Ways Of Meeting And The Theology Of Religions

Exploring the different points of view and 'tones of voice' adopted in theology for the meeting of religions, this book presents a contemporary philosophical and theological engagement with key issues of how different faiths might meet, of comparative philosophy of religion, of the use of aesthetics, of inter-religious ethics and issues relating to the self. Providing a critical evaluation of contemporary liberal, post-liberal and conservative voices, and an engagement with movements such as Radical Orthodoxy and Scriptural Reasoning to mention a few, this book highlights the use of the creative imagination and explores new ideas for the meeting of religions.

In the well-worn debates about religious pluralism and the theology of religions there have been many different rubrics used to account for, comprehend, or engage with the religious other. This book is chiefly a work of Christian theology and seeks to bring the doctrine of creation and the theology of religions into dialogue and in so doing it comes at things from a different direction than other works. It contains an extensive exploration of the doctrine of creation and asks how it might intervene distinctively in these discourses to produce a new conceptual and practical topography. It will consider inter-religious engagement from the perspective of the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo that forms the dominant view in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. The book pays close consideration to anthropology (i.e. creaturehood), the quotidian and wisdom, the idea of 'sabbath, ' human action and work, and vivifying the immanent through a consideration of some representative phenomenologists. The book will develop these ideas in a more practical direction by considering sacraments and rituals in the public sphere as well as attempting to describe the kind of 'creational politics' that might bring traditions into dialogue. Whilst these themes challenge more conventional ways of considering relations between religions, such themes - because they are different from concerns commonly found in the literature - can also be profitably engaged with across the spectrum of opinion (i.e. exclusivist or pluralist etc.) Thus, whilst the position adopted in this work is creatio ex nihilo part of the motivation is to review the ways in which this focus helps to broaden rather than limit the discussion.

One of the most discussed topics of our time is Christianity's relation to other religions. In this important new book, one of Britain's leading contemporary theologians develops a sharp and penetrating critique of the pluralist position. In the tradition of Alasdair MacIntyre and John Milbank, D'Costa shows that too often it masks a secularizing agenda, traceable to the worst apects of Enlightenment modernity. Even by its own criteria, pluralism does not succeed. D'Costa demonstrates this by exploring the 'meeting of the religions' in its leading exponents from Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. He discovers the influence of Western modernist thought or else a veiled exclusivism not only in Hick, Knitter, Cohn-Sherbok and Panikkar, but even in Radhakrishnan and the Dalai Lama. He then goes on to establish an alternative Trinitarian approach to interreligious prayer and tolerance, drawing on recent discussions of other religions as 'vehicles of salvation'. The final section of the book represents the first major systematic theological study of interfaith prayer.

In the public theology discourse, the concept ‘public square’ has become significant. In today’s multicultural and globalised world it is inevitable that people with different religious affiliations will encounter one another in the public square. ‘Public theology’ cannot but become ‘theology of religions’. Scholars in the field of religion studies are compelled to reflect theologically on the relevance of religiosity in the postmodern secular world. The term ‘theology of religions’ refers to the academic inquiry into the relationship between religions. The collected essays constitute such an inquiry. In the end, it is not so much about the encounter of religions, but rather of people. Religion is no longer regarded as a monolithic body of beliefs and practices. The authors concede that the concept ‘religion’ is too fluid to be delineated precisely. The book’s approach to the relationship between religions, i.e. ‘theology of religions’, reflects how the authors understand the origin and nature of religion (a ‘theology of religion’ in the singular). This book focuses more on ‘theology of religions’ (plural) than on ‘theology of religion’ (singular). The main objective of the book is to present a variety of perspectives on how theology of religions manifested in different contexts. This includes historical (i.e. Luther’s theology of religions and the Roman Catholic position on other religions as taken by Vatican II) as well as cultural and religious perspectives. In the first chapter, the editor gives a brief overview of the development of the discipline of theology of religions. The postmodern era is characterised by an almost non-foundational approach. The second chapter traces the development of the discipline in the Roman Catholic tradition in particular. This contribution is based on the insights of P.J. van der Merwe (1944–2014), who as researcher and Head of the Department of Science of Religion and Missiology at the University of Pretoria, developed a specific theological position on non-Christian religions. A whole generation of theologians was trained in this school of thought. He passed away in 2014 and this publication pays tribute to his life’s work on religions and their relations. The contributions that follow are the culmination of the research of postgraduate students at the University of Pretoria. The third chapter presents a perspective on the Reformation, with a particular focus on Martin Luther. In this year of the quincentenary anniversary of the Reformation the legacy of Reformed belief is highlighted. The fourth chapter describes the relationship between Christianity and Islam from the perspective of a willingness to embrace. The fifth chapter analyses the relation between Christianity, Judaism and Islam from the perspective of intergroup threat theory. A model for theology of religions in a South African context is developed in the sixth and final chapter. This scholarly book pays tribute to the academic contribution of P.J. van der Merwe, mentor of the authors of these multifaceted reflections on theology of religions. The target audience is specialists in the field of religion studies. The distinctive contribution of the book is the innovative perspectives on the relationship between Islam and Christianity in both the Roman Catholic and Protestant contexts.

