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New Birth or Rebirth?: Jesus Talks with Krishna (Great Conversations)

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"New Birth or Rebirth? Jesus talks with Krishna" is a 90 page religious book by Dr. Ravi Zacharias. From the press release: This is a resource book for students of Christianity who would like to connect with Hindus and communicate intelligently about spiritual things. Drawing on the sacred texts of both religions, he has crafted an imaginary conversation between Jesus, Krishna, and Subramaniam, a twentieth-century Hindu who has closely examined both faiths.

Dr. Zacharias says "My premise is the popular aphorism that all religions as fundamentally the same and only superficially different is simply not true. It is more correct to say that all religions are, at best, superficially similar but fundamentally different." And that is the purpose of this book.

The conversation in the book is basically Krishna explaining the Hindu belief under questioning from both Jesus and Subramaniam. Jesus contrasts key elements to show the fundamental differences between the two by using examples of Hinduism and leading Swamis and excerpts from the Vedas quoted by Krishna. However, the book seems more to illustrate the rituals of the Hindu religion instead of the basics of the belief.

On the other side, Jesus does take aim against the religion in his name. Jesus says "I did not come to offer a religion. I did not come to offer a system of rules by which a person reaches the right destination. I am not so much interested in pointing you to a place as I am in pointing you to a Person and a relationship. That is the key." In fact, you could probably substitute any religious system that has a caste system such as Roman Catholic, Easter Orthodox Catholic, Islam, Judaism or Mormonism in place of the Hinduism used in this book to illustrate the teachings of Jesus.

While the book did not present a balanced contrast between the two, it did serve to introduce some beliefs of Hinduism and to illustrate some important differences between the teaching of Jesus and of Krishna.

"New Birth or Rebirth - Jesus talks with Krishna" by Ravi Zacharias is a fascinating way to gain perspective on Hinduism in relation to Christian beliefs. A brief introduction by the author explaining the topic is followed by a scripted conversation between Jesus, Krishna, Subramanian and a fictional character named Richard designed to enlighten the reader about the differences between Christianity and the Hindu faith.

This sometimes easy to digest, other times philosophical, dialogue brings to light the major differences in the beliefs of Hindus and Christians in a very creative way. As a drama ministry participant, I can almost see this book being used to put on a play to educate my congregation. I look forward to reading Zacharias' other "Great Conversations" books: "The Lotus and the Cross - Jesus talks with Buddha" and "The Lamb and the Fuhrer - Jesus talks with Hitler".

As the leading religion of the west is Christianity, so one of the leading religions of the East is Hinduism. "New Birth or Rebirth: Jesus Talks with Krishna" is a unique and scholarly examination by Ravi Zacharias of the two religions and how they relate. Written as a fictional conversation from the perspective of Subramaniam, a Hindu, it asks many questions of both religions, pointing out several intriguing facts, and asking interesting questions. "New Birth or Rebirth" is a fascinating book on religion, offers a fresh perspective, and is a welcome addition to personal and community library Religion/Spirituality reference collections.

The Christian literature marketplace is expanding to include an ever-wider array of genres and techniques. Authors are mixing it up, applying techniques and styles often found in genres other than their own, claiming them for their own work. In his Great Conversations series Zacharias joins the ranks of these authors seeking fresh, innovative writing. Each title features a fictional conversation between Jesus and an influential faith figure, philosopher, or contributor to human thought on the nature of life, God, and salvation.

Distinct even in appearance, New Birth or Rebirth - Jesus Talks with Krishna is a tiny hardcover (90 pages, and will fit into the smallest purse) and appears more akin to a gift book -- minus the satin ribbon bookmark -- than it does to the large, paperback tomes of questions and answers that sit in the apologetic section of my bookcase. The differences go far beyond appearance and length however, affecting the form and content of this title, if not the function.

Written in the field of comparative religion, Zacharias contrasts the Hinduism of his native India with his own Christian faith using a fictional conversation between Jesus and Krishna. Subramanian, a Hindu who lived and converted to Christianity in the 20th century, is transplanted into this fictional setting to eavesdrop and contribute to the fictional dialogue. He provides a listening ear, recording mind and probing questions for Jesus and Krishna to wrangle with. This story is his retelling of the conversation he witnessed to his fictional friend Richard.

The aim of New Birth or Rebirth is to educate and inform Christians about the Hindu faith (and vice versa, though written primarily for a Christian audience), and to contrast the major figure of each. In attempts to establish evidence of an archetypal theme of the sacrificial God, comparisons pointing out the similarities between Krishna and Christ have become somewhat commonplace. Zacharias points out the differences between the two, correcting any misunderstanding that Krishna and Jesus play the same role in their respective faiths.

