Prelims.qxd 18/09/2004 19:27 Page i THE TRANSFORMATIVE IMAGINATION At the beginning of the twenty-first century there is an increasing tendency towards retrenchment within the Christian churches and among other world religions. Religious fundamentalisms are on the increase. In Europe, at least, there is an accelerated decline in church membership. In theology there is a corresponding move away from addressing basic theological issues in the contemporary world, towards increasingly technical interpretation of historical tradition. This book draws on the strengths in classical liberal traditions in theology, augmented by other perspectives, to present a creative proposal for the future of theology and society. George Newlands explores the nature, scope and limits of an intercultural Christian theology, setting out a working model for a new open theology which relates theology and culture. Contributing to the cumulative effort to re-imagine faith in the contemporary world, a focus on the Christian understanding of God lies at the heart of this book. Exploring the interface between theology and particular cultural activities, The Transformative Imagination engages with politics, literature, philosophy and other humanities, and the natural sciences. The relationship between theology and the social and geographical sub-cultures which characterize human life is explored through diverse examples which make connections and initiate dialogue. Connecting Christian theology and human rights, religion is seen to link constructively with some of the most intractable problems in contemporary global conflicts of interest. Theology is re-situated as a team player, a catalyst to facilitate dialogue in contrast to triumphalist theologies of the past. This page intentionally left blank Prelims.qxd 18/09/2004 19:27 Page iii The Transformative Imagination Rethinking Intercultural Theology GEORGE NEWLANDS University of Glasgow, UK Prelims.qxd 18/09/2004 19:27 Page iv First published 2004 by Ashgate Publishing Published 2016 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Copyright © 2004 George Newlands George Newlands has asserted his moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Newlands, George M., 1941– The transformative imagination : rethinking intercultural theology 1. Theology, doctrinal 2. Religion and culture 3. Hospitality – Religious aspects – Christianity I. Title 230'.01 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Newlands, G.M., 1941– The transformative imagination: rethinking intercultures theory /George Newlands. p. cm. ISBN 0-7546-3827-8 (alk. paper) 1. Theology, Doctrinal. 2. Christianity and culture. 3. Religious pluralism. I. Title BT78.N45 2003 261—dc21 2003052246 ISBN 9780754638278 (hbk) Typeset in England by Author & Publisher Services, Calne, Wiltshire Prelims.qxd 18/09/2004 19:27 Page v Contents Preface vii PART I THINKING INTERCULTURAL THEOLOGY 1 The Quest for Intercultural Theology 3 2 Discernment: Beyond Liberal and Confessional Theologies 13 3 The Intercultural Turn: Shaping the Envelope 31 4 Reappraising Hermeneutics: Theology without Frontiers 42 5 The Secular and the Religious: Culture and Politics 53 PART II FOCUSING INTERCULTURAL THEOLOGY: GOD, CHRISTOLOGY AND HUMAN RIGHTS 6 Humane Praxis and the Distinctively Christian 73 7 Human Rights, Theological Partnership 94 PART III INTEGRATING INTERCULTURAL THEOLOGY: EMBODYING INTERDISCIPLINARITY 8 Theology, Culture and the Humanities 109 9 Intercultural Theology and the Sciences 129 10 Theology in Metamodern Culture 144 11 The Mystery of God 161 Bibliography 185 Index 191 This page intentionally left blank Prelims.qxd 18/09/2004 19:27 Page vii Preface This study explores the nature, scope and limits of an intercultural Christian systematic theology, especially within modern Western society. Such a theology respects particular commitments within the religions and facilitates dialogue between communities of belief and other dimensions of culture in society. One way of focusing the quest for an intercultural theology is to understand it as a version – not the only version – of a theology of hospitality. This represents a development of the concept of a theology of generosity. Generosity in a Christian context involves a commitment to giving, unconditionally and with an emphasis on those who are most in need. It also means an intellectual generosity, a willingness to look for the best interpretations of strange cultures and beliefs and to be open to learning from them. Hospitality embraces all that can be said of generosity, and underlines the need for concrete interaction. Hospitality involves the risk of inviting others into our own environment, and being prepared for reciprocal hospitality. It is a particularly suitable metaphor for Christian theology, which has a dual focus on word and sacrament, on concept and embodiment. Like generosity, hospitality is not confined to one aspect of life. It does not only happen with material commitments, but also carries an intellectual commitment, a commitment to a meeting of minds. It is this intellectual dimension of hospitality which will be the main subject of the following chapters. At the beginning of the twenty-first century there is an increasing tendency to conservation and retrenchment within the Christian churches and among other world religions. Religious fundamentalisms are on the increase, and these may sometimes, though by no means always, lead on to terrorism. This state of affairs is accompanied, in Europe at least, by an accelerated decline in Church membership. In academic systematic theology there is a corresponding move away from addressing basic theological issues in the modern world, towards increasingly technical interpretation of historical tradition. Rather against this trend, this book is understood as continuing in the path of liberal orthodoxy, in the tradition of Schleiermacher in Germany, the Baillies in Scotland, Geoffrey Lampe and Keith Ward in England, David Tracy and Brian Gerrish in the United States. Recent theology has been dominated by perspectives loosely defined as neo-orthodoxy and radical orthodoxy. There has been much exciting theological exploration under these banners, and they continue to contribute constructive avenues for theology. Both movements have had something of the colourful and exotic flavour of the tropical greenhouse. They have Prelims.qxd 18/09/2004 19:27 Page viii viii The Transformative Imagination produced vivid and striking fruit to brighten up a dull world. But they have had some of the disadvantages of the hothouse plant, and are not easily cultivated outside a carefully controlled environment. We can never jump into the same river twice. But I believe that there are strengths in classical liberal traditions in theology which can be explored, suitably augmented by other perspectives, in a creative research tradition for the future of theology and society. This book is an attempt to set down a marker in such a tradition, a progressive orthodoxy. We have to recognize the fact that theology faces real difficulties in the modern world. None of the recent schools of thought has resolved these problems, but most have contributed new insights to the nature of the task, which it would be unwise to ignore. As we shall see, not every sort of liberalism has been fruitful in theology. Minimalist systematizations of belief do not produce good theology and are often simply tedious. Neo- liberal economic systems are often questioned by Christian faith, and radical individualism can be immensely selfish. On the other hand, liberal evangelical and liberal catholic theologies share a common tone of openness, including openness to traditions from which they differ, and an awareness of their own provisionality, together with a firmly Christological focus, which has yielded and may yet yield a rich harvest for Christian theology. Both the evangelical and the catholic dimensions add a vital spiritual depth to the liberal frame. Such a liberal theology may also be understood as a progressive theology, though with a more sober view of progress than that concept has sometimes suggested. Hospitality is a concept and a reality vital to the flourishing of a humane society. It denotes a wide dimension of trust and of openness. But it is not without limits. It indicates a texture of compassion and care which is not compatible with many aspects of human living – in violence, coercion and manipulation, in the systematic neglect of the marginalized, in triumphalist ideologies of every sort. With advocates of such values there will be dialogue but not agreement. In this sense hospitality is a challenge as much as a willingness to embrace. Hospitality may be strengthened by long tradition, but it is also a strategy which has inherent within it the constant possibility of surprise