Sikhism), religions from China and Japan (Chinese religions and Shinto), religions originating in the Middle East (Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam). A fourteenth chapter on Baha'i is provided on the Web.
Thus the major difference between the two books from a content standpoint is the lack of a discussion of Christianity in Corduan's book, and the geographic perspective in Hopfe and Woodward's work. There is significant difference in the tones of the books, however. Corduan adopts a conversational style where Hopfe and Woodward have a somewhat more formal style. This may be due to the different goals of the books. Corduan seeks to provide an understanding of other religions to Christians by which they can conduct meaningful conversations with members of other faiths, while Hopfe and Woodward seek to provide an understanding of major religions without a stated bias for or against any one religion.
Corduan and Hopfe/Woodward all adopted a framework for each chapter that they maintain throughout their respective books. For Corduan, this framework begins with an introduction or overview using a conversational tone. When introducing Native American religion, for example, Corduan starts the chapter as follows:
Sometimes you know someone who lives far across town better than your next-door neighbor. Similarly, many Americans have only a vague notion of the culture and religion of Native Americans.[1]
Following this introduction the chapters move to historical perspective, including biographies of the primary leaders of the early religion (Muhammad, Buddha, for example) and geographic distribution of adherents. Each chapter has some photographs representative of the practices or people being discussed, and the chapters conclude with "So You Meet A ..." section that is divided into "What You Might Expect" and "Relating the Gospel." The chapters end with study aids, including "M...