Asian Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Dialogue Theology
By Glenn Plastina
Theology in Dialogue with Worldviews
There is nothing like this before in the history of theological enterprise where worldviews were given an opportunity to voice out its heart to be heard and be appreciated in theological task. This is meant to last since worldviews are one of the most important elements to be considered in theology. Worldviews are said to be windows to the inner chamber of a human heart and a community. While theologians are often preoccupied with interests that matters, worldviews can not be ignored as such since ministering to people involves listening to their worldviews and life concerns.
When theology is in dialogue with other worldviews, it keeps the theologian from arrogance and disadvantage. Westerners met much resistance from other Asian communities because their approach to theology and indoctrination is monologue. This one way approach is obsolete and ineffective because there are so many tribal communities, even nations, who have longer and older history than the west. When they approach to “teach” and not listen in dialogue, deep inside the heart of the individual or community is a wall of resistance that whispers, “What? You come here to bring your message as if you alone know the truth that in fact our tradition is more ancient than yours?” What is seen in the ministry is just a façade, perhaps just funny feelings in the people’s heart to what the missioner is doing.
Knowing the worldviews, language, and thinking pattern of local community is always an edge in doing local and indigenous theology or practical ministry.
Theology in Dialogue with Culture
How many times a missioner is seen as less than a transformer and never an incarnational agent? Ever since childhood, this reality is always a norm. A missioner and a theologian comes to “educate” the “uninformed” or the “mountain people.” Or are they treated as people? Perhaps not. What happened to their local culture? Keeping in touch with many friends in the Cordillera region, hearing and seeing people threatened by “Christianity” is a common scenario. This is not just a matter of Spanish friars’ abuse and justification of violence; that’s long been gone and is now minimal. The biggest threat today among indigenous people is missionary-minded evangelicals and foreign-funded mission works, even Bible Schools and Seminaries. How many seminary-trained workers were taught that the best way to preach is English and the best way to build a church building is like the preference of foreign missionary agencies?
This is not just a matter of outward concerns of buildings, properties, and schools, but the very material that evangelicals use today are more often foreign to the people. These materials are not even teaching people to strengthen their culture through, in, and for Christ, but phasing out their culture by a westernized or Hellenized Christianity. This student can never forget one honest and brave youth who mourned for his dying culture because of lowland evangelicals who brought harm to their indigenous culture. If only evangelical missionaries and theologians in the past gave them opportunity to talk and be heard in dialogue, their culture could have been redeemed and their heart totally changed towards Christ.
Theology in Dialogue with Ethnic Religions
As a matter of opinion, when Christianity attempts to reach out ethnic religions, the mindset is often to conquer, invade, or treat ethnic religions as inferior to Christianity—a spiritual apartheid as such. This does not mean to romanticize ethnic tribes but to treat it as part of the life, culture, and of the local community. If the theologians thinking pattern is so consumed by western superiority complex, it reflects in the theological ministry. It wants to control and monopolize conversations. It thinks and feels that one’s spiritual stance is the ultimate answer to all ethnic religions’ insufficiency to meet human needs. It may be, but it does not have to start that way. A highly relational and redemptive theology must be in dialogue with other ethnic religions to show its edge and significance to the local community.
Theology in Dialogue with Politics
There may have been too much going on in third world countries especially with that of liberation theologies, but this is never an impediment for clarification of theological stance in relation to politics. Separation of the church and state does not mean a great divide where no dialogue can occur. In fact, politics and church are given personalities as if there is no relationship between the two. The church may be a community or an organism, but its organization is plagued with politicking, sometimes worse than in the government. Board of deacons is manipulating God-called leaders and ministers. Bored trustees are even contented with maintaining control and not releasing leaders to their potentialities.
