A Book Review from Books At a Glance
by Jacob C. Boyd
How should Christians engage others that come from a different religious background? Derek Cooper in Christianity & World Religions gives an introductory summary to six of the world’s largest religions from a Christian perspective to help other believers to be informed for the purpose of understanding and evangelism. Cooper explains, “it is my prayer that God would use this book to help Christians learn about other religions, so that we can, as Peter exhorts, ‘always [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks [us] for a reason for the hope that is in [us]’ (1 Peter 3:15)” (xxi). This resource is informative, theologically sound, and personally enriching as it encourages believers to engage with others in other faiths for the sake of their conversion.
Cooper wrote Christianity & World Religions to serve as a textbook to help Christians learn about other religions. This work is divided up into two major sections. The first major section of the book discusses the six rival stories (other religions) to Christianity. The six rival stories include Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, and Islam. When surveying each rival story, Cooper has six points of interest: (1) The Beginnings, (2) Historical Origin, (3) Religious Writings, (4) Beliefs, (5) Worship Practices, and (6) Point of Contact. This first section is helpful to learn basic information about each of these major religions. The second major section of the book considers how Christians are to respond to these rival stories. The final two chapters in the last section look at the biblical responses and the theological responses to the six different religions, respectively.
This textbook is a helpful tool for anyone who wants to learn more about any of these six world religions. It is an easy to read and accessible book that can be used as a quick reference. One can quickly look at how Confucianism understands reality, or they can consider the beliefs of Hinduism, or the five pillars of Islam, etc. Besides easy accessibility, it also provides discussion questions and further resources at the end of each chapter to remind the reader what to review and what new resources would be helpful for those who want to inquire more about one of the major religions.
However, the best part of this textbook is the way Cooper wrote it from a Christian perspective. As mentioned above, the sixth point of interest Cooper considers after looking at each major religion is their Point of Contact. He considers how a Christian can engage someone with one of these different faiths, while also looking at some pitfalls. For example, Cooper explains, “Because of the great tolerance and syncretism of Hinduism, it is not uncommon for Christians to share their faith in Jesus with Hindus, and for Hindus to cheerfully add Jesus to their pantheon of gods” (22). Because Hindus believe in a pantheon of thousands of different gods, it is not a problem for a Hindu to add Jesus if they thought it would better their life in some way. Cooper is helpful to make sure that Christians are well prepared to recognize the need to emphasize that Jesus is not just another path, but he alone is “the way” (John 14:6). Cooper also reflects on some false assumptions Christians might have when talking to someone of another faith. For example, Cooper explains, “Because Christians affirm the authority of the Hebrew Bible, many of us [Christians] believe this is the best place to begin a religious conversation with our Jewish brothers and sisters” (97). However, Cooper further explains, “This is based on the assumption that Judaism is equivalent to the Hebrew Bible. Yet the truth is that Judaism has developed and progressed over the centuries just as Christianity has” (97). Instead, Cooper advises for Christians to instead talk about identity since identity is what Jewish individuals are concerned about. According to Cooper, one of the primary hindrances to Christianity for a Jewish individual “is the supposition that they cease to be Jewish if they become Christian” (98).
Besides the helpful Point of Contact sections, Cooper’s biblical and theological responses to the rival stories are a great resource to Christian readers. One helpful discussion, in the chapter on biblical responses, looks at the relationship between demonic activity and other religions from Scripture. Cooper is considering whether other religions are constructed by demonic forces or by man. There is an element to both, since man is deceived by Satan and his demonic forces; however, Cooper takes the position that other religions are primarily constructed by man himself. Being influenced by John Calvin and D. A. Carson, Cooper explains, “Because we are made in God’s image and because God’s general revelation is available to all humans, it is natural for human beings to create religious systems or structures that attempt to appropriate… this divine reality” (146). Another important discussion that is considered in the theological responses chapter is the simple question of how Christians should respond to these rival stories (religions). The five responses Christians have to other religions include: (1) inclusivism, (2) exclusivism, (3) pluralism, (4) universalism, and (5) particularism. Here Cooper only explains what each response is and who is a proponent of each. However, he does not, unfortunately, get into which response is the most biblical. Some of these responses might overlap in some way, according to Cooper; however, there is enough distinction between them for him to have made a biblical analysis of each.
Finally, another helpful tool this textbook offers is the three Appendices attached at the back of the book. Appendix A suggests different assignments or projects to work on that are associated with each of the different world religions, making it helpful for any world religions professor who might want to use this textbook. Appendix B provides even more resources for further research associated with each world religion discussed. Appendix C provides a step-by-step guide to help someone know how to visit the non-Christian places of worship for research purposes.
Christianity & World Religions is a helpful resource for anyone who wants to learn about Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, or Islam from a Christian perspective. It is a great textbook to use for any Introduction to World Religions course at an undergraduate level. This resource is a tool anyone would benefit from.
Jacob C. Boyd