Theology in global context : essays in honor of Robert Cummings Neville

Robert Cummings Neville has been a consistent advocate for the necessity of global theology. Early in his career, he realized that the philosophical framework of the West alone was inadequate for a truly global theology. Since then, he has sought to develop theology creatively and responsibly within the world context. The original essays in the volume participate in and model the kind of dialogical, global theology embodied in Neville’s work. Preface 7 PART ONE 9 Neville’s Systematic Theology of Symbolic Engagement 11 Engagement 12 Robert Cummings Neville and Theology’s Global Future 37 The Twenty-First Century Context of Christian Theology 37 Global Citizenship, Religion, and World Order 51 ssisc 63 Civilizing World Society: Order, Terror, Piety 67 L'ESStff: 80 Borderline Ethics and Intra-Community Violence and Murder among Young Afrikan American Males 83 The Borderline Situation 87 Intra-Community Violence and Murder Among Young Afrikan American Males 95 A Borderline Ethics Response 98 Axiology and Ecology: 103 Neville’s Contribution to an Ecological Ethic 103 Jesus and Monotheism: Theological Transformations of Religious Philosophy 115 Monotheistic Pluralism 122 Global Critical Monotheism 125 Theses toward Global Critical Monotheisms 127 Refiner’s Fire: 132 Some Reflections on Neville, Postmodernism, and the Trends in Discourses on Islam 132 PART TWO 144 Neville Turns East 146 Neville’s Axiological Cosmology of Imaginative Synthesis: 160 A Framework for Comparative Theology and Religion 160 Pragmatism, Logical Vagueness, and the Art of Comparative Engagement 170 Immortality 184 The Economy of Cosmic Power: 198 A Vision for a Daoist Theology of Religion 198 Mary, Mother of Mylapore: Symbolic Engagement as an Interreligious Transaction 210 Toward a Christian Advaita: Sankara, Tillich, and Neville in Dialogue 223 Creatio ex nihilo: Cosmological and Ontological 242 PART THREE 251 Godhead, God(s), Religion(s) and the Future of the Christian Religion 253 Religion(s) 265 The Future of the Christian Religion(s)11 268 Excursus 270 The Primordial, Godhead, and Apocalyptic Christianity 275 Graceful Reality: 287 A Foundation for the Future of Philosophy and Theology 287 Grace in Neville’s System 288 The Future of the Cross: 299 Symbolic Engagement with the Atonement 299 Ill 305 KK£S 311 Infinity and Intersubjectivity 313 A More Radical Pluralism 325 Which Way toward a Theology of Religions: Pragmatist, Methodist, Ecumenist? 337 !!»! 347 .-ssssssr 347 Theology’s Great Sin: 349 Silence in the Face of White Supremacy 349 PART FOUR 365 Thanks and Conversation: Responding to My Theological Colleagues 367 Symbolic Engagement 367 Creation 370 Religion 382 Ethics 386 Robert Cummings Neville: Select List of Publications 397 Contributors 411 Name Index 415