The following books deal with the logical progression of Bahá’í Theology and Philosophy. Click the book title or image to see a full explanation of the chronology. The following books can be acquired from a number of different sources; for convenience, I have included links for some of the more common sources of these books.
Click Book Title or Thumbnail for additional information.
The Metaphysical Nature of Physical Reality
The Metaphysical Nature of Physical Reality. Thornhill, Ontario: The Canadian Association for Studies on the Bahá'í Faith, 1977. (monograph, 27 pages)
I first became deeply interested in producing Bahá’í scholarship—as opposed to merely reflecting on the scripture for purposes of personal study and reflection—in the summer of 1975. The impetus for this initial foray into an academic approach to the Bahá’í texts and teachings was inspired by a relatively straight-forward question ...
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The Purpose of Physical Reality
The Purpose of Physical Reality: The Kingdom of Names. Wilmette, Illinois: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1987. (159 pages)
My most enduring bookwas written as an addition to this first stage of my attempt to understand the Bahá’í concept of ontology and theodicy. To the discussion of the metaphorical nature of reality, I added two additional parts. The beginning section has to do with the concept of justice—not in ...
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The Arc of Ascent: The Purpose of Physical Reality II
The Arc of Ascent: The Purpose of Physical Reality II. Oxford, England: George Ronald Publishers, 1994. (385 pages)
As the title implies, this sequel expands the discussions begun in The Purpose of Physical Reality because, as is so often the case in the study pf theology and philosophy, the answer to one question almost invariably leads to another more encompassing question. For if there is an underlying logic ...
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The Ascent of Society: The Social Imperative in Personal Salvation
The Ascent of Society: The Social Imperative in Personal Salvation. Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2007.
To a certain extent, The Ascent of Society is a more concise and focused version of The Arc of Ascent. The publishers and I felt that this revision was warranted for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, The Arc of Ascent was a bit more ponderous and indirect than ...
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God’s Plan for Planet Earth: And for Your Neighborhood.
God’s Plan for Planet Earth: And for Your Neighborhood. Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2018.
This is the final book in this sequence of exploration of how, during the physical stage of our eternal existence—what Bahá’u’lláh has portrayed in one of His revealed prayers as “the earliest days of my life” (Prayers and Meditations, 177)—we participate in, and are thereby educated by, our relationship to ...
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