Showing papers in "Toronto Journal of Theology in 2011"
TL;DR: The Good and the Monstrous theme of Pullman's Dark Materials as mentioned in this paper explores the struggle every human engages in while trying to discern good from the monstrous and in aligning oneself with the forces of good.
Abstract: of oppression and evil can be challenged, overcome, and changed. The last major theme to be explored in the book is entitled ‘‘The Good and the Monstrous.’’ It looks at the struggle every human engages in while trying to discern good from the monstrous and in aligning oneself with the forces of good. To explore this theme Jobling uses Pullman’s Dark Materials to come to the conclusion that in that text ‘‘human knowledge, responsibility, and potentiality are valorised’’ (167). One does not need God or institutionalized religion to know how to behave. To be human is sufficient for discernment. Similarly, in Buffy, ‘‘there may be no religious absolutes, but there remains powers, for both good and evil’’ (169). Buffy is read as a ‘‘liminal creature, poised between dark and light’’ (179), and like the postmodern subject, caught up in and defined by forces too large to be controlled or understood. In Buffy, the simplistic binary of good/evil is deconstructed. Its borders are porous. In this book Jobling has offered ‘‘potent models of the authentic journey of the self to emerge, which are evocative of spiritual journeying both within and outside of traditional religious frameworks’’ (201). To do this she reads her texts as fantasies, in which the imagination, unencumbered by the present constructions of reality, can explore alternative worlds with allegorical intent for the world we actually live in. What fantasy allows is the re-enchantment of reality as it escapes the confines of ideology and pragmatism. Jobling’s book offers its reader a space to explore what it means to be human today.
17 citations
TL;DR: The biology of Homo sapiens is continuous with other hominids and the rest of life as discussed by the authors, and yet in Homo Sapiens we find emergent capabilities that constitute a unique being. It is this being to whom God introduces God's self, making possible the bearing of the imago Dei, the image of God.
Abstract: The biology of Homo sapiens is continuous with other hominids and the rest of life. Yet in Homo sapiens we find emergent capabilities that constitute a unique being. It is this being to whom God introduces God's self, making possible the bearing of the imago Dei, the image of God. Much more than just a special capacity, the imago Dei is also a relationship with God and a way of life that follows. That relationship with God and resulting ethic is the highest purpose of human capacity and uniqueness, when by God's continuing provision Homo sapiens can be welcomed as Homo Dei, people of God.
7 citations
TL;DR: Wentzel van Huyssteen as discussed by the authors proposes an intriguing reinterpretation of the biblical symbol of the imago Dei, according to which the purpose of humankind as created in the image of God is ''to set forth the presence of God in this world''.
Abstract: Wentzel van Huyssteen proposes an intriguing reinterpretation of the biblical symbol of the imago Dei, according to which the purpose of humankind as created in the image of God is ''to set forth the presence of God in this world.'' It is not one particular aspect of human life that is associated with the imago Dei, such as rationality and reason; rather, van Huyssteen invites us to consider the complexity of human life in its evolu- tionary, biological, social, and ethical dimensions as an expression of the imago Dei. This article explores how his ideas resonate with a historical-critical reading of the pertinent passages in Genesis 1-11. It has often been overlooked that the imago Dei in primeval history is deeply embedded in the priestly account of how life—human and other—is created and how it unfolds. As such, the imago Dei appears in contexts that describe the relationships between humans and animals, men and women, parents and children, and, in a general ethical sense, between neighbours. Humans are called images of God because they are capable of creating, shaping, and changing the networks of relation that connect them with each other and with the rest of creation. It is in these networks that humans fill the world with the kind of life that sets forth divine presence in the world.
7 citations
TL;DR: La Peyrere's work on the Bible resembles that of his later contemporaries Thomas Hobbes, Baruch Spinoza, and his friend Richard Simon, all of whom his writings may have influenced as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Isaac La Peyrere is one of the most important and yet little-known seventeenth-century intellectuals involved in developing modern biblical criticism. His work on the Bible resembles that of his later contemporaries Thomas Hobbes, Baruch Spinoza, and La Peyrere's friend Richard Simon, all of whom his writings may have influenced. Through his attempt to get behind the biblical texts and his use of comparative extra-biblical historical literature from across the globe, La Peyrere's methods attempted to mould biblical exegesis into historical criticism. His social and political context in seventeenth-century France during the reign of King Louis xiv provides an important glimpse into the historical background that shaped La Peyrere's thought and project. At its core, La Peyrere's work was not scholarship for its own sake, but was politically motivated. His exegesis entailed an elaborate theo-political messianic vision, which his historical method was an attempt to bolster. La Peyrere's biblical exegesis was in service of his French apocalyptic messianic vision, the heart of which supported the political designs of his employer, the Prince of Conde.
