Spiritual Journey Press

P.O. Box 3041, Mercerville, NJ 08619

Welcome to Spiritual Journey Press!  Let's explore our journeys together!  Use the mail order form  to purchase Endless Possibilities and other Spiritual Journey Press products. 

World Religions

As a committed Christian, I feel it is important to know and appreciate the thought of other religions.  We may not agree with adherents of other faiths, but that doesn't mean we can't seek to understand their traditions and learn from their journey insights.  Dialogue between religions will be a major twenty-first century issue and could have an impact on world peace.  For your convenience (since many of these books may not be readily available in your local bookstore), I have directly linked each book to its page at Amazon.com; just click its title and you can order in no time!  Spiritual Journey Press is an associate of Amazon.com.  

Walking the Bible : A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses by Bruce S. Feiler.  

Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses is the story of Bruce Feiler's 10,000-mile trek from Mount Ararat to Mount Nebo, undertaken for reasons he did not understand at the outset and accompanied by a companion who was very nearly a stranger. In the book's first chapter, in characteristically understated style, Feiler suggests a viable parallel to his journey:  

"Abraham was not originally the man he became. He was not an Israelite, he was not a Jew. He was not even a believer in God--at least initially. He was a traveler, called by some voice not entirely clear that said: Go, head to this land, walk along this route, and trust what you will find."

I suggest this is a story perfectly suited for audiocasette (this is how I experienced the book).  For the audiocassette (abridged) version, click here.

Thich Nhat Hanh, Living Buddha, Living Christ.  This Vietnamese Buddhist monk was a friend of Thomas Merton's.  Living Buddha, Living Christ, is a fascinating series of reflections in which Hanh reinterprets Christ's (and the Holy Spirit's) significance from a Buddhist perspective.  I disagree with much of what he states, but this is a great book for someone trying to understand Buddhist- Christian dialogue.  The audiocassette is performed well.  Fragrant Palm Leaves: Journals 1962-1966 is a newly translated journal chronicling Hanh's stay in the U.S. (1962-1964) and return to Viet Nam (1965-1966).  He argues for an "engaged' Buddhism (one that seeks to help solve societal problems using Buddhist principles).

Can Evangelicals Learn from World Religions : Jesus, Revelation & Religious Traditions
by Gerald R. McDermott

What is the nature of revelation in other world religions? And what can evangelicals learn from it? In this provocative and thoughtful book Gerald McDermott explores the theological concept of revelation and how evangelicals have responded to world religions. He then makes a case for God's having revealed himself outside of Israel and the church. He also explores four case studies of how Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian and Islamic understandings have enriched his own concepts of scriptural concepts.

Introducing two new books, and a classic older one, by Huston Smith:

Why Religion Matters is a passionate, accessible, ambitious manifesto written by one of the very few people qualified to address its titular topic. Huston Smith is the grand old man of religious scholarship. Raised by missionary parents in China, Smith went on to teach at M.I.T. and U.C. Berkeley, among others, and his World's Religions has long been the standard introductory textbook for college religion courses. The subject of Why Religion Matters, Smith writes, "is the importance of the religious dimension of human life--in individuals, in societies, and in civilizations." Smith believes that the religious dimension of human life has been devalued by the rise of modern science: we have now reached a point at which "modern Westerners . . . forsaking clear thinking, have allowed ourselves to become so obsessed with life's material underpinnings that we have written science a blank check ... concerning what constitutes knowledge and justified belief." In candid, direct style, Smith describes the evolution of intellectual history from pre-modern to postmodern times, and the spiritual sensibilities that have been shunted "by our misreading of modern science." In the book's final sections, Smith avoids the folly of predicting the future, instead focusing on "features of the religious landscape that are invariant" and therefore may serve as "a map that can orient us, wherever the future may bring." This book is fresh, insightful, and important. It may prove to be as influential in shifting readers' terms of religious understanding as any of Smith's previous writings. --Paul Power (from Amazon.com)

  The Way Things Are : Conversations with Huston Smith on the Spiritual Life
by Huston Smith (Author), Phil Cousineau (Editor)

Book Description (from Amazon.com): "Where can we find what is ultimately meaningful? How can we discover what is truly worth knowing?" In one form or another Huston Smith has been posing these questions to himself--and the world--all his life. In the course of seeking answers, he has become one of the most interesting, enlightening, and celebrated voices on the subject of religion and spirituality throughout the world. The twenty-three interviews and essays in this volume, edited by cultural historian and filmmaker Phil Cousineau, offer a uniquely personal perspective on Smith's own personal journey, as well as wide-ranging reflection on the nature and importance of the religious quest. In The Way Things Are, readers will find Smith in conversation with some of the world's most influential personalities and religious leaders, from journalist Bill Moyers to religion scholar Philip Novak, and recounting his personal experiences with such luminaries as Joseph Campbell, Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary, Daisetz Suzuki, Ram Dass, and the Dalai Lama. Throughout these engaging exchanges Smith speaks with passion and humor of his upbringing as the son of missionary parents in China, of the inspiring and colorful individuals he has known, and of his impressions of the different religious and philosophical traditions he has encountered. A fascinating view of the state of world religion and religious leadership over the past fifty years, the book also looks to the future with a final interview on the vital importance of the transcendent message of religion for the post-9/11 world.


 

Christianity and Islam

A History of Christian-Muslim Relations  by Hugh Goddard.  Goddard surveys the complex and ever-changing relationships between the Muslim and Christian faiths and cultures.  In light of the recent terrorist bombings and the upsurge in interest in Islam, this is a good book to read about how the two religions have viewed one another.

Early Islamic Mysticism : Sufi, Quran, Miraj, Poetic and Theological Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality)
by Michael A. Sells (Editor)

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