Hugh Nicholson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199772865
- eISBN:
- 9780199897315
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199772865.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter examines the relationship between contemporary comparative theology and the theology of religions in light of their common genealogy in the comparative theology in the ...
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This chapter examines the relationship between contemporary comparative theology and the theology of religions in light of their common genealogy in the comparative theology in the nineteenth-century. The latter typically combines sincere claims of scientific objectivity and impartiality with blatantly tendentious and inaccurate characterizations of non-Christian religions. A familiarity with this older comparative theology contains an implicit warning against the facile assumption that the current impasse in the theology of religions can be overcome simply by supplementing a priori theological reflection with an empirical study of other religions. More constructively, this chapter argues that the reunification of theology and comparison in the new comparative theology negates the oppositional contrast between the comparative study of religion and theology by which the former discipline has often legitimated itself as an objective, “scientific” discipline. This tendency of scholars of religion to project a theological other has paradoxically blinded the discipline of comparative religion to its own normative presuppositions.Less
This chapter examines the relationship between contemporary comparative theology and the theology of religions in light of their common genealogy in the comparative theology in the nineteenth-century. The latter typically combines sincere claims of scientific objectivity and impartiality with blatantly tendentious and inaccurate characterizations of non-Christian religions. A familiarity with this older comparative theology contains an implicit warning against the facile assumption that the current impasse in the theology of religions can be overcome simply by supplementing a priori theological reflection with an empirical study of other religions. More constructively, this chapter argues that the reunification of theology and comparison in the new comparative theology negates the oppositional contrast between the comparative study of religion and theology by which the former discipline has often legitimated itself as an objective, “scientific” discipline. This tendency of scholars of religion to project a theological other has paradoxically blinded the discipline of comparative religion to its own normative presuppositions.
Richard J. Plantinga
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195177282
- eISBN:
- 9780199835812
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195177282.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter examines the thought of Hendrik Kraemer, a Dutch neo-orthodox theologian, well-versed in Islam, who had served as a missionary to Indonesia. Kraemer was commissioned by the ...
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This chapter examines the thought of Hendrik Kraemer, a Dutch neo-orthodox theologian, well-versed in Islam, who had served as a missionary to Indonesia. Kraemer was commissioned by the International Missionary Council (IMC) to write a definitive Christian theology regarding other world religions, to be discussed at the IMC’s great international missionary conference in Tambaram, near Madras, India, in 1938. Kraemer’s book, The Christian Message in a Non-Christian World (1938), insisted that there is no salvation to be found outside of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. For the next half-century, Kraemer’s work was the starting point for ongoing debates over a Christian theology of religion and interfaith dialogue. Plantinga argues that a proper Christian view of non-Christian religions must give more recognition of continuity in God’s revelation, but it does well to insist, as Kraemer did, on salvation only through God alone, in Jesus Christ.Less
This chapter examines the thought of Hendrik Kraemer, a Dutch neo-orthodox theologian, well-versed in Islam, who had served as a missionary to Indonesia. Kraemer was commissioned by the International Missionary Council (IMC) to write a definitive Christian theology regarding other world religions, to be discussed at the IMC’s great international missionary conference in Tambaram, near Madras, India, in 1938. Kraemer’s book, The Christian Message in a Non-Christian World (1938), insisted that there is no salvation to be found outside of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. For the next half-century, Kraemer’s work was the starting point for ongoing debates over a Christian theology of religion and interfaith dialogue. Plantinga argues that a proper Christian view of non-Christian religions must give more recognition of continuity in God’s revelation, but it does well to insist, as Kraemer did, on salvation only through God alone, in Jesus Christ.
Hugh Nicholson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199772865
- eISBN:
- 9780199897315
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199772865.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This book concerns the problem of the ineluctability of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ relations in theological discourse. It argues that liberal theologies — from the Christian fulfillment theology of the ...