The same is true with theology, tradition and organizations itself are withholding theologians to explore the unknown and the road less traveled in theological enterprise. Of course, theologians, for economic reasons and others, may be afraid to take the baton and travel. Silence may be a conspiracy but it is never without a cost. This is not a task just for difference sake but for potential advancement of the discipline. And going back to politics, especially with the moral decline of many government officials and political, as well as economic, sectors, it is perhaps high time for the church and its theologians to take the stripe flag for a dialogue in that each camp may be heard and do the right step for building the nation. A right theology and distorted practice may be incompatible but the church with all that is entrusted to her, must take the stand to listen and be heard also as it dialogue with politics—not for politicking but for powerful transformation.
Theology in Dialogue with Anthropology
Humanism may have excesses in the past and even in the present. Many Christians may have been disappointed with their tenets of making man as the measure of all things. Some even called humanists as devil’s disciples; but this is good news, even the devil can be used by God for his purposes. This is more than the correspondence of Wormwood and Screwtape. The Bible is even using the evil king Nebuchadnezzar to serve God’s purposes. The very vessels despised by many can be used for the advancement of God’s kingdom.
Dogmatic Christians even Bible Schools can not even take anthropology in their curriculum. But this is a bold step of some Seminaries who saw the benefits and advantage of having redemptive cultural anthropology in their curriculum. One advantage that can be seen here is that when theologians and missionaries are acquainted with cultural anthropology, they are safeguarded from “dehumanizing” people in the process of indoctrination and practice. This is the case of religion in oppressing people through its inhuman demands and concepts. Man may not be the measure of all things, but things that matter to humanity can never be discounted.
To some extent, reevaluation of major and minor traditional concepts--i.e., God, sin, salvation, etc.--of Christian faith can be modified in anthropological perspective. But this requires an extensive and comprehensive dialogue between theology (revelation) and anthropology.
Theology in Dialogue with Sociology
While many Christians are afraid of having dialogue with other disciplines especially those “marked” as hostile to Christian faith, interdisciplinary dialogue is a healthy practice. Though there is never a guarantee of safety here, reaching out for the lost is not just a matter of being safe and secure but to take the risk and challenge. Christian faith and theology is never afraid of self-evaluation and self-criticism. In fact, Christianity was there all alone when it was tossed to and fro in the wildest waves of persecution, attack, and slander. That has been the very breath of Christian faith. It inhales defensive stance for faith and exhales apologetic arguments with those who despise her.
As of the present, especially in doing Asian theology, dialogue with other discipline, like sociology, is a potential way to hear the other side of the camp. To defeat an enemy is to know his strength especially his weakness. It importantly includes using their own power for Christianity’s advantage. This is a healthy “spoiling Egyptians” and this has been an asset of theology when it is in dialogue with other disciplines. Utilizing their strength and rejecting, if there’s no hope of accommodating or modifying, its weakest link that is contrary to the faith and theological task. In sociology for example, many ministry now are growing and benefiting the contribution of this discipline. This is not just a matter of marketing the church or the Gospel, but using what is in hand for God.
While many dread exploring knowledge due to ignorance, a learner of interdisciplinary can take courage that truth can never be monopolized by any institutions, not even the church, the pillar and keeper of truth. If God can never be domesticated, truth can be found wherever God may put it and no one has the right to question him about that.
In sum, if Christian theology wants to make an in-depth effect to transform and strengthen the people it ministers with, dialogue with worldviews, culture, politics, ethnic religions, and other related disciplines like sociology and anthropology is inevitable. Asian Christian theology must live to its purpose and goal to reach out to the lost by making the Gospel of Christ understandable and meaningful to the local community. The message may be unchanging and inherently powerful in itself but let it be remembered that doing Asian Christian theology is like farming vegetables. The farmer cultivates the soil and waters, fertilizes, and cares the plants. God provides water, soil, rain, and makes the plant to grow. God could do all these things for the farmer, but it is certain that He will not. Both must do their part that the harvest may be plenty. Theologians and the Ultimate Subject of their quest and task must work hand in hand.
Asian Christian theology, therefore, must communicate and this communication is not monologue but dialogue. Then and only then the Logos is made clear in the heart of the local people.
