Overview

Few persons have had greater impact on history than Jesus of Nazareth. That he existed is generally conceded. Who he was remains a major issue. Since great religions claim to possess basic and unique truths about the human venture, the Christian message about Jesus challenges other great religions. Much of world history is marked by the responses of great religions to this Christian challenge. In gospel accounts, Jesus asks of his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” This author explores how other world religions have responded to this question over the centuries. The first chapter explains how religions function as stories by which we live. Following chapters trace answers to Jesus’s question given by voices from major world religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The final chapter explores how the great religions view the ultimate fate of other believers.

Full Product Details

9780761868361

Table of Contents

Reviews

According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus asked his followers: Who do people say that I am? As simple a question as it seems, the answers are even more numerous now than they were in biblical times. Who or what do people and the faiths they follow say Jesus was? Was he human? Was he the son of God? Was he something else entirely? Prying deeper into this question, the author seeks answers from doctrines and thinkers of various religious groups. Who, for instance, is Jesus according to the Quran? How did ancient Gnostics view him? Incorporating the works of many famous and not-so famous minds (from Blaise Pascal to yogi Ramakrishna Paramahamsa), the main question, along with examinations of religions and the sects within religions, are investigated in a sober manner. Although many Hindus may believe Jesus was a man of peace and importance, he is not the sole Great Man. The same can be said of the Dalai Lama, who accepts a Jesus that folds into that Buddhist story while declining to accept traditional Christian doctrine about Jesus. It may be obvious that Jesus serves as a focus for most of Christianity and not for other religions (otherwise they, too, would be Christians), but what is of greater interest is why. This is where the book shines. Johnson articulates what he considers to be key differences between faiths; for example: Christianity and Judaism disagree on the nature of the problem-the human condition-they also disagree on the answer to the problem. Though the book is brief, it's dense with information. While Christ's place in all religions is not covered exhaustively (Jesus as portrayed in the Baha'i faith might have been of interest, likewise indigenous responses to Christianity in places like the Americas), the material provided offers a lot to consider. A concise, enlightened examination of various perspectives on Christ. Kirkus

According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus asked his followers: Who do people say that I am? As simple a question as it seems, the answers are even more numerous now than they were in biblical times. Who or what do people and the faiths they follow say Jesus was? Was he human? Was he the son of God? Was he something else entirely? Prying deeper into this question, the author seeks answers from doctrines and thinkers of various religious groups. Who, for instance, is Jesus according to the Quran? How did ancient Gnostics view him? Incorporating the works of many famous and not-so famous minds (from Blaise Pascal to yogi Ramakrishna Paramahamsa), the main question, along with examinations of religions and the sects within religions, are investigated in a sober manner. Although many Hindus may believe Jesus was a man of peace and importance, he is not the sole Great Man. The same can be said of the Dalai Lama, who accepts a Jesus that folds into that Buddhist story while declining to accept traditional Christian doctrine about Jesus. It may be obvious that Jesus serves as a focus for most of Christianity and not for other religions (otherwise they, too, would be Christians), but what is of greater interest is why. This is where the book shines. Johnson articulates what he considers to be key differences between faiths; for example: Christianity and Judaism disagree on the nature of the problem-the human condition-they also disagree on the answer to the problem. Though the book is brief, it's dense with information. While Christ's place in all religions is not covered exhaustively (Jesus as portrayed in the Baha'i faith might have been of interest, likewise indigenous responses to Christianity in places like the Americas), the material provided offers a lot to consider. A concise, enlightened examination of various perspectives on Christ. * Kirkus *

According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus asked his followers: “Who do people say that I am?” As simple a question as it seems, the answers are even more numerous now than they were in biblical times. Who or what do people and the faiths they follow say Jesus was? Was he human? Was he the son of God? Was he something else entirely? Prying deeper into this question, the author seeks answers from doctrines and thinkers of various religious groups. Who, for instance, is Jesus according to the Quran? How did ancient Gnostics view him? Incorporating the works of many famous and not-so famous minds (from Blaise Pascal to yogi Ramakrishna Paramahamsa), the main question, along with examinations of religions and the sects within religions, are investigated in a sober manner. Although many Hindus may believe Jesus was a man of peace and importance, he is “not the sole Great Man.” The same can be said of the Dalai Lama, who “accepts a Jesus that folds into that Buddhist story while declining to accept traditional Christian doctrine about Jesus.” It may be obvious that Jesus serves as a focus for most of Christianity and not for other religions (otherwise they, too, would be Christians), but what is of greater interest is why. This is where the book shines. Johnson articulates what he considers to be key differences between faiths; for example: “Christianity and Judaism disagree on the nature of the problem—the human condition—they also disagree on the answer to the problem.” Though the book is brief, it’s dense with information. While Christ’s place in all religions is not covered exhaustively (Jesus as portrayed in the Baha’i faith might have been of interest, likewise indigenous responses to Christianity in places like the Americas), the material provided offers a lot to consider. A concise, enlightened examination of various perspectives on Christ. * Kirkus *

Author Information

Wayne G. Johnson is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Iowa, a B. Div. from Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available