Why study religion?
Subtitle: understanding humanity's pursuit of the divine
By: Terry C. Muck
Publisher: Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2016
Place of publication: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Language: eng
Number of pages: 202
ISBN-13: 9780801049958; 9781493404506
Subjects: Religion; Study and teaching; Methodology; Étude et enseignement; Méthodologie
Description: "This brief primer explains why Christian students should study religion, how they should go about it, and why it is important in our contemporary, pluralistic context. Senior religion scholar Terry Muck introduces the discipline and explains how it can be approached by Christian students. He explores the contemporary significance of studying religion in a complex, multicultural world and concludes by addressing the skills students must bring to the study of religion in the twenty-first century. Written in accessible prose suitable for undergraduates, this introduction can be used to supplement any standard religion textbook."--Publisher.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Why?; title: The study of religion; title: The student of religion; title: Why now?; title: Changing societies: radical differentiation; title: Complex individuals: hybrid personalities; title: Clashing religions: contestation, consilience, confession; title: How?; title: The scholarly skills: studying texts, collecting ethnographic data, comparing and contrasting ideas; title: Perspectival objectivity: from premodern to modern to postmodern; title: New trajectories for the study of religion; title: Classic books in the study of religion; title: Classic essays in the study of religion; title: Categorizing religious traditions: an assignment; title: Twelve guidelines for the study of religion.