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Living Religions: A Brief Introduction (3rd Edition)

List Price: $60.60 Price: $60.60

Reflecting modern religions in today’s changing world.

Living Religions:A Brief Introduction 3/e presents a highly readable and stimulating concise survey of the modern religious world though an emphasis on the personal consciousness of believers and their own accounts of their religion and relevance in contemporary life.  

Along with a team of specialist consultants in each faith, and drawing on a wealth of scholarly research and firsthand source material, Mary Pat Fisher provides a fresh and challenging insight into the historical development and teachings of traditional faiths, indigenous religions, and new religious movements.  She considers how the contemporary beliefs and practices of each of these traditions has evolved, and explores the changing nature of each religion; particularly the role of women, and the issues and controversies such as fundamentalism, violence, globalization, and interfaith initiatives. 

Teaching and Learning Experience

Personalize Learning - MyReligionLabdelivers proven results in helping students succeed, provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment to helping students and instructors achieve their goals.

Improve Critical Thinking - Outstanding student pedagogy- including lists of key topics, review and discussion questions, a suggested reading list, Teaching Stories boxes, primary source quotations, a timeline, world map, key terms and more! - encourages students to examine their assumptions, discern hidden values, evaluate evidence, assess their conclusions, and more!

Engage Students - Living Religions: A Brief Introductionprovides personal interviews with followers of each faith, Religion in Practice and Religion in Public Life boxes, and an impressive image program - all which help to bring each major world religion to life.

Support Instructors - Teaching your course just got easier!  You can create a Customized Text or use our Instructor’s Manual, Electronic “MyTest” Test Bank or PowerPoint Presentation Slides.  Plus, Living Religions:A Brief Introduction 3/e is concise enough that you can opt to use additional handouts, course packs, or supplemental readings.

Note: MyReligionLab does no come automatically packaged with this text. To purchase MyReligionLab, please visit www.MyReligionLab.com or you can purchase a valuepack of the text + MyReligionLab (VP ISBN-10: 0205242081, VP ISBN-13: 9780205242085)

A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in Its Context

List Price: $54.95 Price: $54.95

Engaging and accessible to students from all backgrounds, A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in Its Context is an updated, concise, and more pedagogical version of Michael D. Coogan's best-selling The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures (OUP, 2005).

Focuses on Historical Content while also Addressing Other Interpretive Approaches

Retaining the historical and literary perspective of the longer text, this concise edition is enhanced by two new introductory chapters that provide students with the context necessary to analyze the biblical texts--one on the composition of the Old Testament and one on the history and geography of the ancient Near East and how it influenced the Hebrew Bible. Relying on internal evidence, scholarly consensus, and current research, Coogan deals in detail with ancient Near Eastern sources and archaeological data. He works from a primarily historical and critical methodology but also introduces students to literary analysis and other interpretive strategies. Offering the most balanced and comprehensive introduction available, Coogan examines all the books of the Hebrew Bible and also considers additional writings from the ancient Near East. The Apocryphal / Deuterocanonical books are included in an appendix.

A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in Its Context is enhanced by:

* Chapter introductions connecting each chapter to the preceding material and previewing the material to come
* Chapter summaries that highlight key points and link each chapter to the rest of the book
* Important terms, boldfaced at their first appearance and defined in a glossary of more than 100 words
* Numerous strategically placed text boxes--some new to this concise edition--that offer interesting and useful supplementary information
* Timelines, photos, illustrations, maps, and a four-color insert on Jerusalem in biblical times
* Review questions, suggestions for further reading, annotated bibliographies at the end of each chapter, and a general bibliography
* An Instructor's Manual (in both print and CD formats) and a Companion Website at www.oup.com/us/coogan that contains resources for both students and instructors
* A FREE 6-month subscription to Oxford Biblical Studies Online (www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com)--a $180 value--with the purchase of every new copy of this text!

Providing a nondenominational and nondoctrinal treatment, A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament offers a unique and captivating introduction to the Hebrew scriptures themselves and to how they have been--and can be--interpreted. Read more...

A Brief Introduction to the New Testament

List Price: $51.95 Price: $44.23 You Save: $7.72 (15%)

Featuring vibrant full color throughout, this new edition of A Brief Introduction to the New Testament is a concise version of Bart D. Ehrman's best-selling The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, Fourth Edition. Retaining the approach of the longer textbook while condensing and simplifying much of its material, this volume looks at the New Testament from a consistently historical and comparative perspective and emphasizes the rich diversity of the earliest Christian literature. Distinctive to this study is its emphasis on the historical, literary, and religious milieux of the Greco-Roman world, including early Judaism.
A Brief Introduction to the New Testament, Second Edition, incorporates a wealth of pedagogical resources including an extensive text box program, study questions, maps, timelines, and more than seventy photos (including two photo essays). A comprehensive glossary contains more than 200 key terms; these terms appear in boldface type the first time they are used in each chapter and are also listed at the end of each chapter in which they appear. An updated Student Website contains chapter summaries, key terms, guides for reading, and self-quizzes. An accompanying Instructor's Manual provides chapter summaries, pedagogical suggestions, and a test bank.

New to this Edition:

* Four new text boxes on fascinating topics: "The Gospel of Judas," "Judas and the Roasting Chicken," "What Did Paul Look Like?," and "Was Jesus Married With Children?"
* A new photo essay on important Greek manuscripts of the New Testament
* Updated content reflecting recent scholarship and discoveries, including the Gospel of Judas Iscariot
* A revised discussion of the Acts of the Apostles, which now follows coverage of the Gospels and the historical Jesus
* A reorganization of material so that the Johannine epistles are discussed along with the other epistles
* Updated "Questions for Study and Reflection" and "Suggestions for Further Reading"
* Vivid full color throughout
* A FREE 6-month subscription to Oxford Biblical Studies Online (www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com)--a $180 value--with the purchase of every new copy of this text!

Ideal for undergraduate and seminary classes in the New Testament, Biblical Studies, and Christian Origins, A Brief Introduction to the New Testament, Second Edition, is an engaging and accessible introduction that encourages students to consider the historical issues surrounding these writings. Read more...

United Methodist Beliefs: A Brief Introduction

List Price: $13.00 Price: $8.19 You Save: $4.81 (37%)

This brief introduction spells out the major beliefs of the United Methodist Church in a clear, nontechnical style. William Willimon, the beloved United Methodist author, preacher, teacher, and bishop, discusses the great theological themes that United Methodists share in common with all Christians as well as the particular accents and emphases that characterize United Methodist understandings of Christian doctrines. In his engaging style, Willimon opens the door for further study, challenging the reader to move toward a continuing reflection on their faith. This guide will be of great value to those who are beginning their study of United Methodist beliefs as well as those who have long been in the church and want a helpful way to refresh their understandings of the distinctiveness of United Methodist doctrine. Read more...