Overview

Asian religions have a long and intriguing history in America. For over two centuries, Asian immigrants have been coming to America and bringing their religions with them. Some Americans have reacted with alarm to the arrival of heathen religions on American shores, while others have taken refuge in lamas from Tibet, yogis from India, and Zen masters from Japan. Asian Religions in America: A Documentary History is the first text to show the breadth and depth of the American encounter with Asian religions. Ranging from 1784 to the present, it features over one hundred excerpts and dozens of illustrations drawn from literature, art, music, sports, philosophy, theology, politics, and law. Selections discuss Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Shinto, Confucianism, and Taoism and their places in the American religious landscape. Martial artist Bruce Lee, Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist, Beatles star John Lennon, Chinese-American writer Amy Tan, African-American activist Frederick Douglass, Vietnamese Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh, and dozens of lesser-known immigrants and Asian Americans are all represented. The editors have provided a general historical introduction, an overview of Asian religions, four section introductions, and concise explanatory headnotes for each entry. The volume is further enhanced by helpful reference materials including a detailed chronology, suggestions for further reading, and an index. Asian Religions in America: A Documentary History serves as an exceptional text for courses in Asian religions, world religions, and religion in America, and is also enlightening reading for academics and general readers.

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9780195113396

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Reviews

"""Excellent treatment of the Asian religious experience in America. Covers a breadth of views and opinions and offers a book one can leaf through and read at random or structure an Asian Humanities or American Religious Diversity class from."" --Greg Wise, St. Leo University, Gainesville ""This is a unique and original way to introduce the Asian religions and their manifestation in America. The useful introductions and the variety of voices give it a character not often found in other presentations.""--S. Wesley Ariarajah, Drew University School of Theology ""This book is a real treasure. Its strength is the freshness of material gathered together for the first time in a single place. I would definitely adopt it for my course on Religion in Multicultural America. I also think it will have a readership quite beyond classroom use, because much of the material is just good, interesting reading.""--Diana L. Eck, Harvard University ""My overall reaction is unmitigated enthusiasm. Tweed and Prothero have done an excellent and judicious job of putting together a rich and well-chosen set of documents that reveal the diverse and complex history and character of Asian religions in America.""--Peter N. Gregory, University of Illinois ""The skillful selection and editing of the documents, the useful overviews at the beginning of each section, and the informative introductions to each section should make the work an attractive choice for courses in American religion, Asian and world religions, and the Asian religions in America.""--Carl T. Jackson, University of Texas, El Paso ""An excellent collection of necessary documents for understanding the Americanization of Asian religions. At the very least it should be in every library.""--Nathan Kollar, St. John Fisher College ""An outstanding collection of sources for an expanding area of American religious history.""--Lawrence Roast, Concordia Theological Seminary ""A unique and very helpful addition to the resources available for the course in American religious history. Also, it might inspire the creation of a new course on Asian religion in U.S. society.""--Charles Hambrick-Stone, Lancaster Theological Seminary ""Very useful and long overdue.""--Dianne Ashton, Rowan University ""Marvelous range of coverage both historical and literary. Succinct introductions, helpful appendices, and just the right number of photographs to enhance the textual offerings. A truly fine book.""--Vivian-Lee Nyitray, University of California-Riverside ""A thorough, scholarly assessment of the subject, presented in a balanced and even-handed manner.""--Grayson Carter, Methodist College, NC ""A wonderful anthology--and most useful in my Introduction to Asian Religions course.""--William R. Goodman, Lynchburg College ""From beginning to end, Tweed and Prothero have put together a most engaging and insightful map of the shifting landscape 'of the American encounter with the religious traditions of Asia' (xiii)... This superb resource for clarifying our current context should find its way into courses in world/Asian religions, religion in America, and mission and global Christianity in universities, seminaries, and congregations. It should be in libraries, generally, whether academic, congregational, or community.""Missiology: An International Review"

