Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Part of my ongoing priesthood is to find the bridge between my faith and the faiths of other people, so that those of us who draw water from wells on different sides of the river can still get together from time to time, making the whole area safer for our children, says Taylor, an acclaimed pastor, educator, and author. While comparative religion's founding educator, Huston Smith, taught by conveying his world travels, Taylor, who approaches world religion as both teacher and explorer, reaches her students with experiential field trips to places of worship closer to home. She nudges them away from spiritual appropriation and comparison, moving them instead toward challenging discernment of their faith and the faith of others. Taylor, like the best faith leaders, is a great storyteller as well. One of the best, here, is her distillation of the biblical account of Nicodemus, a Pharisee, who came to Jesus to learn about being born again. Taylor's novel interpretation of the story, and the way it gave her entrance into understanding the Holy Spirit, will get readers thinking. Progressive and inclusive Christians and nonbelievers who are sensitive to a multifaith, inclusive America will appreciate this, especially so for those who've followed Taylor's own faith journey. Highly recommended.--Joyce McIntosh Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In simple and sharp prose, Taylor (An Altar in the World), a former Episcopal priest who teaches religion at Piedmont College in Athens, Ga., explores how teaching an introductory religion course has influenced her own views on faith and Christianity. Told as a series of vignettes structured around her course tracing world religions-primarily Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism-through history, the book has an academic tone but also wonderfully imbues the mundane with meaning through descriptions of class field trips to mosques, temples, and shrines that incorporate student reports and anecdotes from class to illustrate the evolution of her students' thinking and the changes brought by physically visiting sacred and holy places. Taylor tells her class that her real subject is "divine diversity"-the attempt to live peaceably and with convictions in a world where differing religions make wildly varying truth claims. Though the lessons and field trips touch on multiple faiths, Taylor's meditations frequently morph into biblical exegesis as she applies the lessons of other religions to her own understanding of Christianity. For example, the openness of Buddhist monks prompts her to consider the similarities they share with Christian ascetics. For Taylor, religious strangers can be the best teachers, as they provide a new perspective on the human relationship with the divine, and, she reasons, a sophisticated theology of comparative religions should always be informed by on-the-ground research. Taylor's fluid book, which includes a small, well-chosen bibliography, is a fine primer on interfaith studies. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
According to Taylor (emeritus, religion, Piedmont Coll.; An Altar in the World), holy envy is discovering something in another faith tradition that one's own beliefs cannot quite embody. Here the author takes readers on a composite tour of the Religion 101 courses she's taught over the years and describes how teaching has transformed her interactions with believers of different faiths and enriched her own beliefs. This serves as the conduit for her sojourn and those of her fellow classroom pilgrims. The course of the narrative progresses through a series of field trips, student profiles, exams, and even a baccalaureate service. Through these encounters, Taylor is able to chip away at the particular Christian categories she uses to evaluate religious perspectives other than her own, acknowledging that none of us has a corner on the transcendent, that we each have something to give and receive while remaining true to our own faith. VERDICT Taylor effectively reminds us that religion is more than beliefs, that it involves our deepest selves and is the fabric of our shared lives.-James Wetherbee, Wingate Univ. Libs., NC © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
