Interfaith Relations within the Emerging Field of World Christianity

Abstract

“The interdisciplinary area, ‘world Christianity,’ investigates the histories, practices, and discourses of Christianity on six continents. It examines local forms of Christianity as well as global interconnections that make Christianity a world religion,” says the introduction to The Journal of World Christianity (2017.1). It states further that “As a field of study, world Christianity emerged historically from mission studies, ecumenical theology, and the academic study of world religions,” and adds that “While it is not reducible to any of these three, they each continue to play an important role in informing its work.” I begin this chapter with this definition of World Christianity, which is helpful, but still needs further refinement, because it is no secret that the phrase ‘World Christianity’ has been understood in many ways; there has been a gradual evolution in the understanding of what the phrase actually meant and what needs to be included in it. Some uncertainty continues to persist as to what areas of study should feed into this emerging field. There is a good reason for this uncertainty. Although the academic world is aware that Christianity today is a global phenomenon, centuries of association makes it difficult to disassociate the Western Hemisphere, Christian theology that emerged within it, and its cultural ethos from what is considered ‘Christian’ and Christianity. When churches in Asia, Africa and Latin America began, at the end of the colonial era, to do a new phase of theological work of their own, which included challenging the theological tradition received from the Western theological heritage, there was considerable wavering on their part on how to relate their work to the received Western theology. There was also ambiguity on the part of theological educators, both in the East and West, on how to incorporate the new theological impulses into the theological curricula in the seminaries. This uncertainty is reflected even today in the way many seminaries organize their courses on theology. Most seminaries have a required course or ‘Christian Theology’ or ‘Systematic Theology’, where the classical theology of the Western tradition is taught. The