Shinran S Gospel Of Pure Grace

The central aim of this study of Shinran's thought is to make a systematic presentation of his cardinal ideas which, though well known in general studies of Buddhism, have not been given the detailed attention they merit. It is therefore hoped that this presentation will fill a need in Buddhist studies for a more adequate understanding of Shinran which can become the basis for the consideration of his thought in comparison with similar themes in Christianity or other traditions.

Shinran (1173-1262) is the founder of the Jodo Shinshu Pure Land Buddhist tradition in Japan during the Kamakura period. This movement, once set in motion, eventually became the largest Buddhist sect in Japan and spread to the West at the end of the nineteenth century. Renowned scholar of Shin Buddhism, Alfred Bloom, presents the life and spiritual legacy of Shinran Shonin, the influential religious reformer and founder of Pure Land Buddhism, the most popular school of Buddhism in Japan today. Bloom presents a wide selection of Shinran's essential writings on the key Shin Buddhist idea of true entrusting (shinjin) to the Other-Power of Amida Buddha through His Vow to save all sentient beings. The Essential Teachings of Shinran, also, includes a foreword by Shin Buddhist scholar, Rueben Habito, a detailed glossary of foreign terms, and a select bibliography for further reading.

Thinking more globally about the formation of theology enriches our understanding of what it means to be a Christian. It's no secret that the center of Christianity has shifted from the West to the global South and East. While the truths of the Christian faith are universal, different contexts and cultures illuminate new questions, understandings, and expressions. What does this mean for theology, as Western theologians understand it? Timothy Tennent argues that the Christian faith is culturally and theologically translatable. Theology in the Context of World Christianity is written to expand our "ecclesiastical cartography" by highlighting—within each of the major themes of systematic theology—studies that are engaging the global church, such as: Anthropology (with studies drawn from the different views of human identity between Eastern and Western cultures). Christology (with a focus on the emphases that African Christians place on the characteristics of Christ). Pneumatology (by looking at the role of the Holy Spirit in Latin American Pentecostalism). Eschatology (by focusing on how this branch of theology shapes world missions and evangelism). Each of the ten chapters examines traditional theological categories in conversation with theologians from across the globe, making this volume valuable for students, pastors, missionaries, and theologians alike. Theological reflection is active and exciting in the majority world church, and Tennent invites you to your own reflection and celebration of Christ's global church. These are perspectives that should be heard, considered, and brought into conversation with Western theologians. Global theology can make us aware of our own blind spots and biases and has much to offer toward the revitalization of Western Christianity.

Understanding Shinran offers a sensitive and balanced examination of the life and teachings of the founder of Pure Land Buddhism. The author shows how the ongoing drama of salvation through the grace of Amida -- a mutual engagement of form and the formless, of ignorant humans and the awakened Buddha -- can be read as a message of hope by Buddhists and Christians alike.

Pure Land was one of the main fields of mythopoesis and discourse among the Asian Buddhist traditions, and in Japan of central cultural importance from the Heian period right up to the present. The pieces reproduced in this set have been chosen as linchpin works accentuating the diversity and evolution of Pure Land Buddhism. These selections of previously published articles will serve as an essential starting-point for anyone interested in this perhaps underestimated area of Buddhist studies.

"Bellah is a sociologist with a grand vision of history, deeply concerned with the twists and turns of religious values, weaving pre-modern religious thinking into the debates of modernization and modernity. He takes a reflective turn with Imagining Japan, evidencing his profound concern with religious evolution."--Tetsuo Najita, University of Chicago "One of the most original attempts to understand some of the psychological and symbolic roots of the central problems in Japanese history. Bellah masterfully brings together intellectual and institutional dimensions of Japan, making a very important contribution to Japanese Studies."--S. N. Eisenstadt, Professor Emeritus at Hebrew University and author of Japanese Civilization: A Comparative View

This fourth volume in Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen's ambitious five volume systematic theology develops a constructive Christian pneumatology and soteriology in dialogue with the Christian tradition, with contemporary theology in all its global and contextual diversity, and with other major living faiths -- Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Kärkkäinen constructs a wide and deep theology of the Holy Spirit, examining creation and the sciences, other cosmic powers and beings, the concepts of spirits in other religions, and the Spirit's place in society and politics. He also goes beyond traditional ways of understanding salvation -- election, forgiveness, justification, sanctification, and glorification -- and includes discussions of Spirit-baptism, healing and restoration, reconciliation, liberation, and peace-building, carefully comparing Christian perspectives with the salvific views of other religions.