Circling the elephant : a comparative theology of religious diversity /
Thatamanil, John J.,
Circling the elephant : a comparative theology of religious diversity / Comparative theology of religious diversity John J. Thatamanil. - New York, Fordham University Press, 2020. - xviii, 296 pages ; 23 cm - Comparative theology : thinking across traditions. . - Comparative theology--thinking across traditions. .
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Christian theologians have for some decades affirmed that they have no monopoly on encounters with God or ultimate reality and that other religions also have access to religious truth and transformation. If that is the case, the time has come for Christians not only to learn about but also from their religious neighbors. Circling the Elephant affirms that the best way to be truly open to the mystery of the infinite is to move away from defensive postures of religious isolationism and self-sufficiency and to move, in vulnerability and openness, toward the mystery of the neighbor. Employing the ancient Indian allegory of the elephant and blind(folded) men, John J. Thatamanil argues for the integration of three often-separated theological projects: theologies of religious diversity (the work of accounting for why there are so many different understandings of the elephant), comparative theology (the venture of walking over to a different side of the elephant), and constructive theology (the endeavor of re-describing the elephant in light of the other two tasks).
9780823287734
2021285216
Christianity and other religions.
Religious pluralism.
Religions--Relations.
Cultural pluralism.
Religious pluralism.
Cultural pluralism.
Christianity and other religions.
Interfaith relations.
Religions.
BL41 / .T463 2020
201
Circling the elephant : a comparative theology of religious diversity / Comparative theology of religious diversity John J. Thatamanil. - New York, Fordham University Press, 2020. - xviii, 296 pages ; 23 cm - Comparative theology : thinking across traditions. . - Comparative theology--thinking across traditions. .
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Christian theologians have for some decades affirmed that they have no monopoly on encounters with God or ultimate reality and that other religions also have access to religious truth and transformation. If that is the case, the time has come for Christians not only to learn about but also from their religious neighbors. Circling the Elephant affirms that the best way to be truly open to the mystery of the infinite is to move away from defensive postures of religious isolationism and self-sufficiency and to move, in vulnerability and openness, toward the mystery of the neighbor. Employing the ancient Indian allegory of the elephant and blind(folded) men, John J. Thatamanil argues for the integration of three often-separated theological projects: theologies of religious diversity (the work of accounting for why there are so many different understandings of the elephant), comparative theology (the venture of walking over to a different side of the elephant), and constructive theology (the endeavor of re-describing the elephant in light of the other two tasks).
9780823287734
2021285216
Christianity and other religions.
Religious pluralism.
Religions--Relations.
Cultural pluralism.
Religious pluralism.
Cultural pluralism.
Christianity and other religions.
Interfaith relations.
Religions.
BL41 / .T463 2020
201