This book is a study of three of Asia's most respected contemporary theologians - Kosuke Koyoma, Choan-Seng Song, and Aloysius Pieris. It gives an introduction to Asian Buddhism and the Christian dialogue with Buddhists in Asia. Furthermore, it examines the work of each theologian in detail, looking at the method and content of their dialogue, and outlining its impact upon their respective theologies. The book provides a critique of their dialogue and engages with the theological issues that have emerged. In areas such as religious identity, theological method and liberation theology it is shown that their conversation with Buddhism contributes to the development of a genuinely Asian theology, and moreover raises important challenges to the worldwide theological community, churches and to those engaged in interreligious dialogue.

Pieris confronts two of the most urgent and complex questions facing Christians today - so many poor people and so many religions. He believes that the approaches of the Christian Churches to these questions will determine whether Christianity will continue to have any relevance for Asia or not.

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.

Preliminary Material -- Preface -- An Overview: Asian and Oceanic Christianity in an Age of World Christianity /M. Thomas Thangaraj -- An Asian Journey Seeking Christian Wholeness: Owning Up to Our Own Metaphors (Theotao) /Heup Young Kim -- Contextualized and Cumulative: Tradition, Orthodoxy and Identity from the Perspective of Asian Theology /Anri Morimoto -- An Asian Christian? Or a Christian Asian? Or an Asian-Christian?: A Roman Catholic Experiment on Christian Identity /Peter C. Phan -- Texts and Terrorism: Communal Strife, Sacred Scriptures and Secular Stories /R.S. Sugirtharajah -- The Economy of God-talk in Asia: A Cultural Materialist Critique /Angela Wai Ching Wong -- Pacifism: its Frustration and an Alternative /Hisako Kinukawa -- The Guide Who Stands Aside: Confessing Christ in India Today /J. Jayakiran Sebastian -- Blessed are the Peacemakers: The Search for an East Asian Reading /Benoît Vermander -- Reimagining Home: a Diasporic Perspective on Encounters with the Religious Other in Australia /Seforosa Carroll -- Emerging Theology on an Asian Frontier: History and the Future of Memories in West Papua, Indonesia /Charles E. Farhadian -- Pasifika Secrets /Jione Havea -- Learning to Speak a New Tongue: Imagining a Way That Holds People Together /Fumitaka Matsuoka -- About the authors -- Index of Names.

This project at the interface of Buddhist-Christian studies, comparative theology, and Christian systematic theology proceeds by way of exploring questions related to the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit in a 21st century world of many faiths.

This work is in two parts. Swidler's translation from German of Yagi's short book, The Front Structure as a Bridge to Buddhist Christian Thought, and Swidler's extended introduction to both the Christian-Buddhist dialogue and to the place of Yagi's theology in it.

This book is intended to encourage the use of comparative theology in contemporary Buddhist-Christian dialogue as a new approach that would truly respect each religious tradition's uniqueness and make dialogue beneficial for all participants interested in a real theological exchange. As a result of the impasse reached by the current theologies of religions (exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism) in formulating a constructive approach in dialogue, this volume assesses the thought of the founding fathers of an academic Buddhist-Christian dialogue in search of clues that would encourage a comparativist approach. These founding fathers are considered to be three important representatives of the Kyoto School - Kitaro Nishida, Keiji Nishitani,and Masao Abe - and John Cobb, an American process theologian. The guiding line for assessing their views of dialogue is the concept of human perfection, as it is expressed by the original traditions in Mahayana Buddhism and Orthodox Christianity. Following Abe's methodology in dialogue, an Orthodox contribution to comparative theology proposes a reciprocal enrichment of traditions, not by syncretistic means, but by providing a better understanding and even correction of one's own tradition when considering it in the light of the other, while using internal resources for making the necessary corrections.

This publication by Muto Kazuo is a significant Christian contribution to the predominantly Buddhist “Kyoto School of Philosophy.” Muto proposes a philosophy of religion in order to overcome the claim for Christian exclusivity, as proposed by Karl Barth and others. On such a foundation, he investigates the possibilities for mutual understanding between Buddhism and Christianity. Thereby he engages in a critical exchange with the Kyoto School philosophers Nishida, Tanabe, and Nishitani. Throughout his discourse, Muto applies their method of logical argument (the “dialectic” of soku) to the dialogue between Christianity and Buddhism. He thus opens up new perceptions of Christian faith in the Asian context and, together with his Buddhist teachers, challenges the modern Western dialectical method of reasoning.

Christian Reflection about other religions has often misinterpreted the truth of the other Ways. The Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of churches stress that Christians can gain an appreciative understanding of other traditions only through meaningful dialogue with believers of other faiths. This book, however, emphasizes the need for Christians to go beyond dialogue, to reach for a mutual transformation of Christianity and other religions. By way of example, the author explores with originality the Christian encounter with Mahayana Buddhism. He offer an original view of how Christianity and Buddhism can appropriately transform one another when both partners are truly respected as equal. Both contributing, both benefiting. John Cobb boldly challenges us Òto hear in an authentic way the truth which the other has to teach usÓ and to be transformed by that truth.