6 citations
TL;DR: This article surveys some aspects of van Huyssteen's post-foundationalism, including an orientation to his understanding of foundationalism and non-foundedationalism and their interdisciplinary potential.
Abstract: Understanding the relationship between theological and scientific reasoning is a longstanding problem in the history of Western theology. Two paradigmatic modes of thinking—foundationalism and non-foundationalism—have shaped this discourse and have on the whole hindered, in J. Wentzel van Huyssteen's estimation, fruitful interdisciplinary dialogue. In response to the unchecked affinity for scientific rationality of the former and the relativism of the latter, van Huyssteen proposes a third way to understand interdisciplinary interaction between theology and the natural sciences—post-foundationalism. This approach promises to open a new way of understanding human reasoning by placing interdisciplinary concerns at its core and giving theology a strong public voice. This essay surveys some aspects of van Huyssteen's post-foundationalism, including an orientation to his understanding of foundationalism and non-foundationalism and their interdisciplinary potential.
5 citations
TL;DR: Wentzel van Huyssteen as discussed by the authors responds to eight essays that are related either by methodological or content considerations to his post-foundationalist approach to transversal rationality.
Abstract: J. Wentzel van Huyssteen responds to eight essays that are related either by methodological or content considerations to his post-foundationalist approach to transversal rationality. The essay underscores the fact that human rationality is a shared resource for dialogues between theology and the sciences and that at the heart of Christian theology are multi-layered concerns that allow also for contextuality and thus eschew abstract or over-generalized approaches in its interdisciplinary discourses. The response is appreciative yet discerning enough to clarify a number of points, including his understanding of epistemic status and cognitive parity and issues of revelation, creation, imago Dei, deep incarnation, Logos Christology, human uniqueness, and sexuality.
4 citations
TL;DR: Van Huyssteen as mentioned in this paper argues that culture and its diverse products, like science and religion, cannot be treated as abstract totalities to which a value can be determined and affixed, instead focusing on what distinctive values are realized by the cultural form in its own right, rather than compelling a comparison using a language of equivalency.
Abstract: J. Wentzel van Huyssteen uses Calvin Schrag's notion of transversal rationality to argue for a “cognitive parity” between the sciences and religion, implying a degree of separation and equality that can be problematized. Drawing on Lawrence Blum's criticism of Charles Taylor's “The Politics of Recognition,” this essay argues that culture and its diverse products, like science and religion, cannot be treated as abstract totalities to which a value can be determined and affixed. Instead, we could focus on what distinctive values are realized by the cultural form in its own right, rather than compelling a comparison using a language of equivalency. This shift in focus from “equal respect” to “cultural respect” does not mean that one cultural form is superior to the other, only that the framework of equivalency be jettisoned. Science and theology operate in different but shared dimensions, such that science might better be understood as a tool within the larger theological enterprise. The problem, t...
4 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the concept of miracles is properly located in what may be termed a supernaturalist model of divine agency, in which miracles are understood as events produced by a supernatural agent intervening upon the usual course of nature.
Abstract: I have two goals in this paper. The first is to locate the concept of miracles within a broad model of divine agency. I shall argue that the concept is properly located in what may be termed a supernaturalist model of divine agency, in which miracles are understood as events produced by a supernatural agent intervening upon the usual course of nature. My second goal is to argue that the concept of miracles is in no way at odds with science. Specifically, I shall argue that miracles, understood as events produced by a supernatural agent overriding the usual course of nature, imply no violation of the laws of nature, and thus belief in them should not be viewed as unscientific.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider the problem of how to reformulate a leftist anti-capitalist project in an era of global capitalism in a way that is grounded in religious selfhood.
