Doing Theology With Asian Resources Theology And Religious Plurality

This book looks at how Christians can think about their own theology in a manner that will allow them to not only be more open to interfaith dialogue but also to see that conversation as essential to what it means to be a Christian. For much of history, Christian theology has been used to undergird and justify imperial power. This has required a theological construction that advances a vision of belief that stands above and against the world and other faiths, or at the very least acts as the one vision under which all the others must unite. Empire and the colonizing enterprise do not lend themselves well to plural ways of understanding Christian faith, let alone a plurality of religious faiths. To take plurality seriously, we need a Christian theology that sees itself as a participant in that plurality.

This original and ambitious book considers the terms of engagement between Christian theology and other religious traditions, beginning with criticism of Christian theology of religions as entangled with European colonial modernity. Jenny Daggers covers recent efforts to disentangle Eurocentrism from the meeting of the religions, and investigates new constructive possibilities arising in the postcolonial context. In dialogue with Asian and feminist theologies, she reflects on ways forward for relations between the religions and offers a particularist model for theology of religions, standing within a classical Trinitarian framework.

In den heutigen multiethnischen und multikulturellen asiatischen Kontexten ist religiöse Vielfalt für viele Gesellschaften kennzeichnend. Dieses Buch bietet neue Einblicke in die gegenwärtige Situation des religiösen Lebens in Hongkong, Indien, Indonesien, Japan, Malaysia und Myanmar, beleuchtet den Einfluss religiösen Engagements im öffentlichen Raum und stellt dar, wie christliche Theologie sich mit den gegenwärtigen Realitäten in Asien auseinandersetzt. Christliche Theologen aus verschiedenen Denominationen reflektieren in diesem Band auf faszinierende Weise über Rechtfertigung, Erlösung, den Heiligen Geist und die Trinität und diskutieren die wechselseitigen komplexen Entwicklungen sowohl in und als auch zwischen den asiatischen Gesellschaften und weltweit. In today's multi-ethnic and multi-cultural Asian contexts, religious plurality is one of the hallmarks of many societies. This book provides new insights into the current realities of religious life in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Myanmar, highlights the influence of religious commitment on the public space, and examines how Christian theology engages with contemporary realities in Asia. Christian theologians of different denominations offer fascinating theological reflections on justification, salvation, the Holy Spirit and the Trinity, and discuss interactions within and between Asian societies as well as with the world at large.

With 'Theology from the Womb of Asia', Song continues to demonstrate that he is one of the most creative and important theologians of our time. He forces us to expand the horizons of our theological vision, not only by drawing on the resources of Asian thought and experience, but also by insisting that we do theology with passion. Here he offers images, fables, poems, parables, and visions, woven together with his own compelling prose. The biblical stories with which we thought we were familiar become new and more compelling stories when we revisit them with this able and wise guide. And our whole approach to life and living is transformed by the freshness he breathes into all that he surveys with us. --Robert McAfee Brown, Professor Emeritus of Theology and Ethics, Pacific School of Religion In 'Theology from the Womb of Asia', C. S. Song shows how the story of God's compassion in Jesus and the many heartrending stories and poems of the Asian people are reaching out towards each other. Doing theology in this perspective is not a matter of application of doctrine, but of recognition of a relation between the suffering God and suffering humanity, which transcends many artificial and alienating distinctions. The book is an appeal to Asian theologians, but at the same time a necessary challenge to a Western academic theology and missionary thinking. --Bert Hoedemaker, Professor of Missions and Christian Ethics, University of Groningen, the Netherlands A splendid example of doing theology with Asian resources. A breath of fresh air to liven up traditional theology, using original reflections and observations with the backing of close knowledge of traditional theology. A book no theological college can do without. --Yeow Choo Lak, The South East Asia Graduate School of Theology, Singapore C. S. Song is Professor of Theology and Asian Cultures at Pacific School of Religion. His recent publications include 'The Believing Heart'.

Asian Christian Theology provides a survey of contextually reflective, robustly evangelical theology for students to engage with the core doctrines of Christianity and their outworking in different cultures across Asia. The contributors of the chapters come from all corners of Asia to systematically examine traditional doctrinal themes and contemporary concerns for the Asian church. Ideal for use as a companion textbook in Asian seminaries and institutions, this book will also provide excellent further reading for those outside of Asia seeking global theological perspectives, and for those in contexts of significant Asian diaspora. Many excellent books surveying theology exist, but this book is a major step forward for students and scholars seeking to understand the dynamic environment of evangelical theology in Asia.

Preliminary Material -- Preface -- An Overview: Asian and Oceanic Christianity in an Age of World Christianity /M. Thomas Thangaraj -- An Asian Journey Seeking Christian Wholeness: Owning Up to Our Own Metaphors (Theotao) /Heup Young Kim -- Contextualized and Cumulative: Tradition, Orthodoxy and Identity from the Perspective of Asian Theology /Anri Morimoto -- An Asian Christian? Or a Christian Asian? Or an Asian-Christian?: A Roman Catholic Experiment on Christian Identity /Peter C. Phan -- Texts and Terrorism: Communal Strife, Sacred Scriptures and Secular Stories /R.S. Sugirtharajah -- The Economy of God-talk in Asia: A Cultural Materialist Critique /Angela Wai Ching Wong -- Pacifism: its Frustration and an Alternative /Hisako Kinukawa -- The Guide Who Stands Aside: Confessing Christ in India Today /J. Jayakiran Sebastian -- Blessed are the Peacemakers: The Search for an East Asian Reading /Benoît Vermander -- Reimagining Home: a Diasporic Perspective on Encounters with the Religious Other in Australia /Seforosa Carroll -- Emerging Theology on an Asian Frontier: History and the Future of Memories in West Papua, Indonesia /Charles E. Farhadian -- Pasifika Secrets /Jione Havea -- Learning to Speak a New Tongue: Imagining a Way That Holds People Together /Fumitaka Matsuoka -- About the authors -- Index of Names.