Excellent treatment of the Asian religious experience in America. Covers a breadth of views and opinions and offers a book one can leaf through and read at random or structure an Asian Humanities or American Religious Diversity class from. --Greg Wise, St. Leo University, Gainesville This is a unique and original way to introduce the Asian religions and their manifestation in America. The useful introductions and the variety of voices give it a character not often found in other presentations. --S. Wesley Ariarajah, Drew University School of Theology This book is a real treasure. Its strength is the freshness of material gathered together for the first time in a single place. I would definitely adopt it for my course on Religion in Multicultural America. I also think it will have a readership quite beyond classroom use, because much of the material is just good, interesting reading. --Diana L. Eck, Harvard University My overall reaction is unmitigated enthusiasm. Tweed and Prothero have done an excellent and judicious job of putting together a rich and well-chosen set of documents that reveal the diverse and complex history and character of Asian religions in America. --Peter N. Gregory, University of Illinois The skillful selection and editing of the documents, the useful overviews at the beginning of each section, and the informative introductions to each section should make the work an attractive choice for courses in American religion, Asian and world religions, and the Asian religions in America. --Carl T. Jackson, University of Texas, El Paso An excellent collection of necessary documents for understanding the Americanization of Asian religions. At the very least it should be in every library. --Nathan Kollar, St. John Fisher College An outstanding collection of sources for an expanding area of American religious history. --Lawrence Roast, Concordia Theological Seminary A unique and very helpful addition to the resources available for the course in American religious history. Also, it might inspire the creation of a new course on Asian religion in U.S. society. --Charles Hambrick-Stone, Lancaster Theological Seminary Very useful and long overdue. --Dianne Ashton, Rowan University Marvelous range of coverage both historical and literary. Succinct introductions, helpful appendices, and just the right number of photographs to enhance the textual offerings. A truly fine book. --Vivian-Lee Nyitray, University of California-Riverside A thorough, scholarly assessment of the subject, presented in a balanced and even-handed manner. --Grayson Carter, Methodist College, NC A wonderful anthology--and most useful in my Introduction to Asian Religions course. --William R. Goodman, Lynchburg College From beginning to end, Tweed and Prothero have put together a most engaging and insightful map of the shifting landscape 'of the American encounter with the religious traditions of Asia' (xiii)... This superb resource for clarifying our current context should find its way into courses in world/Asian religions, religion in America, and mission and global Christianity in universities, seminaries, and congregations. It should be in libraries, generally, whether academic, congregational, or community. Missiology: An International Review

This book is a real treasure. Its strength is the freshness of material gathered together for the first time in a single place. I would definitely adopt it for my course on Religion in Multicultural America. I also think it will have a readership quite beyond classroom use, because much of the material is just good, interesting reading. -Diana L. Eck, Harvard University My overall reaction is unmitigated enthusiasm. Tweed and Prothero have done an excellent and judicious job of putting together a rich and well-chosen set of documents that reveal the diverse and complex history and character of Asian religions in America. -Peter N. Gregory, University of Illinois The skillful selection and editing of the documents, the useful overviews at the beginning of each section, and the informative introductions to each section should make the work an attractive choice for courses in American religion, Asian and world religions, and the Asian religions in America. -Carl T. Jackson, University of Texas, El Paso

""Excellent treatment of the Asian religious experience in America. Covers a breadth of views and opinions and offers a book one can leaf through and read at random or structure an Asian Humanities or American Religious Diversity class from."" --Greg Wise, St. Leo University, Gainesville ""This is a unique and original way to introduce the Asian religions and their manifestation in America. The useful introductions and the variety of voices give it a character not often found in other presentations.""--S. Wesley Ariarajah, Drew University School of Theology ""This book is a real treasure. Its strength is the freshness of material gathered together for the first time in a single place. I would definitely adopt it for my course on Religion in Multicultural America. I also think it will have a readership quite beyond classroom use, because much of the material is just good, interesting reading.""--Diana L. Eck, Harvard University ""My overall reaction is unmitigated enthusiasm. Tweed and Prothero have done an excellent and judicious job of putting together a rich and well-chosen set of documents that reveal the diverse and complex history and character of Asian religions in America.""--Peter N. Gregory, University of Illinois ""The skillful selection and editing of the documents, the useful overviews at the beginning of each section, and the informative introductions to each section should make the work an attractive choice for courses in American religion, Asian and world religions, and the Asian religions in America.""--Carl T. Jackson, University of Texas, El Paso ""An excellent collection of necessary documents for understanding the Americanization of Asian religions. At the very least it should be in every library.""--Nathan Kollar, St. John Fisher College ""An outstanding collection of sources for an expanding area of American religious history.""--Lawrence Roast, Concordia Theological Seminary ""A unique and very helpful addition to the resources available for the course in American religious history. Also, it might inspire the creation of a new course on Asian religion in U.S. society.""--Charles Hambrick-Stone, Lancaster Theological Seminary ""Very useful and long overdue.""--Dianne Ashton, Rowan University ""Marvelous range of coverage both historical and literary. Succinct introductions, helpful appendices, and just the right number of photographs to enhance the textual offerings. A truly fine book.""--Vivian-Lee Nyitray, University of California-Riverside ""A thorough, scholarly assessment of the subject, presented in a balanced and even-handed manner.""--Grayson Carter, Methodist College, NC ""A wonderful anthology--and most useful in my Introduction to Asian Religions course.""--William R. Goodman, Lynchburg College ""From beginning to end, Tweed and Prothero have put together a most engaging and insightful map of the shifting landscape 'of the American encounter with the religious traditions of Asia' (xiii)... This superb resource for clarifying our current context should find its way into courses in world/Asian religions, religion in America, and mission and global Christianity in universities, seminaries, and congregations. It should be in libraries, generally, whether academic, congregational, or community.""Missiology: An International Review

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