Abstract: Slavoj Žižek's leading question is how we are to reformulate a leftist anti-capitalist project in an era of global capitalism. In attempting to answer this question, Žižek often uses Kierkegaard's insights to add weight to his analysis of the problems associated with our social and political reality. Yet when one reads Žižek's work on Kierkegaard one is struck by the sheer number of inconsistencies that are generated. Žižek considers Kierkegaard from the point of view of the political in such a way that he avoids the religious, but Kierkegaard is clear that if a proper politics is to exist, it must be grounded in religious selfhood. The single individual, as Kierkegaard makes clear in Two Ages, is “an essentially human person in the religious sense.” Kierkegaard's views are directed by a religious notion of selfhood. Politics without this source is a form of despair. By failing to see ourselves as religious beings, we are in despair. This despair cannot be the basis from which to transform the c...
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue for the necessary coexistence, within the Church, of difference and complementarity, for Church unity to be lasting and faithful to Christian life, it ought to be found in and actualized as integrated diversity.
Abstract: This article attempts to account for the almost complete lack of official mutual recognition expressed by the Christian churches, despite the unprecedented level of convergence between them. Analysis of the important body of literature issued from the ecumenical dialogue that has taken place over the last fifty years leads the author to several conclusions: Christian salvation can be understood, without contradiction, as both instantaneous (effected by God at the moment of baptism) and progressive (via the continual renewal of the believer's life in the sacraments of Eucharist and penance). The Church can be conceived as a multilevel entity not composed of confessions but of three fundamental and complementary types of believers (zealots, proselytes, and spirituals). On this basis, the author argues for the necessary coexistence, within the Church, of difference and complementarity. For Church unity to be lasting and faithful to Christian life, it ought to be found in and actualized as integrated diversity.
3 citations
TL;DR: In a previous paper as mentioned in this paper, we examined the political and social implications of Dennett's work and found that while the science of religion and the memetic theory of culture on which it rests are scarcely persuasive as science, they are an effective species of "bio-rhetoric" whose purpose is to defend the status of the sciences and the public supremacy of the "physical stance" on which Dennett thinks they rest.
Abstract: In a previous paper we critiqued Daniel Dennett's evolutionary science of religion as expounded in his book Breaking the Spell. In the present paper we wish to follow up on this line of inquiry and discuss in more detail and depth the political and social implications of Dennett's work. The authors find that while Dennett's science of religion and the memetic theory of culture on which it rests are scarcely persuasive as science, they are an effective species of “bio-rhetoric” whose purpose is to defend the status of the sciences and the public supremacy of the “physical stance” on which Dennett thinks they rest. In the conclusion of the paper the authors suggest that Dennett's use of the rhetoric of naturalism and in particular the “science” of memetics has disturbing implications when understood in the context of the post-9/11 world.
TL;DR: In this article, the implications of transsexuality for the metaphysics of reductive naturalism are discussed. But the focus of their analysis is not on gender, but on the ontology of the sexed human body.
Abstract: Furthering the dialogue with J. Wentzel van Huyssteen over his way of reconciling Christianity and science while reflecting on human uniqueness, I offer a philosophical analysis of the phenomenon of transsexuality. The focus of my analysis is the implications of transsexuality for the metaphysics of reductive naturalism. Envisioning a pluralistic ontology of the sexed human body, I propose to account for human sexuality within the general framework of normative pragmatism. The context of my reflections is a theology of sexual diversity, which I believe van Huyssteen has good reasons to endorse.
TL;DR: Funk as mentioned in this paper describes the need for an epicleis or invocation of the Holy Spirit prior to entering into a sustained practice of lectio divina in a monastic setting.
