Meet the Author
C. David Lundberg grew up around religion as a part of his family’s inspirational publishing business. Over forty years ago he realized that, for him, spiritual truth extended well beyond the biblical text. In response, he has spent most of his life exploring the world’s many religious texts and traditions. Lundberg is a minister with the Spiritual Awareness Fellowship and Pathways of Light.
Book Basics
Unifying Truths of the World’s Religions is a thoughtful, thorough, and practical consideration of what is shared by many of the world’s religions. Writing to offer the “essential information needed for an understanding of how to make Earth more heaven-like,” Lundberg searches the sacred texts of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism to create a list of thirty-three common principles that he believes allow humanity to unlock the possibility of living and loving in peace (p.12). Each chapter considers a new principle with a brief introduction followed by quotations from the sacred texts of each of the seven religions.
While not intended as an academic volume, the book would benefit from a more scholarly approach and the use of updated language. The book falls well short of presenting the “positive principles of life shared by all the world’s major religions” (p.2). Since there is no commentary about the religious writings used to support each principle, readers are left to wonder how the author believes certain excerpts offer adequate support for the claim that a given religion affirms a specific principle. Additionally, Lundberg failed to effectively argue why he feels the seven religions he selected can be construed as “all” of the world’s major religions.
So What?
American religious literacy is lacking. Lundberg’s book offers an opportunity to learn more about how seven religions share many principles.
It is important to also learn how religions differ. For a highly recommended (on my top 10 of 2010 book list) book that considers the importance of how the world’s major religions differ, consider reading Stephen Prothero’s God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World – and Why Their Differences Matter.
And, it is important to learn how our pluralistic nation can emphasize commonality while celebrating diversity. Eboo Patel’s new book, Sacred Ground: Pluralism, Prejudice, and the Promise of America (my review), effectively communicates such a message.
- How religiously literate do you believe yourself to be when it comes to your own religion? to all of the world’s major religions?
- What experiences have been most helpful to you in learning what religions share in common? how they differ? how you can emphasize religious commonality while celebrating diversity?
C. David Lundberg. Unifying Truths of the World’s Religions: Practical Principles for Living and Loving in Peace (Heavenlight Press, 2010). ISBN: 9780979630828.