This little book is really a long essay on what is involved in understanding a religion. It has an almost conversational tone, as he talks about the various topics that arise in teaching students. Well, they are the same topics that arise for their professors or, for that matter, for any of us: religious experience, religious institutions and authorities, religion and culture, and so forth. These topics are discussed with a point of view that balances a sympathy for religion (and perhaps even a religious commitment) with scholarly distance. The reader learns the lay of the land in contemporary religious studies from a thoughtful, engaging tour guide. Sharpe is good company.