Abstract: Lectio Matters coincides with the Church’s current reflection on the reality of the Word of God at the heart of Christian spirituality. In his recent Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, Pope Benedict xvi acknowledged the significance of Vatican ii’s Dogmatic Constitution, Dei Verbum, in encouraging and supporting a deeper engagement with the Word of God in Scripture. He urged attention to personal and communal reading of Scripture accompanied by prayer. Funk’s book is an opportunity to learn and be guided by the Church’s perennial teaching to ‘‘pray with the Scriptures.’’ She defines this practice of lectio divina simply as ‘‘encounter with God.’’ Funk acknowledges that it will be difficult for some readers to relate to her experience as a nun in a monastery. The challenge is to offer traditional teachings on prayer in a way that makes it accessible to the broader Church community. She attempts to define terms that may be unfamiliar to those outside the monastery. The author invites the reader to accompany her as she recounts her own sustained practice of lectio divina with the Book of Jonah. The book is well organized, using a format that subtly imitates the movements of prayer through the practice of lectio divina. A helpful distinction is made between the ‘‘voices’’ of the text and the ‘‘senses’’ through which the listener receives the words of the text. Funk places emphasis first upon the need for an epiclesis or invocation of the Holy Spirit prior to entering into sustained lectio divina. Throughout the book, she reminds readers that this prayer is the work of the Holy Spirit in the person. The biblical text is supplied, after which she moves directly into the teaching of the method. Funk’s prolonged attention to the Jonah text provides time to listen for four ‘‘voices’’ mediated through the texts of Scripture, nature, and experience: literal, symbolic, moral, and mystical. She describes and explains the four ‘‘senses’’ especially suited to receiving these voices as the doorways through which the practitioner of lectio divina may enter into a deeper encounter with the living God in prayer: the logical, intuitive, personal, and spiritual senses. Funk supports her teaching by weaving together a variety of references from early spiritual teachers like John Cassian and Thérèse of Lisieux, as well as some from more recent guides like Thomas Merton. She gently guides readers through her personal exploration of the literal, symbolic, and moral voices of the text, and humbly offers some teaching on reception to the mystical voice of the text in contemplative prayer. In the lengthy section on discernment, the author stresses the importance of being in conversation with a ‘‘wise elder,’’ leaving readers with an important, and possibly critical, question: ‘‘Who qualifies as an elder?’’ (122). Given this necessity, it would have been helpful for Funk to offer suggestions on how greater accessibility to such pastoral care might become a reality in the Church. Also, since the question of evil is treated at length, this book would benefit from an exploration of the biblical themes arising in contemporary scriptural exegesis. Those themes have arisen in ardent prayer with Scripture from within contexts of oppression and alienation. Such a treatment would touch upon the social dimension of doing prayer with the revelatory texts of Scripture, nature, and experience and stress the doing of social justice as integral to the moral life of the Christian. Lectio Matters may appeal to people involved in the ministry of spiritual direction. The challenge to fostering a sustained practice of lectio divina within the whole Church
TL;DR: The authors provided a systematic account of the theology and ethics of Peter Paris, and also a critical interpretation of his thought, identifying racism as the major problem that has engaged his academic career and the theological-ethical methodology he has developed to understand and explain it.
Abstract: This paper provides not only a systematic account of the theology and ethics of Peter Paris, but also a critical interpretation of his thought. It identifies racism as the major problem that has engaged his academic career and the theological-ethical methodology he has developed to understand and explain it. He is been able to do all this in ways that evade and challenge the American theological enterprise. The primary theme of Paris's work is evading epistemology-centred ethics, exposing racism and injustice, and accenting the transformation of the structures of domination and subordination in the light of an ethical ideal, which is usually the thwarting of evil or actualization of human potentialities. In doing this, he converts ethics into a positive science of social critique and cultural investigation of the social crises of the United States. The importance of this paper goes beyond interpreting Paris's thought, as it will be useful to scholars teaching ethics in general and African-Americ...
TL;DR: Allison as mentioned in this paper argued that the quest of the historical Jesus cannot be dismissed as "a contemporary nuisance, a passing inconvenience" and pointed out the theological significance of the so-called Quest of the Historical Jesus.