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This book concerns the problem of the ineluctability of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ relations in theological discourse. It argues that liberal theologies — from the Christian fulfillment theology of the nineteenth century to the pluralist theology of the twentieth — have sought to transcend this “political” dimension of religion only to see it reappear in the more subtle, though arguably more insidious form of unacknowledged exclusion or hegemonism. This phenomenon of the ineluctability of the political in theological discourse is perhaps most clearly manifest in the current standoff between inclusivists and pluralists in the “theology of religions” debate; each of these parties has successfully exposed the unacknowledged exclusions of the other while generally being unable to refine their own positions to satisfy the criticism of their adversary. The book proposes a model of comparative or interreligious theology that seeks a way around this impasse. Instead of vainly attempting to negate the agonistic dimension of religious identity, this theological model focuses its critical attention on the tendency of religious identities, once formed, to disavow their relational nature and ossify into essentialized, ideological formations. This shift in critical focus reflects the thesis that religious intolerance, understood as the refusal to respect religious difference, stems less from the first “political” moment of exclusion in which religious identities are initially constructed, as from a subsequent moment of naturalization in which, as the political theorist William Connolly puts it, “relations of difference are converted into modes of otherness.”Less
This book concerns the problem of the ineluctability of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ relations in theological discourse. It argues that liberal theologies — from the Christian fulfillment theology of the nineteenth century to the pluralist theology of the twentieth — have sought to transcend this “political” dimension of religion only to see it reappear in the more subtle, though arguably more insidious form of unacknowledged exclusion or hegemonism. This phenomenon of the ineluctability of the political in theological discourse is perhaps most clearly manifest in the current standoff between inclusivists and pluralists in the “theology of religions” debate; each of these parties has successfully exposed the unacknowledged exclusions of the other while generally being unable to refine their own positions to satisfy the criticism of their adversary. The book proposes a model of comparative or interreligious theology that seeks a way around this impasse. Instead of vainly attempting to negate the agonistic dimension of religious identity, this theological model focuses its critical attention on the tendency of religious identities, once formed, to disavow their relational nature and ossify into essentialized, ideological formations. This shift in critical focus reflects the thesis that religious intolerance, understood as the refusal to respect religious difference, stems less from the first “political” moment of exclusion in which religious identities are initially constructed, as from a subsequent moment of naturalization in which, as the political theorist William Connolly puts it, “relations of difference are converted into modes of otherness.”
James L. Fredericks
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199827879
- eISBN:
- 9780199919451
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199827879.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter contends that the dialogue between Catholics and Buddhists, more than any of the other interreligious dialogues in which Catholics are involved, “drives us off our theological road map ...
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This chapter contends that the dialogue between Catholics and Buddhists, more than any of the other interreligious dialogues in which Catholics are involved, “drives us off our theological road map of religions.” That road map, developed most extensively and authoritatively by John Paul II, may be described as an inclusive theology of religions. On the one hand, it avoids exclusivism, in that it rejects the claim that there is no salvation outside the church. On the other hand, it avoids relativism, in that it affirms the centrality of Christ and the universality of his saving grace made available in the church through the work of the Holy Spirit. That said, it is argued that even though the Catholic Church’s inclusive theology of religions is “adequate to the demands of Christian orthodoxy,” it is not that helpful in interreligious dialogue, at least in dialogue with Buddhists. The problem with the church’s current theology of religions is twofold. First, the inclusive approach tends to domesticate differences, making it very difficult to accept differences as differences and the otherness of the other as the other. Second, it is sectarian in that it assumes ultimately that everyone should be converted to the Catholic Church. The pastoral purpose of interreligious dialogue is neither conversion nor the confirmation of our theological presuppositions about other religious believers; its purpose is to establish bonds of solidarity with other religious communities.Less
This chapter contends that the dialogue between Catholics and Buddhists, more than any of the other interreligious dialogues in which Catholics are involved, “drives us off our theological road map of religions.” That road map, developed most extensively and authoritatively by John Paul II, may be described as an inclusive theology of religions. On the one hand, it avoids exclusivism, in that it rejects the claim that there is no salvation outside the church. On the other hand, it avoids relativism, in that it affirms the centrality of Christ and the universality of his saving grace made available in the church through the work of the Holy Spirit. That said, it is argued that even though the Catholic Church’s inclusive theology of religions is “adequate to the demands of Christian orthodoxy,” it is not that helpful in interreligious dialogue, at least in dialogue with Buddhists. The problem with the church’s current theology of religions is twofold. First, the inclusive approach tends to domesticate differences, making it very difficult to accept differences as differences and the otherness of the other as the other. Second, it is sectarian in that it assumes ultimately that everyone should be converted to the Catholic Church. The pastoral purpose of interreligious dialogue is neither conversion nor the confirmation of our theological presuppositions about other religious believers; its purpose is to establish bonds of solidarity with other religious communities.
Anselm Kyongsuk Min
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199827879
- eISBN:
- 9780199919451
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199827879.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter presents comments on the previous chapter’s discussion. This chapter states and opinion that sharply disagrees with the opinion given in the previous chapter based on criticisms of the ...
