Spiritual Perspectives on Globalization (2nd Edition): Making Sense of Economic and Cultural Upheaval

by Ira Rifkin, Dr. David Little (Foreword by)

Overview

What is globalization anyway? What are spiritually-minded people—
on all sides of the issue—doing and saying about it?

The economic and cultural dynamic of globalization is transforming the world at an unprecedented pace. But what exactly is it? What are its origins? What is its impact on our spiritual lives?

This lucid introduction surveys the religious landscape, explaining in clear and nonjudgmental language the beliefs that motivate spiritual leaders, activists, theologians, academics, and others involved on all sides of the issue. Included are the points-of-view of:

Bah’s • Buddhists • Earth-based and tribal religions • Hindus • Jews • Muslims • Protestants • Roman Catholics

Unlike other books on this controversial issue, this easy-to-read introduction won’t tell you what to think; it gives you the information you need to reach your own conclusions.

"As important as economics may be, it is not, as the great religions stress, the full measure of humanity. There is also connection to self, to others, to the ingrained values that have sustained cultures for generations and millennia, and to the belief in transcendence that gives it all meaning. In the end, what unnerves people most about globalization—including many in the West who may fairly be said to be on the winning side (economically, that is) of the process so far—is the threat it poses to that which is most precious to a life of satisfaction: our sense of meaning."
—from the Conclusion

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594735257
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	03/21/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	832 KB

About the Author

Ira Rifkin is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion issues. He is the author of Spiritual Perspectives on Globalization: Making Sense of Economic and Cultural Upheaval (SkyLight Paths), and has served as a national correspondent for Religion News Service, and news director for Beliefnet.com. He has written for the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, MSNBC.com, and numerous other publications, and has taught at American University and elsewhere.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	ix
	Preface	xiii
	Introduction: Why the Passion	1
1.	Roman Catholicism: Solidarity in Justice	17
2.	Islam: God as History	41
3.	Hinduism: Creating Global Karma	60
4.	Judaism: Speaking Truth to Power	78
5.	Buddhism: Bodhisattvas in Boardrooms	97
6.	Baha'i Faith: One for All	114
7.	Tribal and Earth-Based Religions: In Defense of the Mother	130
8.	Protestantism: Going by the Book	145
	Conclusion: "Nowhereian" Concerns	170
	Afterword: Global Dreams, Local Fallout	180
	Notes	190
	Discussion Guide	204
	List of Interviews	210
	For Further Reading	212
	Acknowledgments	222
	Index	224
	About SkyLight Paths	234

Editorial Reviews

Globalization as we know it emerged in a 1944 plan for post-war economic recovery, starting with the World Bank. This first institution and indicator has multiplied in many ways over the last half-decade, and globalization has become a contentious international issue. One of the lessons of September 11 is that the time for spiritual provincialism is clearly over. Religion journalist Rifkin produces a highly readable, quick study that begins to come to terms with the global religious agendas arising within and outside our borders. The book's interesting personal narratives, sprinkled throughout, reflect a true pluralism and enliven what could be a dry, doctrinaire approach. Rifkin examines Roman Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, the Bah '! faith, tribal and earth-based religions, and Protestantism for evidence of how they view the economic, cultural and personal aspects of globalization. Writing with balanced appraisal and astute depth, Rifkin provides readers with a sense of how the major tenets of each tradition give rise to individual perceptions and actions on globalization. His understandings of the social constructs that arise out of belief are fascinating and essential reading. Avoiding a jargon-laden treatise, Rifkin keeps the writing light and clear, using eminent support from the likes of Huston Smith and Karen Armstrong. For anyone who has asked why terrorism has come to American shores, Rifkin supplies some well-informed and quite broad answers. (Jan.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

A national correspondent for Religion News Service and editor of Spiritual Innovators, Rifkin here provides an overview of the approach several religions take to the economic and cultural impacts of globalization. Arranged in chapters by religion, the book provides a journalistic review of the opinions and actions taken by individuals and movements within each tradition. It is not intended as a scholarly analysis of these spiritual traditions' perspective on globalization but rather as a portrait of what each tradition currently understands to be its role in the process of current changes. The religions covered include tribal and earth-based religions, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity (Roman Catholic and Protestant), Islam, and the Baha'i Faith. The work is occasionally diminished by the author's asides expressing a negative opinion about misunderstood aspects of the tradition under review, but it is generally a straightforward and enjoyable read. If conferences are any indication, a large amount of work on spirituality and globalization is in preparation. Rifkin's work is one contribution that should be available to the general public along with such works as Richard Falk's Religion and Humane Global Governance. Recommended for public and undergraduate libraries.-William P. Collins, Library of Congress Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal