The Diffusion of Religions

Reviews / Votes

This is a courageous work. It challenges missionaries to examine with dispassionate social scientific rigor why people receive, reject, or adapt their religious message. Islam and Buddhism, as well as the more familiar Christianity, are explored for patterns of diffusion. A comprehensive world-wide macro-view of historical political shifts is analyzed as the author propounds a theory of intergroup relations as crucial to the receptivity of a new religion. Acquaintance with vast amounts of historical material, social science literature and methodology, and three world religions is required, with all the necessary selectivity that entails. (I missed more wrestling with economics!) Not least courageous is the 'unhidden agenda' and the appendix in which Montgomery expresses eloquently his own faith in Christ-and a theology that critiques the bearers of it. A 'humbly ambitious' effort!> -- Peggy A.L. Shriver, Religious Research Association and National Council of Churches Dr. Robert L. Montgomery is ably qualified to write on the religions of Asia having spent his early years in China, eighteen years as a missionary to the Aborigines people of Taiwan, and more recently as a port chaplain in New York ministering to the seamen from around the world...he writes with a warmly sympathetic view of the people with whom he has had an intimately first hand acquaintance and out of his own deep positive Christian commitment and faith. -- G. Thompson Brown, Emeritus Professor of World Christianity, Columbia Theological Seminary Dr. Robert L. Montgomery is ably qualified to write on the religions of Asia having spent his early years in China, eighteen years as a missionary to the Aborigines people of Taiwan, and more recently as a port chaplain in New York ministering to the seamen from around the world...he writes with a warmly sympathetic view of the people with whom he has had an intimately first hand acquaintance and out of his own deep positive Christian commitment and faith. -- G. Thompson Brown, Emeritus Professor of World Christianity, Columbia Theological Seminary This is a courageous work. It challenges missionaries to examine with dispassionate social scientific rigor why people receive, reject, or adapt their religious message. Islam and Buddhism, as well as the more familiar Christianity, are explored for patterns of diffusion. A comprehensive world-wide macro-view of historical political shifts is analyzed as the author propounds a theory of intergroup relations as crucial to the receptivity of a new religion. Acquaintance with vast amounts of historical material, social science literature and methodology, and three world religions is required, with all the necessary selectivity that entails. (I missed more wrestling with economics!) Not least courageous is the 'unhidden agenda' and the appendix in which Montgomery expresses eloquently his own faith in Christ-and a theology that critiques the bearers of it. A 'humbly ambitious' effort! -- Peggy A.L. Shriver, Religious Research Association and National Council of Churches