Exploring a new approach to interfaith/interreligious communication, the contributors to this collection seek to interact from the perspective of their own tradition or academic discipline with Ernest Becker's theory on the relationship between religion, culture and the human awareness of death and mortality. While much interfaith/interreligious dialogue focuses on beliefs and practices, thus delineating areas of disagreement as a starting point, these chapters foster interactive communication rooted in areas of the universal human experience. Thus by demonstration these authors argue for the integrity and efficacy of this approach for pursuing intercultural and interdisciplinary communication.

In Biblical Psychotherapy, Kalman J. Kaplan and Paul Cantz offer a new approach to suicide prevention based on biblical narratives that is designed to overcome the suicidogenic patterns in Greek and Roman stories implicit in modern mental health. More than sixteen suicides and self-mutilations emerge in the twenty-six surviving tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides and countless others occurred in Greek and Roman lives. In contrast, only six suicides are found in the Hebrew Scriptures, in addition to a number of suicide-prevention narratives. Kaplan and Cantz reclaim life-enhancing biblical narratives as alternatives to matched suicidal stories in Greek and Roman society with regard to seven evidence-based risk factors. These biblical narratives are employed to treat fourteen patients fitting into the outlined Graeco-Roman suicidal syndromes and to provide an in-depth positive psychology aimed at promoting life rather than simply preventing suicide.

Synopsis: Living Biblically de-situates biblical wisdom from its formally religious-theological underpinnings and offers it as a guide for fulfilled, happy living. Although over 95 percent of Americans have some sense of a meaning-providing transcendent power, 75 percent of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists lack such belief. Without intelligent, applicable access to biblical wisdom, many unwittingly live out the tragic patterns emerging from classical Greece underlying much of modern life and psychotherapy. People are stuck, even trapped, without hope of redemptive change. They spin their wheels, cycling back and forth. Biblical narratives, in contrast, portray people as growing, developing, and overcoming problematic life situations. This book presents a systematic yet readable delineation of how biblical wisdom can apply to ten issues of daily life: 1) Relating to the Environment, 2) Relating to Another as Yourself, 3) Relating to Authority, 4) Relating to the Opposite Sex, 5) Relating to a Son, 6) Relating to a Daughter, 7) Relating to Siblings, 8) Relating Body to Soul, 9) Relating to a Self-Destructive Person, and 10) Relating to Misfortune. In each chapter, a specific psychological issue is discussed, applicable Greek and biblical narratives are compared, and contemporary illustrations are provided, enabling the reader to live in a more fulfilling and happy manner. Endorsements: "In this groundbreaking work, Kalman Kaplan demonstrates how the humanistic values and the wisdom of Hebrew Scripture can be effectively applied both to clinical psychology and to living a life of joy, freedom, hope, happiness, and fulfillment." --Rabbi Byron L. Sherwin, Distinguished Service Professor, Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies "While many in the sciences and humanities are dismissive of the biblical narratives, Kalman Kaplan finds in them healing both for the heart and mind, as opposed to the hopelessness of Greek tragedies. This unique approach is refreshing and informing. Kaplan gets you to rethink the validity of the Greek tragedy as the basis for modern psychology and offers a helpful alternative." --Woodrow Kroll, Founder, The Center for Bible Engagement "In this informative and easy-to-read book, Kalman Kaplan juxtaposes stories of the ancient Greeks and the biblical Hebrews, highlighting the striking contrasts between the worldviews of these two cultures. Kaplan encourages readers to consider the conceptual and practical implications of psychology's heavy reliance on Greek mythology, which is often pessimistic and fatalistic, in contrast to a more hopeful biblical perspective. He brings these connections to light with superb storytelling skill and clinical acumen." --Julie J. Exline, Department of Psychological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University Author Biography: Kalman J. Kaplan, PhD, is Professor of Clinical Psychology at The University of Illinois College of Medicine. Dr. Kaplan has pioneered the emerging field of biblical psychology and has received a Fulbright Fellowship and a John Templeton Foundation grant to develop programs face to face, online, and in print, both nationally and internationally. Among his books are TILT: Teaching Individuals to Live Together, Biblical Stories for Psychotherapy/Counseling, The Fruit of Her Hands, and A Psychology of Hope.