Amanda Hughes is Director of Special Projects at the Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She oversees the Five Faiths Project, a seven-year endeavor founded on the conviction that works of art can be powerful tools for sharing knowledge about different faith traditions and generating interfaith dialogue. She serves as editor of this accessible paperback with essays by scholars on five faiths.

Hughes notes: "The power with which we hold our most sacred beliefs and practices is worthy of our reflection and generates within us a necessary compassion. Their complexity and interconnectedness are but a part of what makes them precious to us." Each essay here is followed by a conversation with the author and a brief list of reading suggestions.

Anantanand Rambachan begins with "To Recognize and Love God in All: An Introduction to Hinduism" where he looks at God in the singular, honoring the Supreme Guest, the vastness of Divine revelation, and God present in the human. Yaakov Ariel writes about "A Faith Worth Preserving: An Introduction to Judaism" with material on the history of the Jewish people and their relationship with God through rituals, prayers, and practices.

Patricia Phelan explores Buddhism in "A Practice of Body, Mind, and Consciousness" covering the genesis of Buddhism and the variety of Zen practices. Amanda Hughes examines Christianity in "We Believe — Remembering the Heart of Tradition" through the lens of the Nicene Creed. Amy Nelson assesses Islam in "The Surrendering" where she probes what this spiritual practice has meant in her life.

This erudite paperback offers a fine example of the virtues of the spiritual practice of hospitality in interfaith adventures.