Cosmic Religiosity and the Humanum: Aloysius Pieris, Jung Young Lee and the Development of a Paradigm for an Asian Theology of Interreligious Dialogue

This project argues that the categories developed by Western theologians to re-conceive traditional theology of interreligious dialogue are neither appropriate for, nor relevant to the Asian context, where Christianity is a minority religion. The attempts to develop a contextual theology of interreligious dialogue which have been made, have largely been critiqued or even condemned by the Church’s doctrinal authorities (cf. the case of Jacques Dupuis). This doctoral research examines the reasons why these attempts have failed, and sets out to examine a more contextual approach, rooted in the work of two Asian theologians, Aloysius Pieris and Jung Young Lee. These authors share a profound respect for Asian religiosity, and an overriding concern for the Asian poor. Taken together, their work offers new insights into place which the Christian religion should seek to occupy in a profoundly religious culture, which is marred by systemic poverty and the ongoing threat to the humanum.