This book gathers scholars from the three major monotheistic religions to discuss the issue of poverty and wealth from the varied perspectives of each tradition. It provides a cadre of values inherent to the sacred texts of Jews, Christians, and Muslims and illustrates how these values may be used to deal with current economic inequalities. Contributors use the methodologies of religious studies to provide descriptions and comparisons of perspectives from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on poverty and wealth. The book presents citations from the sacred texts of all three religions. The contributors discuss the interpretations of these texts and the necessary contexts, both past and present, for deciphering the stances found there. Poverty and Wealth in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam identifies and details a foundation of common values upon which individual and institutional decisions may be made.

This book gathers scholars from the three major monotheistic religions to discuss the issue of poverty and wealth from the varied perspectives of each tradition. It provides a cadre of values inherent to the sacred texts of Jews, Christians, and Muslims and illustrates how these values may be used to deal with current economic inequalities. Contributors use the methodologies of religious studies to provide descriptions and comparisons of perspectives from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on poverty and wealth. The book presents citations from the sacred texts of all three religions. The contributors discuss the interpretations of these texts and the necessary contexts, both past and present, for deciphering the stances found there. Poverty and Wealth in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam identifies and details a foundation of common values upon which individual and institutional decisions may be made.

Spiritualities: Past, Present, and Future - An Introduction is a scholarly analysis of contemporary spiritualities written in everyday language. Aside from describing the history, feelings, signposts, and sources of spirituality in this liminal age, it offers descriptions of ten classical and twenty marginal spiritualties that influence current spiritual ways of life. How these past and present spiritualities respond to the ever present realities of suffering and death and the contemporary challenges of diversity, environmental degradation, and injustice, challenges readers as to how they will grow their future spiritualities. This is a primer for those interested in understanding spiritualities and helping others deepen their own spirituality. It provides condensed information and common sense categories that enable a reader to intelligently read, discuss, and choose among the forty three million offerings on the web. The short history of spirituality in the West enables one to understand how spirituality has developed over the centuries and, especially, its current fragile relationship with the Classical religions. Anyone who reads this book will have at their fingertips the print and web resources for updating their information about these spiritualities, a glossary of key terms for discussing spiritualities, a list of do's and don'ts for spiritual listening, and a spiritual compass for making a spiritual journey.

Soul Searching: A Handbook for Discovering, Developing, and Talking about Your Spirituality offers you an opportunity to learn about the spiritualities of others while discovering your own. It does so by providing you with five chapters describing the nature of spirituality as well as its history, signposts, sources, and diverse manifestations in the world's religions. It also provides you with five Dear Diary chapters that encourage you to describe, reflect upon, develop, and choose what is necessary for you to become a mature spiritual person. This is an ideal book for discussion groups that wish to learn about other religions, spiritualities, and how to make intelligent choices for personal and communal living. Appendices at the end of the book provide internet and print resources for further research into the spiritualities of the world, glossaries to help cut a path through the one hundred and eighty seven million web offerings, a list of key facts for understanding the classical spiritualities, and a list of dos and don'ts for talking about spirituality. If you are seeking to discover your own spirituality and understand those of others, this is a necessary part of your search.