Jesus Imandars And Christ Bhaktas

The massive changes of Christianity during the 20th century raise the perennial question about its identity in a new, radical form. The author addresses the question of identity and asks how globalisation, religious pluralism, and the polycentric nature of Christianity affect Christian self-identification and theological reflection. First, religious life and theological reflection among believers in Jesus from Muslim and Hindu background in South Asia is presented in two empirical studies. Secondly, the findings are analysed and interpreted within a broad theoretical framework, drawing on models for syncretistic processes from history of religions, cultural anthropology, and Christian theology. Finally, the study concludes with a systematic-theological perspective on the interreligious hermeneutics underlying the changes of Christianity and discusses how interreligious hermeneutics might inform missiology as well as Christian theologies of religions and how this might challenge our understanding of the church's nature and mission. In conclusion, it is argued that a global, polycentric Christianity can be interpreted as fellowship created by the Spirit and centred on Christ.

Theology of religions has defaulted in the last two decades to an epicyclic inclusivism which seeks to undermine pluralism with claims that it is covertly triumphalistic and that it mirrors the logic of exclusivism. With the exception of pioneers in the field such as John Hick and Paul Knitter, most major figures in this theological field have retreated from pluralism and promote versions of particularism and inclusivism. Pluralism: The Future of Religion argues for an apophatic pluralism that is motivated by the insight that it is impossible to secure universal assent for changeable bodies of religious teachings. This insight implies the non-finality and consequent 'departicularization' of all religious teachings and their inclusivistic defenses. These conclusions point us inevitably toward pluralism and lead us out of the inclusivistic impasse of contemporary theology in religions.

In this PhD research, the author has inquired the contribution of the Khrist Bhakta movement to inculturation in the field of community building in India. He focuses on Matridham asram at Varanasi where rural Hinduism and the charismatic form of Catholic Christianity meet one another. The author addresses the issues involved in this encounter from a social, cultural, legal, pastoral and theological perspective, which is relevant for all those interested in interreligious and intercultural encounter. --Book Jacket.

In June of 1910, delegates gathered in Edinburgh for the first World Missionary Conference. One hundred years later, the 2010 Church and Mission in a Multireligious Third Millennium conference sought to reconcile a century of seismic shifts in the worldwide landscape of the church with its ongoing mandate to make disciples of all nations. Arising out of that recent conference, Walk Humbly with the Lord presents a broad, multinational spectrum of contemporary approaches to both theology and missiology. Recognizing that the old Western notion of Christendom which formed the cultural backdrop of Edinburgh 1910 is now long obsolete, the book s twenty-seven forward-thinking contributors respond to globalization and the enormous growth of religious pluralism worldwide, offering reflections on the future of missiology and the relationship of church and mission. Together they speculate about the possible shape of Christianity in a multireligious age, as God works out new and unforeseen schemes in the reconciliation of the world. I wish I could have been at the conference from which this book comes! Viggo Mortensen and Andreas Nielsen have assembled a marvelous collection of reflections on mission that will be especially helpful to Christians committed to living faithfully and missionally in today s pluralistic world. If a new postsecular reality is emerging, as some are saying, these essays will help the church be a sign of hope and stability in such a new age. Stephen Bevans, SVD Catholic Theological Union, Chicago

A collection of essays on the nature of contextual theology, criteria for orthodoxy, prophetic dialogue, conversion, culture and other relevant topics as Christian faith and particular contexts encounter one another.

Exclusion and Inclusion in Changing India is a collection of essays, by scholars and practitioners, about the struggles of exclusion and inclusion facing human community in the complex Indian context from a Christian perspective. These essays are broadly grouped into two parts. The first part features articles with themes concerning Theology and Philosophy. The second part addresses issues arising from Mission and Culture.

When Hindus and Sikhs become followers of Christ, what happens next? Should they join Christian churches that often look and feel very unfamiliar to them? Or to what degree can or should they remain a part of their Hindu/Sikh communities and practices? Uncomfortable with the answers that were provided to them by Christian leaders in northwest India, six followers of Christ began Yeshu satsangs (Jesus truth-gatherings) that sought to follow Christ and the teachings of the Bible while remaining connected to their Hindu and/or Sikh communities. Ecclesial Identities in a Multi-faith Context analyzes the contextualized practices and identities of these leaders and their gatherings, situating these in the religious history of the region and the personal histories of the leaders themselves. Whereas Christians worry that the Yeshu satsangs and related "insider movements" are syncretizing their beliefs and are not properly identifiable as "churches," Ecclesial Identities analyzes the Yeshu satsang's narratives and practices to find vibrant expressions of local church that are grappling with questions and tensions of social and religious identity. In addition to its ethnographic approach, Ecclesial Identities also utilizes recent sociological and anthropological theory in identity formation and critical realism, as well as discussions of biblical ecclesiology from the book of Acts. This study will be a helpful resource for those interested in global Christianity, the practices and identities of churches in religiously plural environments, and the creative ways in which Christ-followers can missionally engage people of other faiths.

The world has shrunk in the processes of globalization, and the old ways of actively ignoring plurality in theology are no longer viable. Contextual differences between different Christian traditions and theologies are highly visible due to improved communications and migration. These differences also witness that this plurality has existed since the very beginning of Christianity. Religious studies demonstrate that no religion is pure and hermetically sealed from others, but they all are syncretistic in the sense of giving and taking. In the world of religions, where boundaries are porous and the internal plurality of Christianity is vast, there is a temptation either to reject the plurality in a fideistic manner or succumb to relativism. The first solution is intellectually hard to defend, and relativism is often seen as detrimental to Christian identity. This book proposes a way of recognizing the contextual and syncretistic dimensions of pluralism while not surrendering to relativism. Christian identity and tradition can be affirmed while staying open to the challenges of pluralism.