Rating: 
Summary: A must for the Christian's library
Review: 11 of the largest religions in the world are examined and written about in a easy to read format. Non Christians probably won't get very much from this book. However if you are a Christian and interested in learning about major religions of the world then this book would be very useful for you. There is no mention of questionable "Christian" faiths but there is a great deal of information on some of the oldest religions in the world. Islam, Buddhism, Marxism, Hinduism, the New Age and Judaism are just a few of the religions written about. I enjoyed this book because I had little previous knowledge of other religions and how to relate to members of other religions. Probably the best aspect of this book was the fact that it equips the reader to relate and evangelize people of the religions written about in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: If you're not an evangelical, skip it
Review: Although this book has interesting comparative charts of various world religions and christianity, and basically good summaries of those other religions, the entire slant is toward evangelizing people of those other faiths. This is evident in the text, but you needn't go that far: praises on the back cover come from two individuals that sound like they represent evangelical agencies, one man from Jews for Jesus, and the pastor of Southern Gables Church. The book contains hints on how to "witness" to those of other religions, ie., try to convert them, and attacks on things "secular" including the theory of evolution. I'm a modernist, I don't live in the 8th-century, and am not into such things, so I'll keep this on the back of the book shelf and avoid much of it to get at the basic summaries of the non-christian religions.
Rating:
Summary: If you're not an evangelical, skip it
Review: Although this book has interesting comparative charts of various world religions and christianity, and basically good summaries of those other religions, the entire slant is toward evangelizing people of those other faiths. This is evident in the text, but you needn't go that far: praises on the back cover come from two individuals that sound like they represent evangelical agencies, one man from Jews for Jesus, and the pastor of Southern Gables Church. The book contains hints on how to "witness" to those of other religions, ie., try to convert them, and attacks on things "secular" including the theory of evolution. I'm a modernist, I don't live in the 8th-century, and am not into such things, so I'll keep this on the back of the book shelf and avoid much of it to get at the basic summaries of the non-christian religions.
Rating:
Summary: Good basic overview
Review: I use this book as one of the texts in a class that I teach on World Religions, Cults, and Christianity - Building a Bridge to the Lost. The evangelical nature of the book is an excellent tool for classroom discussion. It also summarizes the major world religions without being too "in depth" for the beginning student, nor too "shallow" for a more advanced student.
Rating:
Summary: Good basic overview
Review: I use this book as one of the texts in a class that I teach on World Religions, Cults, and Christianity - Building a Bridge to the Lost. The evangelical nature of the book is an excellent tool for classroom discussion. It also summarizes the major world religions without being too "in depth" for the beginning student, nor too "shallow" for a more advanced student.
Rating: 
Summary: As advertised in the synopsis, it's a great evangelical tool
Review: I was looking for a book that would help me, as a Christian, understand what those in other world religions believe. This book hit the nail on the head! And it did it from a Christian perspective too. Neat!
Rating:
Summary: Insightful, must have for any Christian
Review: It was interesting to see so many religions compared to Christianity, the differences and similarities. Some people may find this book biased because the author tells you how you can talk to people of other faiths about Christianity. I learned quite a bit from this book and feel that much more confident in my decision to be a Christian and raise a Christian family. The compared religions are Buddhism, Jadaism, Taoism, Animism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Marxism, New Age Movement, Secularism, and Shinto. There are many grpahs and charts. It is formatted in a very easy to read context.
Rating:
Summary: Reader Be Aware
Review: The book is okay. It has some good information. *BUT the Reader should be aware that the book is not a "fair and balanced" guide to the world's religions. I guess most things that say "fair and balanced" really aren't that at all-at least not today. The book is saturated with bias. The whole goal of the book is to show how Christianity is the better religion or at least how Christianity differs from all the other world religions and tries to point out where the other religions go wrong. I found that the author makes generalizations and misses many of the deeper meanings and beliefs of some of the world's other relgions. If one were to take an intro cultural anthropology class, one of the first words one would learn is ethnocentrism. This book is a classic example of that type of bias. If you are looking for a Compact Guide To World Religions without bias don't buy this book. If you are looking to find a book that points out some differences but often distorts facts and uses quotes out of context to support his agenda-get this one. I don't have anything against any religion, but it seems this guy does. That is my problem with the book.
Rating:
Summary: Reader Be Aware
Review: The book is okay. It has some good information. *BUT the Reader should be aware that the book is not a "fair and balanced" guide to the world's religions. I guess most things that say "fair and balanced" really aren't that at all-at least not today. The book is saturated with bias. The whole goal of the book is to show how Christianity is the better religion or at least how Christianity differs from all the other world religions and tries to point out where the other religions go wrong. I found that the author makes generalizations and misses many of the deeper meanings and beliefs of some of the world's other relgions. If one were to take an intro cultural anthropology class, one of the first words one would learn is ethnocentrism. This book is a classic example of that type of bias. If you are looking for a Compact Guide To World Religions without bias don't buy this book. If you are looking to find a book that points out some differences but often distorts facts and uses quotes out of context to support his agenda-get this one. I don't have anything against any religion, but it seems this guy does. That is my problem with the book.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful, very helpful, and highly recommended
Review: The Compact Guide to World Religions has a very simple format yet it says a lot in a few pages. It goes through the major world religions, gathering the expertise from a number of qualified Christians. I have spoken to adherents from all of the faiths that are talked about in this book, and I must say that I was thoroughly impressed with the information the writers were able to give with an average of only 20 pages for each religion. I especially liked the "answering the objections" sections, with practical advice on how to effectively communicate with these groups. If you are a Christian who would like to better understand the religions of the world, I highly recommend this book!
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