Comparative Theology and Philosophy: Comparative Theology

Drawing upon the author’s three decades of work in comparative theology, this is a pertinent and comprehensive introduction to the field, which offers a clear guide to the reader, enabling them to engage in comparative study.

This book concerns the problem of the ineluctability of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ relations in theological discourse. It argues that liberal theologies — from the Christian fulfillment theology of the nineteenth century to the pluralist theology of the twentieth — have sought to transcend this “political” dimension of religion only to see it reappear in the more subtle, though arguably more insidious form of unacknowledged exclusion or hegemonism.

"This book is an extended, critical reflection on the state of interrelgious dialogue in its modern version.While there has been some important writing in the field of comparative theology, there has been no extended, critical reflection on the state of the discipline in its modern version, its strengths and problematic areas as it grows as a serious theological and scholarly discipline. This work of young scholars in conversation with one another, remedies this lack by, as it were, taking the discipline apart and putting it back together again.The volume seeks to understand how to learn from multiple religions in a way that is truly open to those religions on their own terms, while yet being rooted in the tradition/s that we bring to our interreligious study." T&T Clark

Beginning with an examination of the nature of theology, Keith Ward looks at religion in its early historical manifestations, and considers the idea of revelation as found in the great canonical traditions of the religions of the world. In the process, he develops a distinctly Christian idea of revelation as divine self-expression in history. Finally, he explores how conceptions of revelation must be revised in light of modern historical and scientific thought, and proposes a new and positive theology of revelation for the future.
Religion and Revelation includes discussions of the work of most major theologians including Aquinas, Tillich, Barth, Temple, Frazer, and Evans Pritchard. It should be of interest to scholars and students of comparative religion, philosophers of religion, theologians, and anthropologists.

Ritual and Deference develops Robert Cummings Neville’s thesis that contemporary philosophy has much to gain by shaping itself through important themes of the Chinese philosophical traditions, especially the themes of ritual and deference. Neville here offers a broad and detailed interpretation of the relevance of Confucianism and Daoism to contemporary issues. The discussion includes analyses of classical Confucian and Daoist texts, especially those of Xunzi and Laozi, and of the current scene of English-speaking philosophy advancing Chinese themes. The book also reflects on the nature of comparative philosophy as such, and the role that comparative philosophy has in the ongoing contemporary engagement with globalization, the clash of cultures, and scientific transformations of the worldviews of diverse civilizations. Neville stresses the importance of deferring to the integrity of cultures while still submitting them to normative analysis and criticism.