Theology in Dialogue with Worldviews
There is nothing like this before in the history of theological enterprise where worldviews were given an opportunity to voice out its heart to be heard and be appreciated in theological task. This is meant to last since worldviews are one of the most important elements to be considered in theology. Worldviews are said to be windows to the inner chamber of a human heart and a community. While theologians are often preoccupied with interests that matters, worldviews can not be ignored as such since ministering to people involves listening to their worldviews and life concerns.
When theology is in dialogue with other worldviews, it keeps the theologian from arrogance and disadvantage. Westerners met much resistance from other Asian communities because their approach to theology and indoctrination is monologue. This one way approach is obsolete and ineffective because there are so many tribal communities, even nations, who have longer and older history than the west. When they approach to “teach” and not listen in dialogue, deep inside the heart of the individual or community is a wall of resistance that whispers, “What? You come here to bring your message as if you alone know the truth that in fact our tradition is more ancient than yours?” What is seen in the ministry is just a façade, perhaps just funny feelings in the people’s heart to what the missioner is doing.
Knowing the worldviews, language, and thinking pattern of local community is always an edge in doing local and indigenous theology or practical ministry.
Theology in Dialogue with Culture
How many times a missioner is seen as less than a transformer and never an incarnational agent? Ever since childhood, this reality is always a norm. A missioner and a theologian comes to “educate” the “uninformed” or the “mountain people.” Or are they treated as people? Perhaps not. What happened to their local culture? Keeping in touch with many friends in the Cordillera region, hearing and seeing people threatened by “Christianity” is a common scenario. This is not just a matter of Spanish friars’ abuse and justification of violence; that’s long been gone and is now minimal. The biggest threat today among indigenous people is missionary-minded evangelicals and foreign-funded mission works, even Bible Schools and Seminaries. How many seminary-trained workers were taught that the best way to preach is English and the best way to build a church building is like the preference of foreign missionary agencies?
This is not just a matter of outward concerns of buildings, properties, and schools, but the very material that evangelicals use today are more often foreign to the people. These materials are not even teaching people to strengthen their culture through, in, and for Christ, but phasing out their culture by a westernized or Hellenized Christianity. This student can never forget one honest and brave youth who mourned for his dying culture because of lowland evangelicals who brought harm to their indigenous culture. If only evangelical missionaries and theologians in the past gave them opportunity to talk and be heard in dialogue, their culture could have been redeemed and their heart totally changed towards Christ.
Theology in Dialogue with Ethnic Religions
As a matter of opinion, when Christianity attempts to reach out ethnic religions, the mindset is often to conquer, invade, or treat ethnic religions as inferior to Christianity—a spiritual apartheid as such. This does not mean to romanticize ethnic tribes but to treat it as part of the life, culture, and of the local community. If the theologians thinking pattern is so consumed by western superiority complex, it reflects in the theological ministry. It wants to control and monopolize conversations. It thinks and feels that one’s spiritual stance is the ultimate answer to all ethnic religions’ insufficiency to meet human needs. It may be, but it does not have to start that way. A highly relational and redemptive theology must be in dialogue with other ethnic religions to show its edge and significance to the local community.
Theology in Dialogue with Politics
There may have been too much going on in third world countries especially with that of liberation theologies, but this is never an impediment for clarification of theological stance in relation to politics. Separation of the church and state does not mean a great divide where no dialogue can occur. In fact, politics and church are given personalities as if there is no relationship between the two. The church may be a community or an organism, but its organization is plagued with politicking, sometimes worse than in the government. Board of deacons is manipulating God-called leaders and ministers. Bored trustees are even contented with maintaining control and not releasing leaders to their potentialities.
