This book provides a comprehensive exploration of Asian Christianity and Theology, with emphasis on how it has developed in different parts of the continent and in the different eras, especially since the end of colonialism in Asia. Asian Theology refers to a unique way of theological reflection characterized by specific methodologies that evolved in postcolonial Asia. Premised on the thinking of Asian Church leaders and scholars, its focus is on the dialogue with the many cultures (inculturation), many religions (interreligious dialogue), and many poor (integral liberation) of Asia. The book looks at each of these ministries in detail, foregrounding Asian biblical hermeneutics, Christianity’s engagement with Hinduism, Confucianism, and Islam, Asian Women’s Theology, and the rise of Pentecostalism. The volume is valuable reading for scholars of religious studies, theology, world Christianity, Asian religions, and Asian studies.

This book reflects on three broad themes of Confucian-Christian relations to assist in the appreciation of the church's theology of mission. While the themes of this volume are theological in orientation, the dialogue is engaged in from an interdisciplinary approach that prioritises the act of listening. Part I surveys the historical background necessary for an adequate understanding of the contemporary Confucian-Christian dialogues. It examines the history of Confucian-Christian relations, explores the Chinese Rites Controversy, and delineates the contemporary task of indigenizing Christianity by Sino-Christian theologians. Part II compares elements in the Confucian and Christian traditions that exemplify the epitome and fullness of spiritual development. It discusses the Confucian practice of rites (li), interrogates how the noble or exemplary person (junzi) competes, and outlines the Confucian understanding of sageliness (shengren). Lastly, Part III examines different aspects of the church's engagements with the world outside of itself. It advocates for a Confucian-Christian hermeneutic of moral goodness, attends to the Confucian emphasis on moral self-cultivation, proposes that Confucian virtue ethics can shed light on Christian moral living, and offers a Confucian-Christian understanding of care for mother earth. This book is ideally suited to lecturers and students of both Christian studies and Confucian studies, as well as those engaged in mission studies and interfaith studies. It will also be a valuable resource for anyone interested in comparative religious and theological studies on Christianity and Confucianism.

This book provides a comprehensive exploration of Asian Christianity and Theology, with emphasis on how it has developed in different parts of the continent and in the different eras, especially since the end of colonialism in Asia. Asian Theology refers to a unique way of theological reflection characterized by specific methodologies that evolved in postcolonial Asia. Premised on the thinking of Asian Church leaders and scholars, its focus is on the dialogue with the many cultures (inculturation), many religions (interreligious dialogue), and many poor (integral liberation) of Asia. The book looks at each of these ministries in detail, foregrounding Asian biblical hermeneutics, Christianity's engagement with Hinduism, Confucianism, and Islam, Asian Women's Theology, and the rise of Pentecostalism. The volume is valuable reading for scholars of religious studies, theology, world Christianity, Asian religions, and Asian studies.

This book reflects on three broad themes of Confucian-Christian relations to assist in the appreciation of the church's theology of mission. While the themes of this volume are theological in orientation, the dialogue is engaged in from an interdisciplinary approach that prioritises the act of listening. Part I surveys the historical background necessary for an adequate understanding of the contemporary Confucian-Christian dialogues. It examines the history of Confucian-Christian relations, explores the Chinese Rites Controversy, and delineates the contemporary task of indigenizing Christianity by Sino-Christian theologians. Part II compares elements in the Confucian and Christian traditions that exemplify the epitome and fullness of spiritual development. It discusses the Confucian practice of rites (li), interrogates how the noble or exemplary person (junzi) competes, and outlines the Confucian understanding of sageliness (shengren). Lastly, Part III examines different aspects of the church's engagements with the world outside of itself. It advocates for a Confucian-Christian hermeneutic of moral goodness, attends to the Confucian emphasis on moral self-cultivation, proposes that Confucian virtue ethics can shed light on Christian moral living, and offers a Confucian-Christian understanding of care for mother earth. This book is ideally suited to lecturers and students of both Christian studies and Confucian studies, as well as those engaged in mission studies and interfaith studies. It will also be a valuable resource for anyone interested in comparative religious and theological studies on Christianity and Confucianism.

