Finding Religion/Theology Information: Reference Books

The world's religions have emerged as one of the greatest geopolitical forces now shaping our lives. Now available in an updated edition, this authoritative atlas is an essential resource for understanding the powerful role of religion around the globe. In an accessible text packed with information, it maps the current nature, extent, and influence of each of the major religions and shows, country by country, how religions are spread through broadcasting, missionary work, schooling, and banking; how they relate to government, laws, and world hunger; and the role they play in wars. It traces the emergence of new religious movements, the survival of traditional beliefs, and the presence of atheism and agnosticism. The Atlas of Religion also locates the origin, the heartland, and the sacred places of each of the major religions and provides essential background with a valuable table showing the fundamental beliefs of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and Taoism. Copub: Myriad Editions Limited

This essential reference work makes available in one volume the breadth and richness of the theological contributions of the peoples of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Pacific, and the minority and indigenous peoples of the world. Entries show how theology from the non-Western world has changed the language and contours of contemporary theology. The editors commissioned theologians from the Third World to write more than 150 entries on themes from Christian theology and religious studies, including spiritualities, cultural and social issues, biblical interpretation, and theological categories. The entries are inclusive of geographical, cultural, and denominational/confessional variations and the contributors include members of the Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Mar Thoma (India) churches.

Articles on all the religions of the world and the great systems of ethics; on every religious belief or custom and ethical movement; on every philosophical idea and moral practice. The Encyclopaedia embraces the whole range of theology and philosophy, together with aspects of anthropology, mythology, folklore, and sociology. Every article has been prepared by specialists. Includes bibliographies and index.

As the first comprehensive work to assemble ideas, concepts, discourses, and extensive essays in this vital area, the Encyclopedia of African Religion explores such topics as deities and divinities, the nature of humanity, the end of life, the conquest of fear, and the quest for attainment of harmony with nature and other humans. Editors Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama include nearly 500 entries that seek to rediscover the original beauty and majesty of African religion. Features include: it helps readers grasp the enormity of Africa's contribution to religious ideas by presenting richly textured concepts of spirituality, ritual, and initiation while simultaneously advancing new theological categories, cosmological narratives, and ways to conceptualize ethical behavior it provides readers with new metaphors, figures of speech, modes of reasoning, etymologies, analogies, and cosmogonies it reveals the complexity, texture, and rhythms of the African religious tradition to provide scholars with a baseline for future works.

Presents coverage of more than 2,500 North American religious groups in the U.S. and Canada, from Adventists to Zen Buddhists. Entries contain essays and directory listings that describe the historical development of religious families and give factual information about each group within those families, including, where available, headquarter location, membership figures, a listing of educational facilities and information on periodicals published by the group.

Encyclopedia of World Religions is a new series from ""Facts On File"" that explores the major religions of the world, emphasizing the living faiths and their historical and social background. Each volume was written by an expert in the field, and reviewed and approved by series editor, J. Gordon Melton. Ideal for high school and junior college students, these authoritative references are accessible enough to be of use to the general reader as well as the serious scholar. Each volume includes approximately 600 A-to-Z entries that provide easy access to the theological concepts, personalities, historical events, institutions, and movements that helped shape the history of each religion and the way it is practiced today. Fascinating introductions by each author place the religion in context, and further readings, a bibliography, an index, and approximately 80 black-and-white photographs complete these invaluable resources.

Encyclopedia of World Religions is a new series from ""Facts On File"" that explores the major religions of the world, emphasizing the living faiths and their historical and social background. Each volume was written by an expert in the field, and reviewed and approved by series editor, J. Gordon Melton. Ideal for high school and junior college students, these authoritative references are accessible enough to be of use to the general reader as well as the serious scholar. Each volume includes approximately 600 A-to-Z entries that provide easy access to the theological concepts, personalities, historical events, institutions, and movements that helped shape the history of each religion and the way it is practiced today. Fascinating introductions by each author place the religion in context, and further readings, a bibliography, an index, and approximately 80 black-and-white photographs complete these invaluable resources.

This encyclopedia is the first comprehensive survey of Hispanic American religiosity, contextualizing the roles of Latino and Latina Americans within U.S. religious culture. * More than 100 entries on specific religious and spiritual traditions among Hispanic Americans, detailing the historic development of their distinctive Latino/a character * Dozens of contributing scholars, each an expert in Hispanic religious traditions

Native Americans in the United States, similar to other indigenous people, created political, economic, and social movements to meet and adjust to major changes that impacted their cultures. For centuries, Native Americans dealt with the onslaught of non-Indian land claims, the appropriation of their homelands, and the destruction of their ways of life. Through various movements, Native Americans accepted, rejected, or accommodated themselves to the non-traditional worldviews of the colonizers and their policies. The Historical Dictionary of Native American Movements through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, events, and institutions and significant political, economic, social, and cultural aspects is a useful reference on topics dealing with key movements, organizations, leadership strategies, and the major issues Native Americans have confronted."

From St. Augustine and early Ethiopian philosophers to the anti-colonialist movements of Pan-Africanism and Negritude, this encyclopedia offers a comprehensive view of African thought, covering the intellectual tradition both on the continent in its entirety and throughout the African Diaspora in the Americas and in Europe. The term "African thought" has been interpreted in the broadest sense to embrace all those forms of discourse - philosophy, political thought, religion, literature, important social movements - that contribute to the formulation of a distinctive vision of the world determined by or derived from the African experience. The Encyclopedia is a large-scale work of 350 entries covering major topics involved in the development of African Thought including historical figures and important social movements, producing a collection that is an essential resource for teaching, an invaluable companion to independent research, and a solid guide for further study.

