M.M. Thomas’ Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake
September
2016
Presenter: Laldanmawia
__________________________________________________________________________________
Introduction
M.
M. Thomas’ book Risking Christ for Christ’s
Sake: Towards an Ecumenical Theology of Pluralism is published by WCC
Publications in Geneva in 1987. The contents of the book are divided into four
points, compiled in 122 pages. Today,
the churches have a great challenge to counter the pluralism with redefining
the meaning of Christ, the church and the Christian mission. In this situation,
M. M. Thomas wrote this book bringing two Indian theologians Raymond Panikkar
and Paul Devanandan who represent Ecumenical theology of Catholic and
Protestant respectively. This paper highlights important points from each
chapter.
1. The Challenge of
Pluralism
1.1.
The Pluralistic Situation: The isolated religions
and cultures in the past have now moved to the situation of plurality due to
many forces in modern world. Those are technological revolution, western
colonialism, Secularization, Christian missionary movements, non-Christian
religious movements, migration of ethnic and religious group across national
and international boundaries and the emergence of nation states and notion of
religious liberty.[1]
These make the plurality context of religion, culture and ideology, and further
make a situation of dialogical existence.
1.2.
The Confessional Standpoint: The task of our faith
is to understand and interpret the pluralistic situation we encounter globally
and locally from the standpoint of our ultimate commitment to Jesus Christ as
the revelation of God. However the confessional standpoint must be theologized
in relations to other faiths, allowing an examination. In this process Thomas
said we are risking Christ for Christ’s sake. [2]
1.3.
Living Faiths and their Interaction: The author
brings a short survey of religion, religious pluralism and the history of
inter-religious relations in modern history. Human beings evolved from
sub-human nature towards self commitment, self determination, and infinite
freedom into ultimate purpose. In this process, there is a sense of the world
and Being or Infinite or Holy, that is religious consciousness.[3]
From this religious consciousness, the visualization of Universal Divine varies
and then pluralism of religious traditions came into existence. These religious
traditions have interaction through integration of religion and culture by
Renaissance, the Reformation and the Enlightenment and Secularization,
represented by the word Modernization.[4]
1.4.
Towards a New Theology of Interfaith Dialogue:
The historical situation of religious and ideological pluralism is recognized
by the Ecumenical Movement as a new stage in human history, and that new stage
calls for a new Christology with secular and religious dimensions. Vatican II’s
documents also point out that modernity brought unity of humankind and
interdependence of people. The destiny of human community became more dynamic
reality rather than static concept.[5] Today,
the traditional approaches in terms of relation between Creation and Redemption
need to be reformulated and developed in order to achieve wider human
community.
2. Towards an
Ecumenical Ecumenism
Thomas
brings out how Ecumenical thoughts has been developing in the Catholic thought,
starting from development in Catholic thought, and then he uses Raymond Panikkar
in response to it.
2.1. Developments in Catholic
Thought
2.1.1. Vatican II and Post-Vatican
II Discussion: Vatican II contributed a thought towards
a theology of pluralism that human beings are not just individuals but persons
in relations to the communities in which they live, and that the salvific work
of God is universal embracing all humanity.[6]
Some documents of Vatican II are: The Dogmatic
Constitution of the Church explains the church as a kind of sacrament or
sign of human’s intimate union with God and of the unity of humankind. The Pastoral
Constitution on the Church in the Modern World brings out the universality
of the mystery of Christ and the possibility of participation in it
irrespective of their religious faiths. The Document
on Mission asserts that the universal design of God for the salvation of
the human race is not carried out exclusively in the soul of human, but
includes the world of concrete historical religions which is realm of
humanity’s search for God. The
Declaration on Non-Christian Religions states that whatever is true and
holy in non- Christian religions can enlightened all human beings, and is
revealed in Christ.[7]
Vatican II seeks to arrange a circle in which the Catholic Church at the centre
and it embraces all religious traditions of human kind.
In
Post-Vatican II discussion, Thomas brings three theologians who worked out
their theology of the salvific value of non-Christian religions. Firstly, Karl Rahner recognizes that
inter-religious relations are entering a new phase in the modern world, and it
is therefore necessary to re-examine the Catholic relation to non-Christian
religions from the dogmatic understanding of Catholic Christianity as the
absolute religion. He argues that God must provide means for salvation of all
people at all time. Pre-Christian history is not to be understood
chronologically as before Jesus Christ’s coming, but existentially as before
Jesus Christ’s coming to a particular person or people. Then non-Christian
religions can be means of salvation if persons of those faiths have not been
existentially challenged by the gospel of Christ.[8]
Secondly,
H.R. Schlette provides two histories of divine salvation: general sacred
history and a special sacred history. He further says that in the way of
salvation, non-Christian religions are the ordinary ways and Church is the
extraordinary way. Thirdly, Hans Kung,
in line with Schlette, states that Non-Christian religions are “pre Christian”
directed towards Christ. And Jesus Christ is the one who can liberate them from
their entanglement in error and sin.[9]
2.1.2. A New Stage in Mission
Theology: The history of missions where the
church preach the gospel of salvation to Non-Christian peoples to plant new
church, must be discerned with different stage in the evolving theology of
religions. Stages of Catholic Theology of mission have been discussed as: The first stage is represented by Francis Xavier
when Mission was marked by the “Conquest Theory.” In that stage other religions
were displaced and contrasted, even encouraged use of state power to save
souls. The second stage emphasized
the “Theory of Adaption” in which the church started to adopt and adapt some of
cultural elements of non-Christian religions with a view to communicating the
gospel. The Third stage developed
from Vatican II, namely the “Fulfillment Theory,” in which other religions are
seen as pre-Christian search for salvation fulfilled in Christianity.[10]
2.2.