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This chapter presents comments on the previous chapter’s discussion. This chapter states and opinion that sharply disagrees with the opinion given in the previous chapter based on criticisms of the inclusive theology of religions but also on an understanding of the purpose of interreligious dialogue. The chapter explains that it is incorrect to measure the adequacy of a theology of religions in terms of how adequately it serves the practice of interreligious dialogue. This chapter states that Buddhists are at a distinct disadvantage in dialogue with Catholics because few Buddhists are schooled in Christian doctrine. Moreover, according to the chapter, Catholic Christianity has enjoyed great influence in the West while Buddhism has been challenged even in its own homeland. The great diversity of Buddhist traditions poses additional challenges to a dialogue with Catholicism. The chapter suggests several areas for dialogue, including the destruction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and shared karma.Less
This chapter presents comments on the previous chapter’s discussion. This chapter states and opinion that sharply disagrees with the opinion given in the previous chapter based on criticisms of the inclusive theology of religions but also on an understanding of the purpose of interreligious dialogue. The chapter explains that it is incorrect to measure the adequacy of a theology of religions in terms of how adequately it serves the practice of interreligious dialogue. This chapter states that Buddhists are at a distinct disadvantage in dialogue with Catholics because few Buddhists are schooled in Christian doctrine. Moreover, according to the chapter, Catholic Christianity has enjoyed great influence in the West while Buddhism has been challenged even in its own homeland. The great diversity of Buddhist traditions poses additional challenges to a dialogue with Catholicism. The chapter suggests several areas for dialogue, including the destruction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and shared karma.
Rita M. Gross
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520255852
- eISBN:
- 9780520943667
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520255852.003.0014
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
“Theology of religions” is a relatively new term that has to do with noting the diversity among the religions of the world and developing conceptual tools for relating to and understanding that ...
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“Theology of religions” is a relatively new term that has to do with noting the diversity among the religions of the world and developing conceptual tools for relating to and understanding that diversity. Critical to an adequate theology of religions is that it be knowledgeable about and conversant with the great Asian wisdom traditions; merely raising one's gaze to include other monotheisms does not constitute serious encounter with religious diversity. Feminist theology is a movement that cuts across tradition lines, influences all religious traditions, and is relevant to all of them. Discussing feminist theology as theology of religions clearly presents problems. Three intertwined issues are involved: the current lack of religious diversity in most feminist theological forums, the lack of any theology of religious diversity in most feminist theology, and the relative lack of feminist participation in most formats for interreligious exchange.Less
“Theology of religions” is a relatively new term that has to do with noting the diversity among the religions of the world and developing conceptual tools for relating to and understanding that diversity. Critical to an adequate theology of religions is that it be knowledgeable about and conversant with the great Asian wisdom traditions; merely raising one's gaze to include other monotheisms does not constitute serious encounter with religious diversity. Feminist theology is a movement that cuts across tradition lines, influences all religious traditions, and is relevant to all of them. Discussing feminist theology as theology of religions clearly presents problems. Three intertwined issues are involved: the current lack of religious diversity in most feminist theological forums, the lack of any theology of religious diversity in most feminist theology, and the relative lack of feminist participation in most formats for interreligious exchange.
Jerusha Tanner Lamptey
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199362783
- eISBN:
- 9780199362806
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199362783.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam, Religion and Society
This chapter provides an overview of feminist contributions to theology of religions, including those of Ruether, Suchocki, Plaskow, McCarthy, King, Gross, Hill Fletcher, Kwok, and McGarvey. It aims ...
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This chapter provides an overview of feminist contributions to theology of religions, including those of Ruether, Suchocki, Plaskow, McCarthy, King, Gross, Hill Fletcher, Kwok, and McGarvey. It aims to identify various elements of these feminist approaches that are consistent with the conception of human difference drawn from Muslim women interpreters of the Qurʾān. This chapter probes the ways various feminist theologians have attempted to extend their methods, sources, and norms to the topic of religious diversity, and it critically co-opts aspects of their approaches, including their critiques of theology of religions and the typology of exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism, and their endeavor to account for and value religious sameness and religious difference without resorting to hierarchical evaluation.Less
This chapter provides an overview of feminist contributions to theology of religions, including those of Ruether, Suchocki, Plaskow, McCarthy, King, Gross, Hill Fletcher, Kwok, and McGarvey. It aims to identify various elements of these feminist approaches that are consistent with the conception of human difference drawn from Muslim women interpreters of the Qurʾān. This chapter probes the ways various feminist theologians have attempted to extend their methods, sources, and norms to the topic of religious diversity, and it critically co-opts aspects of their approaches, including their critiques of theology of religions and the typology of exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism, and their endeavor to account for and value religious sameness and religious difference without resorting to hierarchical evaluation.