Abstract: Biblical scholar Dale C. Allison Jr. sets out in this book—originally delivered in 2008 as the Kenneth W. Clark Lectures at Duke University—to tease out the theological significance of the so-called Quest of the Historical Jesus. Modern advocates such as the late Robert Funk draw a straight line from historical enquiry to a critique of traditional Christian claims, whereas a previous generation of theologians, including Tillich and Barth, argued for its irrelevance. Allison rejects both extremes. Although the quest is ‘‘profoundly ambiguous,’’ he contends, it cannot be dismissed as ‘‘a contemporary nuisance, a passing inconvenience’’ (8). Allison’s argument unfolds in two major movements. Chapters 1 and 2 detail a number of the difficulties of drawing theological insight from the historical study of Jesus, in terms reminiscent of Luke Timothy Johnson and other biblical scholars critical of the quest. On the one hand, there are problems with the historical project itself, which suffers from a paucity of direct evidence and the inevitable subjectivity of reconstruction. ‘‘If we are to do something with the historical Jesus,’’ he writes, ‘‘it will have to be someone’s particular historical Jesus’’ (11), and theologians tend to choose among the many, diverse, and mutually contradictory portraits by what Allison calls a method of ‘‘attraction’’ or ‘‘similar ideological inclinations’’ (21) rather than from the historical evidence itself. On the other hand, there are also problems with reducing knowledge of Jesus to historical knowledge. Personal identity is not easily separated from the perceptions of others, including especially the biblical authors, but neither can it be simply reduced to these authors’ original intention. These issues become still more complex if one grants, as Allison does, even the conditional validity of ‘‘firsthand experience’’ of Jesus (48) through the life of discipleship, elevated spiritual experiences, and/or acts of love and service. In chapters 3–5, Allison becomes more specific, outlining his own particular approach to the historical Jesus and drawing some few, scattered theological insights from it. In content, he stands explicitly in the tradition of First Questers Johannes Weiss and Albert Schweitzer, concluding that ‘‘whether we like it or not, the historical Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet’’ (91). In method, he perhaps stands closer to Ernst Troeltsch, privileging the general outline and impressions offered by the sources as a whole over particular strands or layers deemed most authentic. Unlike contemporary interpreters like N.T. Wright, the coherence of this holistic image does not lend historical weight to any of its constituent parts. It can, however, chasten the claims of orthodoxy and encourage ‘‘theological humility’’ (103) on the part of any interpreter. More than this, it can inspire theologians to perceive in Jesus a living incarnation of what Allison calls the ‘‘eschatological pattern’’ (117) in his preaching and in his own person. ‘‘By announcing not only tribulation present and coming but also salvation present and coming and then by living into both, Jesus commends himself to us’’ (119).
TL;DR: Just Hospitality as mentioned in this paper is a book about a woman who lived a life of welcome and unity expressed through creating communities of riotous difference in the context of the Church and the world.
Abstract: hermeneutics of suspicion, commitment, and silence. Russell devotes the final chapter to a discussion of how God’s welcome in a world of difference can be lived out in order to foster justice as equal distribution and the establishment of structures that allow for human flourishing. Russell makes a number of methodological and interpretive shifts in her book, one of which is moving from colonialistic/imperialistic views of the ‘‘other’’ to seeing one another (and herself ) as postcolonial subjects—people who have been colonized and colonizers at the same time (27). This allows for a move from a hermeneutic of the ‘‘other’’ to a hermeneutic of hospitality. Through her reliance on theory and experience, the author challenges the codification of knowledge that is prevalent in the church, and she moves from describing hospitality to empowering readers with tools for practising just hospitality. Through ideas and example, Russell helps readers develop hermeneutical strategies for avoiding ‘‘textual harassment’’ (89) by contextually interpreting tradition and Scripture in ways that welcome difference. She helpfully uses the image of roundtable ministry to speak of God’s welcome in the church (16)—in roundtable ministry, socially constructed margins blur, solidarity with strangers is forged, and all are welcomed into mutual relationships of care, trust, empowerment, and action that foster the gift of unity and the restoration of right relationships. Russell’s book is the result of a lifetime of research, action, and reflection. Through stories about her involvement with ecumenical initiatives, accounts of relationships across lines of difference, awareness of her social location, naming contradictions in her life, and the use of hermeneutics of suspicion, commitment, and silence, Russell incarnates her arguments, offering them in a challenging and hospitable manner. This book is not only about just hospitality; it is an act of just hospitality offered by one who lived a life of welcome and unity expressed through creating communities of riotous difference. Just Hospitality invites readers to join Letty Russell (and one another) in reaching across lines of difference in order to foster solidarity. It is with a message of hope and a challenge to create unity that this ‘‘misfit’’ ends a legacy of scholarship, teaching, and justice-seeking. I recommend Just Hospitality to anyone interested in difference and diversity in the church and the world. It would make a fascinating text for courses about religious diversity, religious education in intercultural and pluralistic contexts, and practical theology. This book is a gift that will aid readers in reflecting on their own contexts, re-examining ecclesial practices, and engaging in acts of solidarity in celebration of God’s riotous difference.
TL;DR: Nanko-Fernández as discussed by the authors revisits important Latin@ theologies since their inception, including popular religion, culture, mestizaje-hibridity, lo cotidiano, and preferential option for the poor.
