In a novel approach that the author terms "symbolic paradigm analysis,"Paradise and Paradigm offers a "theoretically modular" systematic comparison of two "Persian" religions: early Syriac Christianity as the foundation of the East Syrian "Church of the East" (the Nestorian Church of Persia) and the Baha'i Faith, a new world religion.The author compares the hymns of the greatest poet of early Christianity, Saint Ephrem the Syrian, and the richly imagistic writings of the founder of the Baha'i religion, Baha'u'llah.The book employs an original analytic technique in the creation of "symbolic profiles" constructed on Ninian Smart's dimensional model of religion.As Buck skillfully demonstrates, formal similarities between any two religions are best comprehended in terms of paradigmatic differences, which nuance all parallels through a process of symbolic transformation.Buck also shows the communal reflexivity of paradise imagery in representing the ideal faith-community in both traditions.

Paradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Bahá í Faith (Studies in the Bábí and Bahá'í Religions, vol. 10)

History

Buck, Christopher

World

State Univ of New York Pr

<ul>
<li>In a novel approach that the author terms "symbolic paradigm analysis," Paradise and Paradigm offers a "theoretically modular" systematic comparison of two "Persian" religions: early Syriac Christianity as the foundation of the East Syrian "Church of the East" (the Nestorian Church of Persia) and the Baha'i Faith, a new world religion.</li>
<li>The author compares the hymns of the greatest poet of early Christianity, Saint Ephrem the Syrian, and the richly imagistic writings of the founder of the Baha'i religion, Baha'u'llah.</li>
<li>The book employs an original analytic technique in the creation of "symbolic profiles" constructed on Ninian Smart's dimensional model of religion.</li>
<li>As Buck skillfully demonstrates, formal similarities between any two religions are best comprehended in terms of paradigmatic differences, which nuance all parallels through a process of symbolic transformation.</li>
<li>Buck also shows the communal reflexivity of paradise imagery in representing the ideal faith-community in both traditions.</li>
</ul>

Paradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Baha'i Faith (Studies in the Babi and Baha'i Religions, V. 10)

State University of New York Press

Although polls of Hispanic youth show a strong propensity to serve in the military, Hispanics are nonetheless underrepresented among military recruits. The authors discuss the major characteristics that disproportionately disqualify Hispanic youth and explore actions that could be taken to increase Hispanic enlistments.

Military Enlistment of Hispanic Youth: Obstacles and Opportunities (Rand Corporation Monograph)

Engineering & Transportation

Asch, Beth J.

Loughran, David S.

Klerman, Jacob Alex

Kleykamp, Meredith

Engineering

RAND Corporation

Symbol and Secret: Qur'an Commentary in Bahá'u'lláh's Kitáb-i-Iqán (Studies in the Babi and Baha'i Religions, Vol 7)

Religion & Spirituality

Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts

Kalimat Pr

Baha’i Faith: The Basics: The Basics

Product Description Bahá’í Faith: The Basics provides a thorough and accessible introduction to a fascinating, independent world religion. Examining its historical development, current “community-building” efforts and the social contributions of the Bahá’í Faith in the world today, this introduction covers:• Beliefs: Bahá’í spiritual teachings.• Principles: Bahá’í social teachings.• History: Bahá’u’lláh and his covenant.• Scripture: Bahá’í sacred texts and inspired guidance.• Institutions: The Bahá’í Administrative Order.• Building community: What Bahá’ís do.• Social action: Bahá’í social and economic development projects.• Public discourse: The Bahá’í International Community.• Vision: Foundations for a future golden age.With features including a glossary of terms, and references to the Bahá’í writings throughout, this is the ideal text for students and interested readers wanting to familiarize themselves with the Bahá’í Faith. Review "The activities, focus, and concepts in the Baha’i world are changing so rapidly at present, especially in the area of developing new approaches to community building, that any published introductory book soon becomes out-of-date. So it is good to see another introductory book on the Baha’i Faith published, in particular since it surveys recent developments well. For anyone wishing to find out about the Baha’i Faith and the current activities of the Baha’i community, this book can be recommended. Christopher Buck presents an insider view of the Baha’i Faith, but one that is descriptive rather than prescriptive. … Buck presents all of this information in a clear and well-structured manner. He accompanies his own words with appropriate extracts from authoritative Baha’i texts to illustrate the points that he is making. He also draws on examples of the activities of the Baha’i community from different locations across the world. … In summary, there are a good many introductory books on the market but this one can be recommended for two reasons. First, it is well-written and as reasonably comprehensive as such brief introductory books can hope to be. Second, it is up-to-date covering many of the recent changes in the Baha’i community that older similar books do not."Moojan Momen, Nova Religio, Vol. 25, No. 3 (February 2022), pp. 137-138, USA."This excellent, beautifully organized introduction provides an accurate and unusually rich entré 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 Bahá’ís or non-Bahá’ís 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 Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í 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