Lamin Sanneh and Joel A. Carpenter (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195177282
- eISBN:
- 9780199835812
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195177282.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Featuring cases from contemporary Africa and the Caribbean and from the history of Christianity in Asia, this book examines the new forms of Christianity emerging from the global south and east. ...
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Featuring cases from contemporary Africa and the Caribbean and from the history of Christianity in Asia, this book examines the new forms of Christianity emerging from the global south and east. These essays highlight the spiritual universe, communal relationships, cultural and religious creativity, and perspectives on wealth, power, and public affairs that animate contemporary world Christianity. The first six chapters investigate (1) gospel musicians and revival movements in the eastern Caribbean, (2) views of witchcraft among Christians in Nigeria, (3) the problem of sustaining missionary-founded institutions in postcolonial Zimbabwe, (4) the emergence of a Pentecostal prosperity gospel in Ghana, (5) the role of churches in the peace process in Mozambique, and (6) an emerging public theology in democratizing Ghana. Three case studies follow on the impact of Asian Christianity on Western Christian thought. They examine (7) the challenge to Western mission theory caused by the fact that Christianity in Burma grew faster in a tribal context than within the dominant civilization; (8) the ongoing debate in the theology of religion and world religions generated by the Dutch theologian and former missionary to Indonesia, Hendrik Kraemer; and (9) the creation of a postcolonial contextual theology movement by the Chinese scholar, Skoki Coe. An introduction by editor Sanneh frames these studies within the dramatic rise of Christian movements in the global south and east, their tempering through years of hardship and persecution, and their increasing clashes with liberal and worldly northern counterparts. In the book’s conclusion Sanneh argues that the centuries-old Enlightenment assumptions about how states, religions, and societies relate to each other are crumbling, and that world Christianity seems better equipped than northern Christianity to serve the age to come.Less
Featuring cases from contemporary Africa and the Caribbean and from the history of Christianity in Asia, this book examines the new forms of Christianity emerging from the global south and east. These essays highlight the spiritual universe, communal relationships, cultural and religious creativity, and perspectives on wealth, power, and public affairs that animate contemporary world Christianity. The first six chapters investigate (1) gospel musicians and revival movements in the eastern Caribbean, (2) views of witchcraft among Christians in Nigeria, (3) the problem of sustaining missionary-founded institutions in postcolonial Zimbabwe, (4) the emergence of a Pentecostal prosperity gospel in Ghana, (5) the role of churches in the peace process in Mozambique, and (6) an emerging public theology in democratizing Ghana. Three case studies follow on the impact of Asian Christianity on Western Christian thought. They examine (7) the challenge to Western mission theory caused by the fact that Christianity in Burma grew faster in a tribal context than within the dominant civilization; (8) the ongoing debate in the theology of religion and world religions generated by the Dutch theologian and former missionary to Indonesia, Hendrik Kraemer; and (9) the creation of a postcolonial contextual theology movement by the Chinese scholar, Skoki Coe. An introduction by editor Sanneh frames these studies within the dramatic rise of Christian movements in the global south and east, their tempering through years of hardship and persecution, and their increasing clashes with liberal and worldly northern counterparts. In the book’s conclusion Sanneh argues that the centuries-old Enlightenment assumptions about how states, religions, and societies relate to each other are crumbling, and that world Christianity seems better equipped than northern Christianity to serve the age to come.
Gerald R. McDermott and Harold A. Netland
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- June 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199751839
- eISBN:
- 9780199376605
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199751839.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Although it is easy to suppose that everyone knows what is meant by “religion,” closer examination indicates that the concept is more complicated. In some ways, the notion of religion is closely ...
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Although it is easy to suppose that everyone knows what is meant by “religion,” closer examination indicates that the concept is more complicated. In some ways, the notion of religion is closely related to that of culture, although the two are not identical. Therefore, developing an adequate theology of religions involves not only responsible treatment of the biblical and theological themes but also adequate understanding of the lived realities of human communities to which the concepts of culture and religion refer. This chapter explores some of the issues involved in understanding the concept of religion.Less
Although it is easy to suppose that everyone knows what is meant by “religion,” closer examination indicates that the concept is more complicated. In some ways, the notion of religion is closely related to that of culture, although the two are not identical. Therefore, developing an adequate theology of religions involves not only responsible treatment of the biblical and theological themes but also adequate understanding of the lived realities of human communities to which the concepts of culture and religion refer. This chapter explores some of the issues involved in understanding the concept of religion.
Gerald R. McDermott and Harold A. Netland
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- June 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199751839
- eISBN:
- 9780199376605
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199751839.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
It is the doctrine of the Trinity that most sharply distinguishes Christian theology from all other views of reality, and it has been misunderstanding and misuse of this doctrine that have produced ...