Religion Past and Present (RPP) is a complete, updated English translation of the 4th edition of the definitive encyclopedia of religion worldwide. the peerless Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart (RGG). Including the latest developments in research, Religion Past and Present encompasses a vast range of subjects connected with religion. This great resource, now at last available in English, continues the tradition of deep knowledge and authority relied upon by generations of scholars in religious, theological, and biblical studies. Religion Past and Present indisputably belongs to the small class of essential reference works.Key Featuresmiddot; RGG has been a standard reference work since the publication of the first edition in 1908.middot; Strongly international, cross-cultural and ecumenical, written by over 3,000 authors from 88 countriesmiddot; Covers an unparalleled breadth of subject matter in theological and biblical studiesmiddot; Up-to-date research and bibliographies make it an indispensable resource for all levels of usersmiddot; Interdisciplinary articles cover a wide range of topics from history, archaeology, liturgy, law, bible, music, visual arts, politics, social sciences, natural sciences, ethics, and philosophy.middot; The 4th edition of RGG, the basis of the RPP translation, includes hundreds of new entries on Eastern religions and other religious subjects. The editors of RPP have added a number of articles and revised others for a global English-speaking readership.middot; Short definitions and cross-references enable quick and easy searchingmiddot; Over 15,000 entries and 8 million wordsmiddot; 13 volumes and an indexmiddot; Completion scheduled for 2013.To download the preview please http://www.brill.nl/brochures/RPP_preview.pdf" target=_blank>click here."

This masterful six-volume encyclopedia provides comprehensive, global coverage of religion, emphasizing larger religious communities without neglecting the world's smaller religious outposts. * Coverage of the religions of more than 240 countries, including all of the larger religious communities, denominations, and sects * Detailed statistical information on the major religious communities in each country * 100+ entries on famous and important religious sites and places of pilgrimage * Biographies of the 100 most influential religious leaders in history * More than 150 photographs, plus maps and illustrations for each nation * A bibliography for each entry

Timely and unbiased, this edition updates and expands its examination of the religious right and its influence on our government, citizens, society, and politics. From the fight to outlaw the teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution to the struggle to out

Secularization traces the decline of religion and the rise of secular belief systems. But it also touches on the transition from traditional to modern systems of organization, the replacement of metaphysical beliefs with science, the transition from community to association and much more besides. The debate about secularism and secularization has become a central issue in politics, public policy and international affairs. There is a long history of thinking about the religious and the secular, but the modern debate has special features and a great urgency mainly as a result of fears about religious fundamentalism, religious revival, political Islam and religious nationalism. Volume One explores the history and meaning of key terms: secular, secularism, secularity, secularization and laicity. It is primarily concerned with the philosophy and theology of the secular and examines the evolution of the debate from St Augustine's two cities to contemporary writings and is not confined to Christian debate. Volume Two deals with the sociology of secularization and contains the classic statements by sociologists such as Max Weber, Georg Simmel, Bryan Wilson, David Martin, and Thomas Luckmann. Volume Three considers American exceptionalism. Much the debate in sociology has centred on the question of America's differences from secular Europe. Religion and politics have been significantly interconnected in American history. America is a very special but influential case of secularization and merits a separate volume. Volume Four involves the comparative sociology of modern religious revivalism and the notion that we are in a post-secular society. The manifestations of religious revival in post-secular societies are truly global. This volume looks at the revival of world religions and popular religions such as spirit possession in the post-communist societies.

The Westminster Handbook to Reformed Theology is a superb and uniquely designed reference tool for scholars, pastors, and students, featuring compact yet comprehensive entries on theological concepts, terms, and historical figures prominent in the Reformed tradition. Written by esteemed Reformed scholars, this book provides easy access to a wealth of information and summarizes the most significant aspects of Reformed theology. The Westminster Handbook to Christian Theology series provides a set of resources for the study of historic and contemporary theological movements and Christian theologians. These books are intended to help students and scholars find concise and accurate treatments of important theological terms.

Here is the completely updated and greatly expanded new edition of a classic reference source--the comprehensive overview of the world's largest religion in all its many versions and in both its religious and secular contexts. Now in two volumes, the Encyclopedia presents and analyzes an unmatched wealth of information about the extent, status, and characteristics of twentieth-century Christianity worldwide. It takes full account of Christianity's ecclesiastical branches, subdivisions, and denominations, and treatsChristianity in relation to other faiths and the secular realm. It offers an unparalleled comparative study of churches and religions throughout the modern world. This new edition features a vast range of new and previously unpublished data on the current global situation of Christianity, on religion in general, and on the political, demographic, economic, and social characteristics of the world's cultures and peoples in 238 countries. Each volume isfilled with essential information, from historical surveys of denominations to country-by-country profiles of churches and believers. The text sets the current status of Christianity into a rich historical context, and assesses current trends and future directions. Many tables, charts, diagrams, photographs, a directory of names and organizations, a glossary, index, and other features ensure accessibility for specialists and non-specialists alike. The Encyclopedia will be of great value to academics of many disciplines, clergy, administrators, and those who work in Christian and other religious organizations around the world, as well as to anyone interested in current affairs.