Routledge

Bahá’í Faith: The Basics provides a thorough and accessible introduction to a fascinating, independent world religion. Examining its historical development, current “community-building” efforts and the social contributions of the Bahá’í Faith in the world today, this introduction covers: 
• Beliefs: Bahá’í spiritual teachings. 
• Principles: Bahá’í social teachings. 
• History: Bahá’u’lláh and his covenant. 
• Scripture: Bahá’í sacred texts and inspired guidance. 
• Institutions: The Bahá’í Administrative Order. 
• Building community: What Bahá’ís do. 
• Social action: Bahá’í social and economic development projects. 
• Public discourse: The Bahá’í International Community. 
• Vision: Foundations for a future golden age. 
With features including a glossary of terms, and references to the Bahá’í writings throughout, this is the ideal text for students and interested readers wanting to familiarize themselves with the Bahá’í Faith.

History remembers Alain Locke (1885-1954) as the first African American Rhodes Scholar (1907) and, more famously, as the "Dean" of the Harlem Renaissance (1919-1934). Locke edited The New Negro: An Interpretation (1925), acclaimed as the "first national book" of African Americans.In this way, Locke's role is analogous to that of Martin Luther King: whereas King championed the civil rights of African Americans through nonviolent civil disobedience, Locke did so through a process known as "civil rights by copyright." In the Jim Crow era, when blacks had no effective political recourse, Locke used the arts as a strategy to win the respect of the white majority and to call to their attention the need to fully democratize democracy and Americanize America by extending full equality to all minorities.Recent scholarship has brought Locke back to life, and his philosophy of democracy, in particular, lends him renewed importance.Harvard, Harlem, Haifa -- place names that represent Locke's special involvement in philosophy, art, and religion -- are keys to understanding his life and thought. Harvard prepared Locke for distinction as the first black Rhodes Scholar in 1907 and, in 1918, awarded Locke his PhD in philosophy, thus securing his position as chair of the Department of Philosophy at Howard University from 1927 until his retirement in 1953. Harlem was the mecca of the Harlem Renaissance, whereby Locke, as spokesman for his race, revitalized racial solidarity and fostered the group consciousness among African Americans that proved a necessary precondition of the Civil Rights movement.Haifa is the world center of the Bahá'í Faith, the religion to which Locke converted in 1918, the same year he received his doctorate from Harvard. Until recently, this has been the least understood aspect of Locke's life.During the Jim Crow era, at a time when black people saw little possibility of interracial harmony, this new religious movement offered hope through its "race amity" efforts, which Locke was instrumental in organizing. These three spheres of activity -- the academy, the art world, and spiritual society -- converge to create a composite picture of Locke as an integrationist whose model was not assimilation, but rather "unity through diversity" (the title of one of his Bahá'í World essays). 