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It is the doctrine of the Trinity that most sharply distinguishes Christian theology from all other views of reality, and it has been misunderstanding and misuse of this doctrine that have produced significant problems in theologies of religions. The chapter provides an outline of the central teaching on the doctrine of the Trinity and then examines ways in which recent scholars such as Amos Yong, Jacques Dupuis, Paul Knitter, Miroslav Volf, and others have misconstrued aspects of the doctrine in their theologies of religions.Less
It is the doctrine of the Trinity that most sharply distinguishes Christian theology from all other views of reality, and it has been misunderstanding and misuse of this doctrine that have produced significant problems in theologies of religions. The chapter provides an outline of the central teaching on the doctrine of the Trinity and then examines ways in which recent scholars such as Amos Yong, Jacques Dupuis, Paul Knitter, Miroslav Volf, and others have misconstrued aspects of the doctrine in their theologies of religions.
Michael J. McClymond and Gerald R. McDermott
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199791606
- eISBN:
- 9780199932290
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199791606.003.0044
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
As Edwards's work is becoming better known, more contemporary theologians are beginning to use parts of his theological project to assist their own. Some, such as H. Richard Niebuhr in the ...
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As Edwards's work is becoming better known, more contemporary theologians are beginning to use parts of his theological project to assist their own. Some, such as H. Richard Niebuhr in the mid-twentieth century, are indebted to Edwards for their overall theological vision. The same is true of pastor-scholar John Piper. This chapter highlights a few of the major areas in which Edwards has influenced contemporary theology. While his theocentrism and historical approach to theology have had far-ranging impact, his work continues to inspire ethics and aesthetics—or more specifically, aesthetic theology. As in the past, Edwards's imprint is still on a range of spiritual theologies and spiritualities, and Edwardsean influence is growing in theology of the religions and public theology—two dimensions of Edwards's thinking that have been explored only recently.Less
As Edwards's work is becoming better known, more contemporary theologians are beginning to use parts of his theological project to assist their own. Some, such as H. Richard Niebuhr in the mid-twentieth century, are indebted to Edwards for their overall theological vision. The same is true of pastor-scholar John Piper. This chapter highlights a few of the major areas in which Edwards has influenced contemporary theology. While his theocentrism and historical approach to theology have had far-ranging impact, his work continues to inspire ethics and aesthetics—or more specifically, aesthetic theology. As in the past, Edwards's imprint is still on a range of spiritual theologies and spiritualities, and Edwardsean influence is growing in theology of the religions and public theology—two dimensions of Edwards's thinking that have been explored only recently.
David D. Peck
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- June 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199348138
- eISBN:
- 9780199376735
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199348138.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter turns to Islam for possible alternative models to the LDS binary logic of apostasy and restoration. Using the theology of religions as a frame, it outlines the conception of covenantal ...
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This chapter turns to Islam for possible alternative models to the LDS binary logic of apostasy and restoration. Using the theology of religions as a frame, it outlines the conception of covenantal pluralism in the Qur’an and suggests that Mormonism has the potential for an equally charitable treatment of other faiths in the past and present. It traces similarities between the Qur’an and Mormonism’s conception of humanity as the universal community of God’s children who are bound to God by various covenants and will be judged by God based on the contexts of these covenants.Less
This chapter turns to Islam for possible alternative models to the LDS binary logic of apostasy and restoration. Using the theology of religions as a frame, it outlines the conception of covenantal pluralism in the Qur’an and suggests that Mormonism has the potential for an equally charitable treatment of other faiths in the past and present. It traces similarities between the Qur’an and Mormonism’s conception of humanity as the universal community of God’s children who are bound to God by various covenants and will be judged by God based on the contexts of these covenants.
Gerald R. McDermott and Harold A. Netland
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- June 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199751839
- eISBN:
- 9780199376605
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199751839.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Over the last four decades, evangelical scholars have shown increasing interest in other religions and issues in the theology of religions. The result has been a plethora of books and articles, with ...
