God's Plan for Planet Earth and Your Neighborhood

In the years since its founding in 1844, the Bahá’í Faith has emerged as a global religion with a membership that may well be the most ethnically and culturally diverse in the world. Looking at the present-day activities of the Bahá’ís, author John S. Hatcher examines their community-building efforts and gleans insight from a process that has taken shape on a global scale. The institute process, first introduced in the late 1990s as part of the overarching framework for action, now lies at the heart of Bahá’í community life and has ushered in immense change at the grassroots level. Focused on both personal and societal transformation, this new approach to learning and community life was at first misunderstood or misapplied; however, it soon became apparent that it provided an innovative and vital approach to reconstructing society from the ground up. Hatcher, a longtime adherent of the Faith, traces the history and progress of the Bahá’í community, exploring some of the challenges faced, as well as the rapidly emerging victories won, as this evolving method of learning continues to gain momentum.

John S. Hatcher is a professor emeritus of English Literature at the University of South Florida and holds degrees in English Literature and Old and Middle English Literature and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. He is the author of numerous books on Bahá’í theology and scripture. He lives near Tampa, FL.