: Exploring Living Faiths in Postmodern Contexts (Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2002).

Ludwig, T. M., The Sacred Paths (3rd ed.; Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001).

Lehmann, A. C. et al, Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural (6th ed.; New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004).

Noss, D. S., A History of the World’s Religions (11th ed.; Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002).

Robinson, G., Essential Judaism (New York: Simon & Shuster, 2000).

Telushkin, J., Jewish Literacy (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2001).