Document Title
Department/School
Graduate School of Theology
Abstract
The question before us is the desirability of Buddhist-Christian dialogue in the work of (what Christians call) constructive theology. As a feminist theologian whose work is ever more deeply shaped by such a dialogue, my immediate answer is an unequivocal yes. This dialogue fits a general pattern over two thousand years in which theologians have drawn from the wisdom of other traditions or cultures to better understand the mysteries of human experience. Without neo-Platonism and Aristotle there could hardly have been anything we recognize as Christian theology. Without pre-Christian Irish religion, there would be no Saint Brigit or Celtic Christianity. Without phenomenology, process, and Marxist philosophy the greatest works of twentieth-century Christian thought would not exist. Christianity, like all religions, is a moving river changed by time and culture and nearly as interiorly diverse as its members. The dialogue with Buddhism might be seen as a contemporary example of Christianity's openness to exchange with other ways of thinking that broadens and deepens its best insights. It is perhaps analogous to Origen's reliance on neo-Platonism or Thomas Aquinas's inspiration by the rediscovery of Aristotle.
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Buddhist-Christian Studies
Publication Date
2011
Volume
31
Pages
135-146
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1353/bcs.2011.0002
Document Version
Publisher's version
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Included in
Buddhist Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, Practical Theology Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons
