Baha'i Faith

This excellent, beautifully organized introduction provides an accurate and unusually rich entre into a relatively new and still somehow frequently misunderstood religion. The author, Christopher Buck, is a leading scholar of the Baha'i religion. His book is richly enhanced with quotations from official translations of the Baha'i sacred writings, insights into the formation of distinctive Baha'i institutions and rare glimpses of key moments in Baha'i intellectual history from an introduction to the influential African-American Baha'i philosopher, Alain Locke (d. 1954) known as 'the father of the Harlem Renaissance', to a discussion of the more recent development of the Ruhi Institute process. This introduction goes beyond existing textbooks in both scope and detail. It will be warmly welcomed by researchers and students of the Baha'i Faith. Todd Lawson, University of Toronto, Canada One outstanding feature of this book for either Baha'is or non-Baha'is is its contemporary relevance. Even well-informed readers could not possibly be fully aware of the overview presented by Buck of all the multifarious activities taking place in the Baha'i world community. ... Buck's treatment of the material is throughout well-researched, and rich in the detail that an alert reader expects. In sum, despite its unpretentious title, this book is more than the Basics of the Baha'i Faith. It not only covers well the religion's early history, three central holy figures, spiritual and social teachings and organization, but also it presents a complete contemporary picture of the remarkably diverse economic, social, and spiritual activities that are being planned and executed by the Baha'i community in all countries of the world. Jack McLean, author of Revisioning the Sacred: New Perspectives on a Baha'i Theology This book is a trove of insights and perspectives that will inform both the reader who is unfamiliar with the Baha'i universe and the practitioner who seeks information and inspiration. What's more, this book will be a good resource for all fundamental aspects of the Baha'i religion and in the concert of diverse religions and spiritualities today. One should not miss its unique message to humanity. Roland Faber Kilsby Family/John B. Cobb Jr. Professor of Process Studies at Claremont School of Theology, USA. Reading Religion.