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Over the last four decades, evangelical scholars have shown increasing interest in other religions and issues in the theology of religions. The result has been a plethora of books and articles, with consensus on some issues and controversy over others. There has been a healthy plurality of views on some questions, but at the same time, there are disagreement and confusion over others. The authors are convinced that there is a need for a theology of religions that is firmly rooted in God’s self-revelation in Scripture and the Trinitarian heritage of orthodox theology and yet takes seriously the religious realities in our world and is willing to work with religious others for the common good. This book is an attempt by two senior scholars to map the terrain, describe new territory, and warn of dangerous journeys taken by some writers on these issues. The book offers critiques of a variety of theologians and religious-studies scholars, including evangelicals, but it also challenges evangelicals to move beyond parochial positions. It is both a manifesto and a research program, critically evaluating the last forty years of Christian treatments of religious others and proposing a comprehensive direction for the future. It addresses issues relating to the religions in both systematic theology and missiology—taking up long-debated questions such as contextualization, salvation, revelation, the relationship between culture and religion, conversion, social action, and ecumenism. The last section of the book includes responses from four leading thinkers of African, Asian, and European backgrounds.Less
Over the last four decades, evangelical scholars have shown increasing interest in other religions and issues in the theology of religions. The result has been a plethora of books and articles, with consensus on some issues and controversy over others. There has been a healthy plurality of views on some questions, but at the same time, there are disagreement and confusion over others. The authors are convinced that there is a need for a theology of religions that is firmly rooted in God’s self-revelation in Scripture and the Trinitarian heritage of orthodox theology and yet takes seriously the religious realities in our world and is willing to work with religious others for the common good. This book is an attempt by two senior scholars to map the terrain, describe new territory, and warn of dangerous journeys taken by some writers on these issues. The book offers critiques of a variety of theologians and religious-studies scholars, including evangelicals, but it also challenges evangelicals to move beyond parochial positions. It is both a manifesto and a research program, critically evaluating the last forty years of Christian treatments of religious others and proposing a comprehensive direction for the future. It addresses issues relating to the religions in both systematic theology and missiology—taking up long-debated questions such as contextualization, salvation, revelation, the relationship between culture and religion, conversion, social action, and ecumenism. The last section of the book includes responses from four leading thinkers of African, Asian, and European backgrounds.
Jeannine Hill Fletcher
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198792345
- eISBN:
- 9780191834356
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198792345.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, which was heralded as a groundbreaking event in the development of modern interreligious understanding, also signaled the dawn of social movements for gender ...
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The 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, which was heralded as a groundbreaking event in the development of modern interreligious understanding, also signaled the dawn of social movements for gender justice, African-American civil rights and emergent post-colonialism. This chapter investigates the interfaith encounter which the Parliament made possible as a rich case study providing opportunities for reflection on those at the margins of the White Christian project of theology of religious pluralism, and the critical questions which arise at the intersection of gender, race, and religious difference. Notwithstanding its achievements, the Parliament must be interrogated for the ways that it participated in the project of White supremacy and Christian hegemony, as well as for the ways in which it resisted such hegemonic supremacy.Less
The 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, which was heralded as a groundbreaking event in the development of modern interreligious understanding, also signaled the dawn of social movements for gender justice, African-American civil rights and emergent post-colonialism. This chapter investigates the interfaith encounter which the Parliament made possible as a rich case study providing opportunities for reflection on those at the margins of the White Christian project of theology of religious pluralism, and the critical questions which arise at the intersection of gender, race, and religious difference. Notwithstanding its achievements, the Parliament must be interrogated for the ways that it participated in the project of White supremacy and Christian hegemony, as well as for the ways in which it resisted such hegemonic supremacy.
Terrence Merrigan
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198792345
- eISBN:
- 9780191834356
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198792345.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter reflects on the many and varied challenges facing the theology of interreligious dialogue, and provides a structure within which these challenges and the responses proposed by leading ...
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This chapter reflects on the many and varied challenges facing the theology of interreligious dialogue, and provides a structure within which these challenges and the responses proposed by leading theologians are made comprehensible. What is at stake in the contemporary debate about the nature and goals of the theology of interreligious dialogue relates to the ‘triple axis’ that is at the heart of any and all theological reflection, namely, “tradition,” “experience,” and the “encounter with otherness.” This chapter reflects on the fashion in which each contributor to this volume seeks to draw lessons from the past, with a view to addressing the needs arising out of the present, and charting a course for the future of interreligious encounter.Less
This chapter reflects on the many and varied challenges facing the theology of interreligious dialogue, and provides a structure within which these challenges and the responses proposed by leading theologians are made comprehensible. What is at stake in the contemporary debate about the nature and goals of the theology of interreligious dialogue relates to the ‘triple axis’ that is at the heart of any and all theological reflection, namely, “tradition,” “experience,” and the “encounter with otherness.” This chapter reflects on the fashion in which each contributor to this volume seeks to draw lessons from the past, with a view to addressing the needs arising out of the present, and charting a course for the future of interreligious encounter.
