Edward Schillebeeckx and Interreligious Dialogue: Perspectives from Asian Theology

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 Schillebeeckxs 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 todays context of so many religions so many cultures and so many poor Gods 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 Quran 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. Chias 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 Schillebeeckxs 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. Chias 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.