The Challenge of Bahá'u'lláh Paperback – March 14, 2001

In The Challenge of Baha'u'llah, Gary Matthews presents evidence as to why the claim of Baha'u'llah as Manifestation of God for this Age should be taken seriously. Now, as a Baha'i I already take this claim seriously! But this doesn't meant that there wasn't anything the glean from this book. Quite the opposite!Matthews makes a solid case throughout the book, presenting pages upon pages of documented evidence backing up the Prophetic nature of Baha'u'llah and His writings. This was great, and very interesting. Matthews has certainly done his homework in presenting the cases in an open and up front manner. The evidence makes up most of the book, however the evidence was not my favorite part. I'm a personal learner. I prefer to hear stories. I want to learn from others experiences and hear about their lives and choices, how things affected them. I guess you could call me an amateur religious anthropologist. I'm intrigued not so much about the "what" and the "when" but the "why". Luckily for me the book opens thusly:"The Challenge of Baha'u'llah is not primarily about "what Baha'is believe." It is a book about why Baha'is believe as we do-or why, at any rate, the author believes as he does. It attempts to share my admittedly personal understanding of why it makes sense, and feels right, to acknowledge the authority of Baha'u'llah as God's Messenger for this age."Not only does Matthews shares the exact details of claims and prophecies, he shares his story, the "why". And that, my friends, is why I loved this book.Highly recommended!

This is my go-to book when explaining how the Baha’i religion anticipated, predicted, and explains the modern scientific age (and what it all “means”, philosophically). After doing a fireside using this book as my source, some community members began study groups reading and discussing this book (why I needed an extra copy).Enjoy!

This is a wonderful book that leads you to thinking about the oneness of mankind and spirituality.

This book was a gift for a friend, providing additional material for an ongoing discussion. My friend promptly began a review, and noted two points that had been overlooked personally. In friendly discussion, one of us had proposed "fulfillment of religious prophecy" as a tentative measure of credibility, and this book provided a large number of fulfilled prophecies, with some items classed as "not yet", but with zero failures. The book is well-written, and most informative.

The author has done his research on Baha'i prophecies and has related them to developments in science and history.

Incredible book. Although not voluminous, it encompasses many proofs of the validity of the Baha'i Faith: historical, philosophical, scientific, even linguistic. And it is a very honest book, and is a great pleasure to read.

I f you are interested in our changing world. then you will find this book very interesting.the book was also in perfect condition like new.

This book is a must read for those who are interested in Baha'i culture and beliefs, or if you yourself are a Baha'i. Gary Matthews really pours his heart and soul into this book, and gives the reader a chance to question for himself whether he/she can recognize God in history or in present reality. He provides information from Baha'u'llah that is key to understanding the Baha'i religion, and understanding other religions, such as Islam and Christianity.I myself am a Baha'i and I found it intriguing. I study principles of the religion constantly, but after reading this book, I really had to go back and track some things that I missed. It is a good discussion tidbit to for any who like to talk about things of the spiritual, or contingent nature.

An outstanding book that helps the reader reach his or her own conclusion about what is perhaps the key question of our time: Who is Baha'u'llah? This is written by a journalist, is fast-paced, and fact-filled. Matthews observes in the introduction: "No one was ever argued into such a commitment, [joyous surrender to system of belief] any more than anyone was ever argued into falling in love. It is not enough for religion to make sense intellectually; it must also feel right and ring true in the very depth of one's being. Beyond that, it requires deliberate choice, an act of courage and humility that must spring as much from the heart as from the head. Sometimes linear thought plays only a minor role: persons with sharp insight may embrace a religion -knowing exactly why they choose to do so - long before they can explain or justify the logic of their decision to anyone else. Instinctively, they simply know." This is a very interesting book, well worth the reader's attention.