The Joy of Religious Pluralism: A Personal Journey

In 2005 Peter Phan received a notification from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith identifying errors and ambiguities in his book, Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue (Orbis, 2004). This set in motion a long train of correspondence, requiring Phan to answer various questions about the salvific role of Christ and the Church, among other matters. Here at last, is his response—a spirited affirmation of the methods of Asian Theology, which differ in many respects from the assumptions and categories of traditional European theology, though rooted in the gospel and the deposit of faith. Apart from his introduction to Asian theology, Phan addresses the specific topic of religious pluralism (a source not simply of challenge to Christian self-understanding and mission, but a potential source of “joy”). An appendix includes his correspondence with church authorities.