Can Evangelicals Learn From World Religions, Book Review Example

This is a book review of the book “Can evangelicals learn from world religions” which is authored by Gerald R. McDermott and published by intervarsity Press in September 2000, located in Downer Grove city in the state of Illinois. This volume is 233 paged and is originally done in English on a paper back and is also available in audio CD’s and DVD’s format. This book is retailed at $ 4.04 on all leading distributors of the books licensed by the intervarsity press publishers.

Overview

Gerald R. McDermott a professor of philosophy and religion at Roanoke College in Salem Virginia has an honorary in Ph.D., in philosophy at the University of Iowa and is also a teaching pastor in St John Lutheran Church. In this thoughtful book McDermott tries to excavate and analyze angles that many on this road of Christian-ism have not treaded. The book looks at issues of how evangelicals embraces world religion, to this he critically expound on how Christ revealed himself outside the church and  Israel using theological revelation concept biblically and theologically, with exemplary of theologians like Thomas Aquinas, Calvin and Augustine. He further explores other case studies of understanding by Islamic, Daoism, Buddhist and Confucian to enrich the understanding and enriching of scriptural concept.

Book Review Content

In this book the author primary thesis from this book; Evangelicals can learn from the world religions, he intercept the interrelation of the other spiritual domination of other religions of the world. He expounds on the definition of revelation and how it’s relates with other world religion concept and how the other theologians considered and accounted for the views of the world religion through “covenants, the scandal of exclusivity and typology.” Also included in the theology is how ancient theologians in the light of ascendancy of Christ viewed the world of religion.

The book also points and critically evaluates the interrelations between Christianity faith and the faith of four other chapters of world religions namely; Daoism, Buddhism, Confucian and Islamic. The author induces how he came to understand his own faith and also see faithful aspects in this religion that are uniform with his religion. From this the author narrates how this has helped him to acknowledge and understand the uniqueness of Christ. This he critically analyzes all this four chapter of world religion and tries to coin them to Christianity and successfully concludes insightful observation that all this religion are all based on the concept of love which is the main concept of Christianity.

Conclusion

This book comes in the wake as the world is been marooned by many evangelical churches which have filled hopeful and faithful with propaganda and mambo jumbo about other religions and how they are unchristian like, this book has transformed that reasoning and enabled Christian traditions to embrace other world religion and observe their goodness other than their weakness. The interrelation between Christianity and other world religion is best observed in the biblical times when the figure Melchizedek, Balaam and many others did speak the word of one and true God but they were not among those ordained to be the children of God. This interrelation is the basic emphasis of this literature that show Gods will to reveal his existence to those who fall outside the domain of the Christian world.

Reference

McDermott, Gerald. Can Evangelicals Learn From World Religions? Intervarsity Press: Downer Grove. Illinois. 2000.