Aug 10th, 2007
Making Known the Path
Acquaint the people with the holy verses of thy Lord and make known unto them His straight Path, His mighty Announcement. Bahá’u'lláh, Bahá’í writings
I am very fortunate to work for George Ronald, Publisher, which publishes books on the Bahá’í Faith and related fields. This week three of the books I have been working on have been published. Each of them explains the Bahá’í Faith in a different way and each is, in its own way, engrossing.
The first is the latest from well-known lawyer, scholar and author Udo Schaefer: Bahá’í Ethics in Light of Scripture: An Introduction, Volume 1: Doctrinal Fundamentals. 
This is, he says, his attempt to take a step towards developing a Bahá’í moral theology. As usual, Dr Schaefer has produced a very detailed, well-researched and much-annotated book and it is a very valuable contribution to the literature in this field. It is not, perhaps, a book you could read standing up on the train but it is certainly a whole education in 400 pages.
The second book out this week is completely different. Heather Cardin wondered why a young person at the beginning of the 21st century would be willing to follow a religion that requires a high standard of moral conduct. Why, she wondered, would a young person even believe in God, given the state of the world today? So she asked 45 young Bahá’ís from around the world and compiled their answers into A Warm Place in My Heart: Young Voices on Faith. Some of the responses were very positive, some not so - but together they provide a fascinating and fresh view of the Bahá’í Faith as it is lived.
The third book does something I have never seen done before: it corelates economics, Islam and the Bahá’í Faith. Manna from Heaven: From Divine Speech to Economic Science is by economist Dalton Garis. Dr Garis has a deep knowledge of Middle Eastern religions, customs and interests as well as economics and has been able to combine an analysis of these in an accessible and thought-provoking book. You might think it is going to be hard-going but, in fact, the author’s comfortable style carries you swiftly along.
I’m working on another batch of goodies soon coming your way - wait and see!
Technorati Tags: Baha’i, George Ronald Publisher, Udo Schafer, Heather Cardin, Dalton Garis