Alain Locke: Faith and Philosophy (STUDIES IN THE BABI AND BAHA'I RELIGIONS)

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Kalimat Press

With an introduction by J. Gordon Melton (Distinguished Professor of American Religious History, Baylor University), God &amp; Apple Pie (Religious Myths and Visions of America, revised edition), by Christopher Buck, is about an unusual religious topic: the United States of America ("America"). "America" is, at once, nation and notion, country and creed, republic and rhetoric. This book is about Providence and principle--the relationship of the supernatural world to the world's superpower. "America" is not in the Bible, nor in the Qur'an. Yet "America" today pulsates with religious significance. "America" is a word that has taken on mythic proportions. Eleven religions have been selected for their distinctive perspectives on America: (1) Native American religion (Iroquois); (2) Protestant Christianity (the Puritans); (3) the Christian Right; (4) Roman Catholicism; (5) Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist); (6) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons); (7) Christian Identity (White nationalists); (8) Nation of Islam (Black nationalists); (9) Islam (especially Radical Islamists and Progressive Muslims); (10) Buddhism (Tibetan and Soka Gakkai); and (11) the Baha'i Faith. Over the course of American history, religious myths and visions of America tend to reflect an ever-changing American civil society, whether as a function of its social evolution or as a catalyst of it. The result is: Religions re-mythologize America. And: Religions re-envision America. God &amp; Apple Pie invites serious reflection on what it means to be an American, particularly from a religious perspective.

Religious Myths and Visions of America: God and Apple Pie

Americas

Educator's International Press

With an introduction by J. Gordon Melton (Distinguished Professor of American Religious History, Baylor University), God &amp; Apple Pie: Religious Myths and Visions of America, (revised edition) by Christopher Buck, is about an unusual religious topic: the United States of America. “America” is, at once, nation and notion, country and creed, republic and rhetoric. This book is about Providence and principle — the relationship of the supernatural world to the world’s superpower. “America” is not in the Bible, nor in the Qur’an. Yet “America” today pulsates with religious significance. “America” is a word that has taken on mythic proportions. Eleven religions have been selected for their distinctive perspectives on America: (1) Native American religion (Iroquois); (2) Protestant Christianity (the Puritans); (3) the Christian Right; (4) Roman Catholicism; (5) Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist); (6) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons); (7) Christian Identity (White nationalists); (8) Nation of Islam (Black nationalists); (9) Islam (especially Radical Islamists and Progressive Muslims); (10) Buddhism (Tibetan and Soka Gakkai); and (11) the Baha’i Faith. Over the course of American history, religious myths and visions of America tend to reflect an ever-changing American civil society, whether as a function of its social evolution or as a catalyst of it. The result is: Religions re-mythologize America. And: Religions re-envision America. In his Introduction, Professor Melton writes: "Far from being an interesting additional topic for the religious dilettante, the discussion around the theological reality that is America periodically bursts forth as an important item on the nation’s agenda, from the place of prayer services in the White House, to the issuance of an annual government report on religious persecution, to the rise of contemporary terrorism. . . . I can, as a scholar, reflect on the contribution that this book, God &amp; Apple Pie: Religious Myths and Visions of America, is making to our understanding of the American mosaic and how various segments of the religious community have found their way to being American. I welcome its information that allows me to empathize with and make informed decisions relative to those with whom I might align (or oppose) as I sally forth in the public square. And on a personal level, I welcome the author’s invitation for me to meet anew the residents of my neighborhood, those who shop in the same stores I do, send their children to the same schools my grandchildren attend, and diligently work toward their own appropriation of the American dream." God &amp; Apple Pie invites serious reflection on what it means to be an American, particularly from a religious perspective.

God & Apple Pie: Religious Myths and Visions of America

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Buck, Christopher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Buck, Christopher

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Buck, Christopher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Paradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Bahá í Faith (Studies in the Bábí and Bahá'í Religions, vol. 10)

Paradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Baha'i Faith (Studies in the Babi and Baha'i Religions, V. 10)

Military Enlistment of Hispanic Youth: Obstacles and Opportunities (Rand Corporation Monograph)

Symbol and Secret: Qur'an Commentary in Bahá'u'lláh's Kitáb-i-Iqán (Studies in the Babi and Baha'i Religions, Vol 7)

Baha’i Faith: The Basics: The Basics

Baha’i Faith: The Basics: The Basics

Alain Locke: Faith and Philosophy (STUDIES IN THE BABI AND BAHA'I RELIGIONS)

Religious Myths and Visions of America: God and Apple Pie

God & Apple Pie: Religious Myths and Visions of America