The same is true with theology, tradition and organizations itself are withholding theologians to explore the unknown and the road less traveled in theological enterprise. Of course, theologians, for economic reasons and others, may be afraid to take the baton and travel. Silence may be a conspiracy but it is never without a cost. This is not a task just for difference sake but for potential advancement of the discipline. And going back to politics, especially with the moral decline of many government officials and political, as well as economic, sectors, it is perhaps high time for the church and its theologians to take the stripe flag for a dialogue in that each camp may be heard and do the right step for building the nation. A right theology and distorted practice may be incompatible but the church with all that is entrusted to her, must take the stand to listen and be heard also as it dialogue with politics—not for politicking but for powerful transformation.
Theology in Dialogue with Anthropology
Humanism may have excesses in the past and even in the present. Many Christians may have been disappointed with their tenets of making man as the measure of all things. Some even called humanists as devil’s disciples; but this is good news, even the devil can be used by God for his purposes. This is more than the correspondence of Wormwood and Screwtape. The Bible is even using the evil king Nebuchadnezzar to serve God’s purposes. The very vessels despised by many can be used for the advancement of God’s kingdom.
Dogmatic Christians even Bible Schools can not even take anthropology in their curriculum. But this is a bold step of some Seminaries who saw the benefits and advantage of having redemptive cultural anthropology in their curriculum. One advantage that can be seen here is that when theologians and missionaries are acquainted with cultural anthropology, they are safeguarded from “dehumanizing” people in the process of indoctrination and practice. This is the case of religion in oppressing people through its inhuman demands and concepts. Man may not be the measure of all things, but things that matter to humanity can never be discounted.
To some extent, reevaluation of major and minor traditional concepts--i.e., God, sin, salvation, etc.--of Christian faith can be modified in anthropological perspective. But this requires an extensive and comprehensive dialogue between theology (revelation) and anthropology.
Theology in Dialogue with Sociology
While many Christians are afraid of having dialogue with other disciplines especially those “marked” as hostile to Christian faith, interdisciplinary dialogue is a healthy practice. Though there is never a guarantee of safety here, reaching out for the lost is not just a matter of being safe and secure but to take the risk and challenge. Christian faith and theology is never afraid of self-evaluation and self-criticism. In fact, Christianity was there all alone when it was tossed to and fro in the wildest waves of persecution, attack, and slander. That has been the very breath of Christian faith. It inhales defensive stance for faith and exhales apologetic arguments with those who despise her.
As of the present, especially in doing Asian theology, dialogue with other discipline, like sociology, is a potential way to hear the other side of the camp. To defeat an enemy is to know his strength especially his weakness. It importantly includes using their own power for Christianity’s advantage. This is a healthy “spoiling Egyptians” and this has been an asset of theology when it is in dialogue with other disciplines. Utilizing their strength and rejecting, if there’s no hope of accommodating or modifying, its weakest link that is contrary to the faith and theological task. In sociology for example, many ministry now are growing and benefiting the contribution of this discipline. This is not just a matter of marketing the church or the Gospel, but using what is in hand for God.
While many dread exploring knowledge due to ignorance, a learner of interdisciplinary can take courage that truth can never be monopolized by any institutions, not even the church, the pillar and keeper of truth. If God can never be domesticated, truth can be found wherever God may put it and no one has the right to question him about that.
In sum, if Christian theology wants to make an in-depth effect to transform and strengthen the people it ministers with, dialogue with worldviews, culture, politics, ethnic religions, and other related disciplines like sociology and anthropology is inevitable. Asian Christian theology must live to its purpose and goal to reach out to the lost by making the Gospel of Christ understandable and meaningful to the local community. The message may be unchanging and inherently powerful in itself but let it be remembered that doing Asian Christian theology is like farming vegetables. The farmer cultivates the soil and waters, fertilizes, and cares the plants. God provides water, soil, rain, and makes the plant to grow. God could do all these things for the farmer, but it is certain that He will not. Both must do their part that the harvest may be plenty. Theologians and the Ultimate Subject of their quest and task must work hand in hand.
Asian Christian theology, therefore, must communicate and this communication is not monologue but dialogue. Then and only then the Logos is made clear in the heart of the local people.
posted by GlenPlas @ 12:14 AM
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