Universe Next Door

A Basic Worldview Catalogue

By: James W. Sire

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

When The Universe Next Door was first introduced nearly 30 years ago, it set the standard for a clear, readable introduction to worldviews.

In concise, easily understood prose, James W. Sire explained the basics of theism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern monism, and the new consciousness. This has been translated into several languages and used as a text at over one hundred colleges and universities in courses ranging from apologetics and world religions to history and English literature.

©2004 James W. Sire (P)2008 christianaudio.com

great review

the narration was a blessing to me. I have low vision problems. it was a joy to hear this book.

narration minimized wandering mind <br />

Narration enhanced reading pace and unfamiliar name pronunciations .

Well worth your time and money.

Great book! Much valuable and useful information. I highly recommend it for all wishing to become more learned in worldviews and apologetics. Recommended for believe and unbeliever alike.

Very Insightfull

Awesome! I love the detailed explanation of world views compared to the Christian worldview. There is an updated latest version i listen to, But this is my favorite Narrator. I also love the Chapter Index is labeled by name of chapter.. Recommended

A great place to begin

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend. Sire presented a basic worldview analysis that was understandable, but excluded complex issues. I do not believe the exclusions of complex topics took away from the validity of the book, however made it easier to comprehend to beginners on the subject matter. The book is not an end all in itself, but a beginning to exploring worldview.

A Classic Analysis of Worldviews

We live in a cultural intellectual milieu that many fail to understand. This book has held center stage for a rigorous analysis of worldviews and ultimately provides a strong case for Christian theism

Disappointed

Chapters are not marked correctly. For example I start what is supposed to be the 7th chapter, and narrator says Chapter 9.
Some chapters start in the middle of it.
First experience with audible and didn't like it.

Apologetics Not Broad Overview

I got this book expecting a more general treatment of the worldviews presented. Be warned, this is NOT an even-handed text - it is Christian apologetics. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with apologetic books (the book I had listened to just prior was CS Lewis' "Mere Christianity"), but I was given the impression that this text was a general overview instead. Given that perception going in, I was disappointed.

The book starts presenting "Theism" - Christianity. The author dismisses other theistic systems such as Judaism or Islam due to his lack of background, so Christianity is the only example of theism presented. The presentation of Christianity does not deal with any of the challenges of Christianity - it presents it as if it were true. That would be fine if the rest of the systems equally, but it does not.

The rest of the systems presented (Deism, Naturalism, etc.) are first presented as their basic components. Once that's done, the problems of any of those systems are then referred back to how "Theism" (again, Christianity exclusively) addresses that problem.

For an apologetics book, this book does well. It presents positive arguments for Christianity, and how it answers other systems problems. If you want an easy-to-listen to book on apologetics, this is an excellent book. My rating, however, is based not on this aspect, but on the expectation I was given about this book as a general overview.