Anh Q. Tran
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190677602
- eISBN:
- 9780190677633
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190677602.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Chapter 5 evaluates Errors from a contemporary perspective. It begins by outlining the theological messages of Errors, laying out the charges of erroneous beliefs, idolatry, and superstitions against ...
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Chapter 5 evaluates Errors from a contemporary perspective. It begins by outlining the theological messages of Errors, laying out the charges of erroneous beliefs, idolatry, and superstitions against Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. It traces the influence of Errors on later Vietnamese Catholic texts of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries—Treatise of the True Religion and Conference of the Four Religions—and appraises its legacy for the understanding of the nature of Vietnamese religions. The theological message of the texts is presented and evaluated for their implications regarding the Christian encounter with the traditional religions of Vietnam in the past and at the present time.Less
Chapter 5 evaluates Errors from a contemporary perspective. It begins by outlining the theological messages of Errors, laying out the charges of erroneous beliefs, idolatry, and superstitions against Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. It traces the influence of Errors on later Vietnamese Catholic texts of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries—Treatise of the True Religion and Conference of the Four Religions—and appraises its legacy for the understanding of the nature of Vietnamese religions. The theological message of the texts is presented and evaluated for their implications regarding the Christian encounter with the traditional religions of Vietnam in the past and at the present time.
Michelle Voss Roberts
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198792345
- eISBN:
- 9780191834356
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198792345.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Taking its lead from the biblical account of Jesus’s response to the Canaanite woman (Matt. 15: 21–8), this chapter argues that Jesus’ own concept of God’s relation to humanity shifted as a result of ...
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Taking its lead from the biblical account of Jesus’s response to the Canaanite woman (Matt. 15: 21–8), this chapter argues that Jesus’ own concept of God’s relation to humanity shifted as a result of his encounter with someone of another religion, and that this narrative can be invoked to argue that the experience of interreligious dialogue should (and does) inform the development of Christian doctrine. First, the author applies a comparative theological understanding of rasa in Hindu traditions to the forms of dialogue identified named in Dialogue and Proclamation, with a view to analyzing how affective states arise in the presence of religious others. Second, she suggests that, because sensory and affective experiences carry meaning, discernment of doctrine is already happening when Christians encounter other faiths.Less
Taking its lead from the biblical account of Jesus’s response to the Canaanite woman (Matt. 15: 21–8), this chapter argues that Jesus’ own concept of God’s relation to humanity shifted as a result of his encounter with someone of another religion, and that this narrative can be invoked to argue that the experience of interreligious dialogue should (and does) inform the development of Christian doctrine. First, the author applies a comparative theological understanding of rasa in Hindu traditions to the forms of dialogue identified named in Dialogue and Proclamation, with a view to analyzing how affective states arise in the presence of religious others. Second, she suggests that, because sensory and affective experiences carry meaning, discernment of doctrine is already happening when Christians encounter other faiths.
Gerald O’Collins S.J.
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199672592
- eISBN:
- 9780191751752
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199672592.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Religious Studies
This chapter first summarizes the content of Dupuis’s Christianity and the Religions(2002) and indicates some points where it differs from Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism (1997). ...
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This chapter first summarizes the content of Dupuis’s Christianity and the Religions(2002) and indicates some points where it differs from Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism (1997). It then reflects on terminological issues: for instance, about his distinguishing (but not separating) the divine and human operations of the incarnate Son of God and between the distinct paths of salvation within the one plan of God to save human beings. Dupuis called Christ ‘universal’ and ‘constitutive’ but not ‘absolute’ Saviour, and spoke of the whole Christ-event as ‘decisive’ but not ‘definitive’. He developed a thesis of ‘inclusive pluralism’, and argued that the divine activity of the incarnate Logos was not limited by his humanity. He insisted that the Church exists for the reign of God and not vice versa. The chapter aims to show how Dupuis’s theology of religions supported the teaching of John Paul II.Less
This chapter first summarizes the content of Dupuis’s Christianity and the Religions(2002) and indicates some points where it differs from Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism (1997). It then reflects on terminological issues: for instance, about his distinguishing (but not separating) the divine and human operations of the incarnate Son of God and between the distinct paths of salvation within the one plan of God to save human beings. Dupuis called Christ ‘universal’ and ‘constitutive’ but not ‘absolute’ Saviour, and spoke of the whole Christ-event as ‘decisive’ but not ‘definitive’. He developed a thesis of ‘inclusive pluralism’, and argued that the divine activity of the incarnate Logos was not limited by his humanity. He insisted that the Church exists for the reign of God and not vice versa. The chapter aims to show how Dupuis’s theology of religions supported the teaching of John Paul II.