This book addresses issues central to today's Catholic Church, focusing on the relationship between various religions in different contexts and regions across the world. The diverse array of contributors present an inclusively interfaith enterprise, investigating a wide range of encounters and perspectives. The essays include approaches from the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Baha'i traditions, in a variety of geographic contexts. Contributors reflect on Muslims in the West, Christian-Buddhist social activism, and on Chinese, Indian, and Japanese religions. The volume also explores the experiences of communities that are often marginalized and overlooked such as the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia and the Karen tribal peoples of Thailand. Contributors examine the works of the Focolare, Gulen, and Rissho Kosei-kai movements, and integrate the vision of Raimon Panikkar and Ken Wilber. Chapters incorporate discussions of dialogue documents such as Nostra Aetate and Dabru Emet, and methodologies such as Receptive Ecumenism, Comparative Theology, and Scriptural Reasoning. Among other goals, the book seeks to offer glimpses into interfaith dialogues across the world and examine what Christians can learn from other religions and global contexts.

Synthesizing the thinking of the most prominent scholars, Professor Edmund Chia discusses practically everything that should be known about Christianity's encounter with other religions in this comprehensive book. Topics include: the invention of the idea of World Religions and World Christianity the Bible and the church's attitude toward other faiths Vatican II, Asian Christianity, and interfaith dialogue the what, why, when, and how of dialogue the global ecumenical movement theologies of religious pluralism cross-textual hermeneutics comparative theology interfaith worship religious syncretism multiple religious belonging interfaith learning in seminaries.

Description: If Schillebeeckx had been Asian, how would he have responded to the phenomenon of religious pluralism? This book attempts to answer that question, beginning with a dialogue with the Vatican Declaration Dominus Iesus and discerning how Schillebeeckx's methodology has been applied in Asian theology. Employing the hermeneutical-critical method, Schillebeeckx asserts that the Word of God did not come "down to us, as it were, vertically in a purely divine statement"--it must be interpreted In today's context of so many religions, so many cultures, and so many poor, God's Word invites the church to be a "sacrament of dialogue." Through dialogue the church will be "challenged by other religions and challenge them in return." Christianity will then be "put in its place, as well as given the place which is its due." Endorsements: "A frank and articulate commentary on Dominus Iesus, this volume offers reflections on the respectful and authentic relationship between the Catholic Church and other religious traditions. . . . What is intriguing is not only that it deals with the greatest theological conundrum of our time, but also explores how Western and Asian theologies can be bridged, mindful of the aspirations of the wronged of this world." --Bahar Davary Associate Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, University of San Diego Author of Women and the Qur'an "Combining the theology of Schillebeeckx and the experience of religious diversity of the Asian churches, Chia takes on the '600-pound gorilla' that stalks all Catholic conversations about interreligious dialogue: the tensions between official Vatican pronouncements such as Dominus Iesus and the views of communities and theologians. Chia's final proposal for an 'Asian theology of dialogue' opens a way forward." --Paul F. Knitter Paul Tillich Professor of Theology, World Religions, and Culture, Union Theological Seminary Author of Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian "Edmund Chia puts us all, especially Asian theologians, in his debt with this scholarly analysis of the thought of one of the most influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century. Chia brilliantly succeeds in extending Schillebeeckx's insights into the challenging field of cultural and interreligious dialogue. In this way he builds a bridge between Western and Asian theologies, long kept apart, or worse, with the former dominating the latter. Chia's work is proof that Asian theology has come of age." --Peter C. Phan Ellacuria Chair of Catholic Social Thought, Georgetown University Author of Being Religious Interreligiously About the Contributor(s): Edmund Chia is a Malaysian who served from 1996 to 2004 as Executive Secretary of Interreligious Dialogue for the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences. He then joined Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, where he last served as Associate Professor and Chair of the Doctrinal Studies Department. Since 2011 he has been on the faculty of the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne. He holds an MA in human development, an MA in religion from the United States, and a PhD in intercultural theology from the Netherlands. Fr. Schillebeeckx witnessed his doctoral defense.

In 1910 Protestant missionaries from around the world gathered to explore the role of Christian missions in the twentieth century. In this collection, leading missiologists use the one hundred year anniversary of the Edinburgh conference as an occasion to reflect on the practice of Christian mission in today's context: a context marked by globalization, migration, ecological crisis, and religiously motivated violence. The contributors explore the meaning of Christian mission, the contemporary context for mission work, and new forms in which the church has engaged-and should engage-in its missionary task. From these essays, a vision of twenty-first-century mission begins to emerge-one that is aware of issues of race, gender, border spaces, migration, and ecology. This renewed vision gives strength to the future of shared Christian ministry across nations and traditions.