The prose is very simple, arranged like a play, or Pilgrim's Progress, with each character's name preceding their spoken words. Very few external descriptions are provided, though a few do pop in, similar to stage directions. The reader is confronted with pure dialogue, no fripperies. The fictional conversation ranges through a wide variety of topics relating to the differences between Hinduism and Christianity including the most popular questions we have in the West -"Why do Hindu's revere cows?" - to the more obscure: "Did Krishna literally have 16,000+ wives?" Some conversational topics are straightforward explanations, while others veer into the wildly philosophical realms.

Zacharias ultimately uses the contrasting of the two faiths to clearly illuminate the heart of the Gospel message: that Christianity is not a religion, not following a set of rules or trying to reach God on our own terms, but a real relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I was so thankful for Zacharias' depiction of this often overlooked truth (even by Christian authors, who bandy the term religion about far too freely) that it brought tears to my eyes as he reminded me of Jesus' never-ending love and compassion for us.

Following this moving revelation, the author moves on to a conclusion that left me confused at best. Using an analogy that was unclear, and not previously anchored to existing references in the text, he left me completely in the dark with what he was trying to communicate in his wrap-up. If you have read this title and understood his concluding analogy, please let me know! My husband is also in the dark on this one. This short, insightful title deserved a more decisive ending that could be clearly comprehended by all.

Comparing two faiths is delicate work, and putting words into the mouths of two characters as revered in their respective followings as Jesus and Krishna is a daunting task indeed. Zacharias manages to present his case clearly without coming across as condescending and mocking of those holding disparate beliefs. He successfully expresses the Christian message while still treating the Hindu religion with respect.

I believe that Zacharias' depiction of Jesus is fairly true to scripture. He manages to include scriptural truths throughout this fictional Jesus' words without quoting directly, leading to a naturally flowing conversation throughout New Birth or Rebirth. The author has taken a risk in the Christian marketplace. Some readers are certain to be rubbed the wrong way by the very idea of a fictional conversation between Jesus, a real figure, and Krishna, a mythological one. However, I feel that Zacharias - while using Hinduism as a foil - succeeds in accurately depicting the heart of Jesus, for all people to be made free of the law of sin and death.

Read it. Great read for anyone looking for a basic look at Hinduism from a Christian perspective. Dr Zacharias did a great job but I don't think he did what he wanted to do. While the material in the book was great, you could see Ravi all through the book. Still a great read.

Dr. Ravi Zacharias is one of those gentlemen that gently pushes you to see the blatant truth in as comfortable yet challenging a way as possible without disrespect to the other side of the religious argument. He is always worth reading as his work will last for generations to come (just as the truth will always last, so do the words of men who know the truth and share it in love.)

This book is rare. It covers a subject that has not been written about very often and it does so in a short, creative way. Ravi Zacharias presents us with a fictional dialog between Jesus and Krishna. I think both Hindus and Christians will benefit from this short book.

Zacharias uses conversation to compare Christianity and Hinduism. This allows the reader to grasp the major differences in simple terms. I doubt a religion major would find this book helpful; however, those who do not care to dig so deeply into Hinduism will enjoy discovering the superficial differences.

As always, Zacharias writes of the hope a relationship with Jesus brings. This short, to-the-point book is enlightening.

All religions are different and this is a great book to read. It only take about two hours to finish it.

This book is a refreshing change from other Christian apologetics literature, which focus on Christianity v secularism or Christianity v Islam. Finally, a book which contrasts Christianity with Hinduism. This would be of particularly interest to a Christian from a Hindu background (like me), a Hindu who is disillusioned with Hinduism and seeking or even if you are a happy Hindu but want to know more about various traditions.

The book starts of as a novel as we are introduced to Subramanium, a Christian from a Hindu background, and Richard, a westerner interested in Eastern philosophy. This section provides a good overview of Hinduism's place in Indian society and Ravi Zacharias, coming from India, really brings it alive, right down to the crazy driving and theiving monkeys.

However, there is quite a severe difference between the first part and the main and second part of the book. The latter is based on a conversation between Jesus and Krishna, with interjections from Subramanium. This second part does not read like a novel, it a pure dialogue and heavy on the philosophical arguments. Furthermore, there does not appear to be much of the logical flow I have come to expect from his speech. On the contrary, with Subramanium's interjections, the conversation seems to jump from the middle of one point to a completely separate one, and then comes back to the previous one some pages later. This can be annoying, so it is worthwhile making notes while reading.

Nevertheless, Ravi Zacharias does achieve his objective of showing how Christianity differs, and is indeed better, than Hinduism, so I would thoroughly recommend it. after all nothing is perfect.