Pluralism and the Religions: The Theological and Political Dimensions

Inter-religious dialogue usually takes place between middle-class, relatively affluent men. It is bogged in the patriarchal history of the religions, and sidesteps both the global dialogue of women, and the real life experience of pluralism among the poor. Conducted from a Christian perspective in non-Christian societies, it also takes place in the context of a religion which is itself a Western import.This collection of essays was born in Ireland, a country in which Christian responses to pluralism have so far failed, and it marks the 50th anniversary of the Irish School of Ecumenics. Here Asian and European theologians suggest that a new approach to pluralism is needed, dealing with topics such as poverty, the arms race, the ecological and feminist movements. Contributors consider both the theological dimension and the political dimension, underlining the team’s conviction that it is in the real world that the history of salvation happens and the kingdom of God is created.