Teen Spirit: One World Many Paths, by Paul B. Raushenbush
In a new book the author of the hugely popular beliefnet.com column "Ask Pastor Paul" takes teen readers on a hip, nonjudgmental tour of the world's major religions.
(PRWEB) November 15, 2004 -- In a new book the author of the hugely popular beliefnet.com column "Ask Pastor Paul" takes teen readers on a hip, nonjudgmental tour of the world's major religions.
Like friendship, sexuality, fashion and music, claiming a spiritual and religious identity is fundamental to the teen experience. With the turmoil in the Middle East and the rising popularity of evangelical Christianity, teens have more questions than ever about religious beliefs and seeking spiritual guidance. And that's where "Pastor Paul" comes in.
Author Paul Rauschenbush's popular beliefnet.com column "Ask Pastor Paul" answers teens' questions about major religions and their influence in teens' lives.
In his new book, Teen Spirit: One World, Many Paths (HCI Teens, HCI Books -$11.95), Pastor Paul uses teens' letters and questions as springboards for greater exploration of the different religions teens encounter and how spiritual diversity effects their lives: be it on their sports teams, in their relationships, their friends' homes, in the school cafeteria.
Teen Spirit is replete with basic tenets, celebrity testimonies, teens' own stories on why they like practicing their particular religion, specific roles and rites of passage for young people, etiquette for how to behave when invited to an unfamiliar religious event, and more.
Also included are interviews with celebrities from diverse spiritual and religious backgrounds including Ja Rule, Hakeem Olajuwon, Adam Yauch, Christy Turlington, Moby and Bono, as they offer their own personal view of spirituality and religion.
From questions about traditions and conversion, to interfaith dating and tough times, Pastor Paul demystifies misperceptions and shows teens how to embrace and accept different religious beliefs while remaining faithful to their own core values.
"There are a lot of books for young people that concentrated exclusively on one faith tradition, but none that acknowledge that we are living in a pluralistic society and that young people want to know about the diverse traditions that exist side by side in America," said Pastor Paul when asked what motivated him to write Teen Spirit.
"Often times teens are playing soccer on a team with people representing three or four different religions but they don't know anything about each others traditions and are afraid to ask. I wanted to create a fun and cool way for young people to be able to learn about each other's faiths. Ultimately, the reason I wrote this book was the real sense of need I got from the thousands of questions I have received from young people at my advice column Ask Pastor Paul on Beliefnet.com. There was clearly a lot of spiritual questions out there that needed some answers."
When asked how he resolves his ordination as a Christian minister with his explicit acceptance of non-Christian faiths Pastor Paul responded: "Jesus calls me to love God and to love my neighbor -- period. As I read the stories about Jesus, I see him reaching across boundaries to treat people with respect and love. In the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus himself uses someone different from his own Jewish tradition to exemplify what helping our neighbor really means. I look for ways to increase love and harmony among religious traditions and in doing so I believe I am fulfilling my work as a follower of Jesus. It is an added bonus that learning about other religions increases my own store of wisdom and inspiration."
In a world fraught with religious tension and intolerance, Pastor Paul shines a guiding light for the next generation to encourage acceptance, understanding and cooperation.
About the author:
Paul B. Raushenbush is the Associate Dean of Religious Life at Princeton University. His work is focused on religious diversity on campus and supervising a multi-faith student organization called the Religious Life Council. Prior to this position, Paul was the Minister to Young Adults at The Riverside Church in New York City. He has established himself as an expert in the field of multi-faith advice for teens through his popular column, "Ask Pastor Paul: Spiritual Answers to the Multi-Faith World," which appears on htttp://www.beliefnet.com.
To order directly from the publisher:
Telephone: (800) 441-5569 or online at:
http://www.hcibooks.com/book-description.asp?BookID=662 (trade) or http://tinyurl.com/6k96h (consumer)
ISBN: 0-7573-0119-3, Paperback, 252 pages, $11.95
Media Contact:
Kim Weiss (800) 851- 9100 x 212
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