Michelle Voss Roberts
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780823257386
- eISBN:
- 9780823261536
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823257386.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
An affective experience of wonder arises in encounters with religious others. In defense of the authority such encounters might hold for Christian life, this chapter gestures toward a Christian ...
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An affective experience of wonder arises in encounters with religious others. In defense of the authority such encounters might hold for Christian life, this chapter gestures toward a Christian theology of religious pluralism that appreciates both the incomprehensibility of otherness and the affect it awakens. Three categories from the classical Indian aesthetic theory guide this aesthetics of religious pluralism: the aesthetic emotion of wonder (adbhuta rasa), the sympathetic spectator (sahṛdaya), and transitory or nurturing emotional states (vyabhicāribhāvas or sañcāribhāvas). Wonder partakes of the ethical ambivalence that attends the aesthetic emotions generally. As a theology of religious pluralism struggles to find language and rationality, it must remain open to the mystery of the other and of the divine.Less
An affective experience of wonder arises in encounters with religious others. In defense of the authority such encounters might hold for Christian life, this chapter gestures toward a Christian theology of religious pluralism that appreciates both the incomprehensibility of otherness and the affect it awakens. Three categories from the classical Indian aesthetic theory guide this aesthetics of religious pluralism: the aesthetic emotion of wonder (adbhuta rasa), the sympathetic spectator (sahṛdaya), and transitory or nurturing emotional states (vyabhicāribhāvas or sañcāribhāvas). Wonder partakes of the ethical ambivalence that attends the aesthetic emotions generally. As a theology of religious pluralism struggles to find language and rationality, it must remain open to the mystery of the other and of the divine.
Gavin D'Costa
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199659272
- eISBN:
- 9780191788109
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199659272.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History, World Religions
D’Costa breaks fresh ground in this study of the Second Vatican Council’s doctrines on other religions, especially Judaism and Islam. This study focuses exclusively on the doctrinal foundations found ...
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D’Costa breaks fresh ground in this study of the Second Vatican Council’s doctrines on other religions, especially Judaism and Islam. This study focuses exclusively on the doctrinal foundations found in Lumen Gentium 16 that will serve Catholicism in the twenty-first century. First, D’Costa provides a map outlining different hermeneutical approaches to the Council. He synthesizes their strengths and provides a critique of their weaknesses. He also classifies the different authority attributed to doctrines, thereby clarifying debates regarding continuity, discontinuity, and reform in doctrinal teaching. Second, he establishes five doctrinal teachings regarding all non-Christian religions. He argues the Council mediated a position between respect, openness to truth, and dialogue with the religions, while also seeing the religions in a missiological context, as preparatory for the fullness of truth in Christ and his Church. These five doctrines must be taken as the backdrop to the examination of any particular religion. Third, he examines the Council’s groundbreaking teaching on Judaism which has been subject to conflicting readings since the Council, including the claim that the Council reversed doctrinal teachings in this area. Through a rigorous examination of the debates, the drafts, the official commentary, and with attention to previous Council and papal doctrinal teachings on the Jews, D’Costa lays bare the doctrinal achievements of the Council. Fourth, he carries out a similar detailed examination of Catholic doctrines on Islam. This book makes important interventions in the debate about Council hermeneutics and the Council’s doctrinal teachings on the religions, especially Judaism and Islam.Less
D’Costa breaks fresh ground in this study of the Second Vatican Council’s doctrines on other religions, especially Judaism and Islam. This study focuses exclusively on the doctrinal foundations found in Lumen Gentium 16 that will serve Catholicism in the twenty-first century. First, D’Costa provides a map outlining different hermeneutical approaches to the Council. He synthesizes their strengths and provides a critique of their weaknesses. He also classifies the different authority attributed to doctrines, thereby clarifying debates regarding continuity, discontinuity, and reform in doctrinal teaching. Second, he establishes five doctrinal teachings regarding all non-Christian religions. He argues the Council mediated a position between respect, openness to truth, and dialogue with the religions, while also seeing the religions in a missiological context, as preparatory for the fullness of truth in Christ and his Church. These five doctrines must be taken as the backdrop to the examination of any particular religion. Third, he examines the Council’s groundbreaking teaching on Judaism which has been subject to conflicting readings since the Council, including the claim that the Council reversed doctrinal teachings in this area. Through a rigorous examination of the debates, the drafts, the official commentary, and with attention to previous Council and papal doctrinal teachings on the Jews, D’Costa lays bare the doctrinal achievements of the Council. Fourth, he carries out a similar detailed examination of Catholic doctrines on Islam. This book makes important interventions in the debate about Council hermeneutics and the Council’s doctrinal teachings on the religions, especially Judaism and Islam.
