Catholics on the Margins in India: Dalits and Adivasis

This article discusses the lives of the Catholic Dalit and adivasi communities in India and surveys recent theologies developed in this context. These communities constitute the majority of Catholics in India today, but they have frequently been neglected in theological discussions, and they continue to suffer discrimination both in Indian society and in the Catholic Church. The author reviews a number of interpretations of biblical theology in relation to Dalit experience, as well as the Christology of a pioneering adivasi theologian and a Trinitarian theology developed in relation to adivasi life. The article concludes with reflections of the author on his experiences among the Warli tribe in the northern part of the state of Maharashtra, including local examples of contextualization of Catholic faith

Wisdom, Prophecy, and the Guidance of Humanity: Pope John XXIII and Bediuzzaman Said Nursi

While there are major differences between their respective religious paths and personal lives, there are also important areas of convergence between the beliefs and practices of Pope John XXIII (formerly Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli) and Said Nursi. Both saw a world of massive injustice, inequality and violence; both saw humans on their own as unable to meet these challenges; and both found resources to guide humanity in the wisdom of their respective religious traditions. Both worked tirelessly to actualise the promise of peace of their particular religious paths. Both believed in religious freedom. Roncalli knew and respected Muslims from his years serving as a papal envoy in Sofia, Bulgaria, and in Istanbul. As Pope John XXIII, he changed Catholic teaching by affirming for the first time in Catholic history the right of religious freedom. Nursi interpreted the Islamic heritage of prophecy and wisdom in relation to the challenges of his context. Pope John and Nursi drew lessons from the prophets of their traditions to guide contemporary believers. Both stand as beacons of hope for humanity in the 21st century. Nursi and Pope John appreciated the deep anxieties of their contemporaries over the many threats and uncertainties of modern life; both knew the havoc that can be brought by unchecked human passions. Submission to God as the one sure path to peace was at the very centre of Nursi’s understanding of Islam and human life. It was also central to Pope John’s understanding of Christian discipleship

Philip A. Cunningham. Maxims for Mutuality: Principles for Catholic Theology, Education, and Preaching about Jews and Judaism

No abstract is available

The Buddha and the Christ. : Explorations in Buddhist and Christian dialogue.

New Yorkxxiii, 239 p.; 24 cm

Revelation, the religions, and violence

New Yorkxvii, 244 p.; 24 c