An engagingly written case for interfaith unity that centers interpersonal connections.
Glassey shares his divine revelation of interreligious unity in this nonfiction book.
In 2013, during a pilgrimage to Dharamshala, India—home of the exiled Dalai Lama—the author experienced a divine revelation while meditating at a Tibetan Buddhist retreat. “God came to me and gave me this explicit instruction: ‘Make all religions one,’” he writes. Upon subsequent encounters with God, Glassey claims to have been given instructions to help pave the way for a “new order” that will replace “the brokenness of what was before.” In this religious commentary, the author offers spiritual insights that blend Eastern mysticism with Christianity (and a sprinkling of Islam and Judaism). Glassey generally eschews the doctrinal peculiarities that drive many theological studies, instead taking a broadly inclusive approach to spirituality that reaches out to faiths across the spectrum by focusing on their commonalities. He notes, for instance, the ubiquity of the Christian maxim, “Do not judge, or you will be judged,” encouraging readers to reject judging others “by gender, skin color, sexual orientation, religion, or anything else.” Blended with the book’s spiritual advice are memoir vignettes from Glassey’s lifelong spiritual journey. Many of these stories are explicitly religious in nature, such as accounts of his experiences in a Catholic parochial school as a teenager; others touch on the importance of human connection. A lifelong volunteer in various philanthropic causes that include Georgia’s Koinonia Farm, Project Head Start in the 1960s, and orphanages in Mexico and soup kitchens in the United States, Glassey asserts that some of the most rewarding spiritual experiences occur when engaging with fellow humans. The author’s welcoming writing style avoids the jargon and complicated philosophical discursions often found in religious writings—he instead opts for a conversational approach that will be accessible to readers who may not have any background in religious studies. The text’s endnotes and citations reflect Glassey’s emphasis on inclusivity, citing religious thinkers ranging from Dietrich Bonhoeffer and St. Teresa of Avila to Eknath Easwaran and Jiddu Krishnamurti.
An engagingly written case for interfaith unity that centers interpersonal connections.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9798891329317
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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