TY  - BOOK
AU  - Thatamanil,John J.
TI  - Circling the elephant: a comparative theology of religious diversity 
T2  - Comparative theology : thinking across traditions
SN  - 9780823287734
AV  - BL41 .T463 2020
U1  - 201 23
PY  - 2020///
CY  - New York
PB  - Fordham University Press
KW  - Christianity and other religions
KW  - Religious pluralism
KW  - Religions
KW  - Relations
KW  - Cultural pluralism
KW  - fast
KW  - Interfaith relations
N1  - Includes bibliographical references and index
N2  - 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)
ER  -