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Interfaith Action

February 9, 2018

Colleagues have been asking what’sup with promised new editions or new iterations of the Three Testaments and Four Testaments material. The publishers have decided to forego the production of “boxed sets” except in the case of certain high-profile presentations in various parts of the world in 2018. These include The Parliament of the World’s Religions in Canada, the Congress of World Religions in Kazakhstan and the American Academy of Religion. Rowman and Littlefield has instead invited us to have them publish the two books in one larger compendium. They observe that most purchasers of one of these interfaith texts soon purchase the other.


 


What follows is a note from a United Church minister who took early retirement and is now employed as an administrator by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto in the St. Michael’s Homes for the homeless, the physically and mentally impaired, refugees and addicts (five homes). Like me, David is an “orthodox” Christian, and much at home in the Catholic Church after six years there. He was the author of the four volume Jesus 24/7 for the United Church Publishing House before he swam the Tiber. I include it just to make blog readers smile.


 


Dear Brian


I slipped into my old gown last week for the first time in six and a half years to conduct a memorial service for one of our clients—who was Hare Krishna. As I lit the three candles on the makeshift altar, I intoned, “In the name of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the Sustainer, and Shiva the Destroyer… In the name of all that is human, all that is holy, and all that is divine… In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit… Amen.” I read from the Gita straight out of Four Testaments, and played a six-minute Hare Krishna chant. I can’t really tell you why it felt right, but it did. I guess my work with you is finally having its effect. At any rate, I now realize that if I’m going to live as a Catholic, it is going to always be as one with a United Church background!


As Always,


David


 


David more recently served as an editor and contributor to my several books on interfaith relations and is working with me now on the future abridged edition of Three Testaments and Four Testaments in one volume as Seven Testaments of World Religions. The new compendium is, again, not so much “about” these religions as letting their texts speak for themselves, with introductions by respected authorities and my abridged commentary.


Belated good wishes to you all in 2018


www.BrianArthurBrown.com

Posted by: Brian Arthur Brown