Abstract: with language, identity, popular culture, and preferential option for the poor in the United States, always providing a sobering perspective on each of those major issues for Latin@s. In line with Latin American Liberation theology, the preferential option for the poor points to a specific commitment for the disenfranchised and marginalized groups of society because of economic, gender, and ethnocultural prejudice. From the perspective of a pastoral theologian, she demonstrates that pastoral theology and ministry have much to contribute to complex theological engagement, for this branch of theology remains close to people’s lives and experience. Nanko-Fernández presents a perspective for the foundations of a theological anthropology. As expected, part of her commitment finds its source in her very own experience of migration—a reality she uses as a platform for understanding contemporary issues. Her approach is unique, as she shows the importance for scholars to recognize the degree to which their own experience affects their theological reflections. No less important are the numerous articles, books, novels, life experiences, and accounts she draws on to articulate her concerns for her community. I find refreshing the ways in which she navigates and preserves the fine tensions and ambiguities of an inbetween-espanglish existence, whereby the linguistic nuances are heightened by the irreverent interplay of English and Spanish, and everything in between. In her articulation she revisits important theological markers for Latin@ theologies since their inception. She crafts her book making reference to these themes that have had such tremendous impact among Latin@s in the United States. This is, however, the weakest aspect of her book, as it becomes acutely evident that there is need for Latin@ theologians to give more critical theoretical substance to those terms and what they symbolize: popular religion, culture, mestizaje-hibridity, lo cotidiano, and preferential option for the poor. In my view, because we make substantial use of these categories, we need to invest much work in redefining them. At the same time, she shows the need for Latin@ theology to reinvent itself, addressing key issues affecting Latin@s in the United States and people all over the world: migration, globalization, transnationalism, cyber culture, capitalism, and consumption. To these, environmental racism must be added. How these can be reflected upon from inside the belly of the beast (José Martı́) by those in-between the margins is crucial. Overall, this book reflects the new issues that U.S. Latin@ theology ought to confront and engage. It charts a new course for U.S. Latin@ theology, as it projects forward and seeks to give language to the voices of their own communities. Nanko-Fernández invites Latin@ theologians to think carefully on what it means to engage in the praxis of ortho-proxy.
TL;DR: The image of the Virgin Mary as portrayed by Father Beschi in his Tamil poems and as shaped in the artistic representations that decorate the two sanctuaries he erected in her honour in Tamil Nadu is examined in this paper.
Abstract: Costanzo Giuseppe Beschi (1680-1747) was an Italian Jesuit sent to the Madurai Mission in 1711. Father Beschi was a highly educated man who commanded several languages, including Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Portuguese prior to his move to India. Once at the mission he learned Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, and Urdu and wrote extensively in Tamil on both religious and profane subjects. Beschi had a deep veneration for the Virgin Mary. He, like many other missionaries, called upon her for protection during sea voyages and for help in evangelization. In fact, Beschi was responsible for the erection of two important places of worship dedicated to the Virgin Mary: Konankuppam, near Parur, and Ellacurichi, near Tanjore. These two sanctuaries became places of pilgrimage during the seventeenth century and continue to be respected as such places today. The cult of the Virgin Mary in southern India and especially in Tamil Nadu is very popular, and she incarnates the emblematic figure of contemporary Indian Catholicism. This article examines the image of the Virgin Mary as portrayed by Father Beschi in his Tamil poems and as shaped in the artistic representations that decorate the two sanctuaries he erected in her honour in Tamil Nadu.
TL;DR: The result of the great century of Protestant expansion, the nineteenth, has not been the expansion of Christendom, but rather its end as discussed by the authors, which has resulted in a new state in which Christianity, beyond being merely universal, is rapidly becoming cath'holic in the original sense of being "according to the whole".
Abstract: The result of the great century of Protestant expansion, the nineteenth, has not been the expansion of Christendom, but rather its end. This has not meant a retreat on of Christianity, which is rapidly growing in what used to be the “mission field.” But it has resulted in a new state in which Christianity, beyond being merely universal, is rapidly becoming cath'holic in the original sense of being “according to the whole.” Just as the Church has learned to live with a cath'holic canon of Scripture that includes a wide variety of perspectives, it will now have to learn how to be a Church that includes a wide variety of perspectives. This variety challenges and enriches the manner in which we read the canonical texts of Christianity, as well as its theology and history. Finally, some examples from the field of Church history are given.