Intercultural Theology as a Three-Way Conversation

Toren, Benno van den

doi:10.1163/1572543x-12341354

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Researchers of intercultural theology and of world Christianity have proposed and developed methodological insights that have greatly helped specialists in these disciplines to listen to the voices of the church worldwide and to allow them to speak for themselves. We can think of investment in hermeneutics that allow us to listen to the voice of the stranger, 46 the attention to lived theology, 47 and to local agents in the spread of Christianity, 48 post-colonial analysis, 49 the space created for marginal and sub-altern voices, 50 and attention to the multiple centers of the worldwide Christian movement and of Christian theological reflection. 51 These are crucial developments, but the intercultural encounter between intercultural theology in the Global South and the North Atlantic world show that these methodological developments do not go far enough.…”

Section: Moving Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Conundrum and Promise of Intercultural Theology in the Western Academy

van den Toren

2024

International Bulletin of Mission Research

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Intercultural theology has a dual origin. On the one hand it derives from the development of diverse forms of theologizing in Christianity worldwide, while on the other hand it originates in the North Atlantic university where intercultural theology and world Christianity have developed as particular fields of study. With reference to two examples of spiritual possession and biblical interpretation, this article argues that its location within Western academic institutional settings presents obstacles to the ability of intercultural theologians in the West to do justice to the proper nature of various forms of theologizing in other contexts. In particular, attention is drawn to the fragmentation of theological disciplines, the secularization of academic discourse, the use of cultural analysis, and the power of the Western academy. The article concludes with some proposals regarding how an awareness of this dual origin can help intercultural theologians to be a critical presence within the Western academy beyond their discipline.

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Section: Moving Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Conundrum and Promise of Intercultural Theology in the Western Academy

van den Toren

2024

International Bulletin of Mission Research

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“…My thesis, however, is that this development could prove to be a pyrrhic victory if the discipline were to be disassociated from the contents of Mission Studies and its basis in mission theology. 3 My aim is to provide a comprehensive warrant for my thesis.…”

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confidence: 99%

On the Profile of Intercultural Theology: A Discipline (Still) in the Making

Wrogemann

2023

International Bulletin of Mission Research

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This article distinguishes the discipline of Intercultural Theology from other theological disciplines (exegesis, church history, Systematic Theology) and from World Christianity and Anthropology of Christianity. The main thesis is that although Intercultural Theology has a broader methodological spectrum than Mission Studies, and although it approaches its subject matter in a far more differentiated way, the discipline will need to maintain its basis in mission theology lest it dissolve into pure cultural studies. Based on this premise, the article proceeds to discuss both methodological questions and the subject matter of the discipline. Finally, it highlights the following topics as of particular relevance at present: intercultural hermeneutics and the understanding of power, theologies of mission and the understanding of universality, and theologies of religion and the understanding of recognition.

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Anthropological Case Studies As Research Design For Intercultural Theology

2023

ISIT

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This article explores the suitability of anthropological Case Studies (CSs) as a research design for research related to intercultural theology. The introduction refers briefly to the crisis of modernity’s missiological paradigm and the emergence of contextual theologies and intercultural theology as responses. It subsequently focuses on the ambivalent historical relationship between anthropological research and theological endeavors and the current relevance of culture studies for theological research. The following section targets the characteristics and aims of CSs and their nature as a research design rather than a method, along with the nature of the cases, their types, and their selection criteria. It also evaluates the possibilities of CSs as a research design for intercultural theology with special attention to two “research styles”: action research and participatory action research. The main criticisms of the CS design (reliability, internal validity, and transferability) as well as the comparison issue among cases are explained. Finally, this describes how the conjunction of theological research and models from cultural studies transcends a purely practical approach, implying the epistemological and even ontological postulates that sustain both disciplines.

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Intercultural Theology as a Three-Way Conversation

Cited by 9 publications

References 2 publications

The Conundrum and Promise of Intercultural Theology in the Western Academy

The Conundrum and Promise of Intercultural Theology in the Western Academy

On the Profile of Intercultural Theology: A Discipline (Still) in the Making

Anthropological Case Studies As Research Design For Intercultural Theology

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