An engaging and accessible introduction to Christianity’srelationship with other world religions, addressing the questionsof why the reality, and vitality, of other religions has become achallenge, and showing how Christianity is equipped to deal withreligious plurality at both the doctrinal and social level. Timely and accessible, this book tackles the question of whythe reality, and vitality, of other religions has become achallenge for Christianity Makes a decisive contribution to debates about the clashbetween Islam and the West, arguing that the major threat toreligious freedoms come from secularism, and that Islam andChristianity both have the resources to develop a vibrant andpluralist public square; one informed by intellectual rigor anddebate Considers the wider issue of how modernity has defined‘religion’, and provides a substantial critique ofsecular ways of controlling religions Shows how Christianity is very well suited to deal withreligious plurality at the doctrinal and social level Addresses the core issues and describes the various answersthat have been proposed in recent years – making it an idealintroduction to the field, and one which will stimulate ideas anddiscussions

The hard work required to make God real, how it changes the people who do it, and why it helps explain the enduring power of faith How do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people—as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn’t easy to maintain a sense that there are invisible spirits who care about you. In How God Becomes Real, acclaimed anthropologist and scholar of religion T. M. Luhrmann argues that people must work incredibly hard to make gods real and that this effort—by changing the people who do it and giving them the benefits they seek from invisible others—helps to explain the enduring power of faith. Drawing on ethnographic studies of evangelical Christians, pagans, magicians, Zoroastrians, Black Catholics, Santeria initiates, and newly orthodox Jews, Luhrmann notes that none of these people behave as if gods and spirits are simply there. Rather, these worshippers make strenuous efforts to create a world in which invisible others matter and can become intensely present and real. The faithful accomplish this through detailed stories, absorption, the cultivation of inner senses, belief in a porous mind, strong sensory experiences, prayer, and other practices. Along the way, Luhrmann shows why faith is harder than belief, why prayer is a metacognitive activity like therapy, why becoming religious is like getting engrossed in a book, and much more. A fascinating account of why religious practices are more powerful than religious beliefs, How God Becomes Real suggests that faith is resilient not because it provides intuitions about gods and spirits—but because it changes the faithful in profound ways.

Attempts to show the religious dimension in many special spheres of man's cultural activity.

While religion can be a source of healing, peace, and reconciliation, it can also be a trigger, if not an underlying cause, for conflict between peoples of varying beliefs. With that awareness, the International Academy of Practical Theology convened its 2007 meeting around the theme of "Religion, Diversity, and Conflict." From the multiple seminars, lectures, and studies presented at that meeting, a selection was chosen for this book. Representing contributions from four continents, and drawing upon perspectives from African traditional religions, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, the book offers a rich introduction to the problems and promises of religion in dialogue with 21st-century diversity. Religion, Diversity and Conflict will serve as a veritable primer on the field of practical theology. (Series: International Practical Theology - Vol. 15)