Much of what is vital in contemporary urban Hinduism is centered in maths, temples maintained by religious orders. The activities of both monks and laymen in these centers reflect the unique solution of their community to the perennial Hindu problem of balancing Wisdom, Ecstasy, and Works. Maths of the ancient Shankara Order clearly reflect the dichotomy between the monks' quest for wisdom and the laymen's practice of devotion, as noted by Max Weber; maths of the medieval Chaitanya Order show, in their layout, the centrality of kirtan (ecstatic communal worship); maths of the modern order of Sri Ramakrishna reflect the modern emphasis on practical service to the community through education and medicine. In each case, the configuration of the monastic-temple enclosure reflects the spirit of the community and the order.

An introductory discussion of Christian perspectives on freedom is followed by a consideration of the developments that preceded the genesis of Liberation Theology. That leads into the issues: Given the complexity of contemporary structures in a technological society where the number of those marginated by the system has become acute, who is my neighbor and how do I concretely love him or her? Transformation of history requires action flowing from faith and a willingness to live conflict. But how does one announce God as Father in a non-human world? What are the implications when we tell a non-person that he or she is a son or daughter of God? Believers must develop a critical consciousness and a praxis which confronts the actual conditions of life. To be a Church is to be in solidarity with all who suffer but we must remember that the gospel message is not ideological since it does not identify with any social form. It hopes against hope.

The growing popularity of courses which use autobiographical materials as an introduction to the study of religion signals a changing cultural perception of what religion is. Whereas before religion was thought of in terms of faith in a supernatural being, now we are beginning to see that religion is any attempt to integrate our lives. This changed perception has important consequences for the Christian faith.

Both the world religions survey and the phenomenology of religion experience present fatal difficulties when undertaken as a first course in religion. Useful features of both can be saved and difficulties avoided in judicious use of Bildungsromane in which different religious traditions figure prominently. Several such are named and their use discussed.