Raymond Panikkar: The Universal Ontic Christ:
2.2.1.
The Framework of Trinity: One of Panikkar’s approaches to religious
pluralism is Trinitarian approach.
He tries to interpret the universe of religious and secular faiths within the
framework of Trinity of God. He emphasizes on spiritual experience. To him, three
forms of spirituality present in the various religious traditions- action, love
and knowledge; which of them corresponds to the Trinity of God. Thus he
visualizes the Divine Trinity as a junction where the authentic spiritual
dimensions of all religions meet.[11]
2.2.2.
The Universal Christ: Panikkar assumes that Christ is the
universal redeemer. The universal salvific will of God is present and active in
all religions and that Christ is at work in all religions through their
sacraments. In the nature of universal Christ relating Christianity and other
religions, he has some theses: Firstly, Christ
is not only the historical Jesus: He is more than Jesus both in form and
meaning. Secondly, every authentic
religion has in it the awareness of a mediating link between God the Absolute
and the relative world. Thirdly, the
different names and forms of the Mediator in other religions can represent the
same saving faith commitment to Jesus Christ as in Christianity.[12]
2.2.3.
Church of Jesus Christ- a Sacrament: Panikkar tries to
answer to what the nature and function of Christianity in relation to other
living religions and secular faiths. He sees all the religious traditions move
towards secularization. That is why the church also must go in a path of
radical renewal so as to provide the gospel to the transformation of the world community.[13] To
him, the church is centred upon the authentic and living person of Jesus
Christ.
3. Common Quest for New
Humanism: Towards Dialogical Participation
In
this chapter, Thomas describes the development in protestant missionary
ecumenical thought towards a quest for a new Humanism and brings out Paul
Devanandan and his thought to encounter Protestant missionary ecumenical
thought.
3.1.
Developments in Protestant Missionary Ecumenical Thought
3.1.1.
Partnership against Secularism- Jerusalem 1928: The
International Missionary Council in Jerusalem in 1928 dealt with the Christian
approach to other religions and secularism. Refus Jones in his presentation in
the meeting said the need for Christian missions to look upon non- Christian
religions as allies in their encounter against secularism and their endeavor to
preserve spiritual values. However the Jerusalem recognized several values of
non-Christian religions as well as of secular civilization as part of the
truth.[14]
3.1.2.
Revelation against Religion- Tambaram 1938:
European theologians raised questions against Jerusalem’s reading of historical
crisis and its theological view point. Barth opposes the partnership of
religions that he wants Christian message to be proclaimed in all its purity,
not confused with the voices of other religions.[15]
He attempts theological interpretation of religion proposing revelation of God
as the abolition of religion. That revelation negates religion as unbelief but
it can also justify and sanctify it.[16]
Barth, Brunner and Kraemer emphasize the biblical understanding of reality, the
understanding that God is wholly other than humanity which is both creature and
sinner, and that God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ cannot correspond to the
concept of natural human.[17]
3.1.3.
A Dialectical Theology of Secularism: Barth-Brunner-Kraemer
interpretation of Revelation over against religion has two lines of development
in ecumenical circles. It sees Christianity as the only true divinely chosen
religion, and it also interprets the movement of secularization of cultures and
explores the possibility of divine grace taking historical form in a radical
secular Christianity.[18]
Dietrich Bonhoeffer suggests the possibility of religionless Christianity for
the world come of age. Arend van Leeuwen’s central theme, however, is
secularization as the fruit of the gospel and secularism as an ally of
Christianity in the struggle against religion.[19]
3.1.4.
Christ of the Movements of Renaissance: S.J. Samartha
stands in the acknowledgement of the presence of Christ in the movements of
innovation, in the movements within various religions and new development in
certain ideologies. He further points that the gospel itself directly or
indirectly has been one of the factors in generating new movements.[20]
The Asian church leaders meeting in Bangkok in 1949 had observed the
universality of the demand for cultural and social renewal in Asian society.
They assert that the Christian church must welcome the demand of the peoples
for a fuller participation in the life of the society where power is exercised.
The 1966 East Asian Christian Conference confessed that they believe in God’s
work of His purpose to the Asian renaissance and revolution.[21]
3.2.
Paul Devanandan-the Historical Universality of the New Creation in Christ:
3.2.1.
Christian Witness- New Delhi 1961: In the WCC Assembly in
New Delhi 1961, he spoke of the gospel to which the church is called to
witness. The gospel is that God acted in Jesus to renew the whole creation and
that activity is continuing today in the Spirit of the Risen Jesus, recreating
humanity and that in the end will establish his kingdom on earth.[22]
He mentions three concrete worlds in which the church is to witness: the
traditional village world, modern secular world and the world of other faiths.[23]
3.2.2.
The Gospel of New Creation in Jesus: He always
presented the gospel as the good news of new creation in Jesus. The New
Creation in Jesus has personal, social and economic dimensions. It also means
newness in the present, regarding the risen Christ as the contemporary Christ.
The New Creation is universal, mediated through the unique revelatory act of
God in the person and work of Jesus.[24]
3.2.3.
Interpretation of the Modern Religious Situation:
Devanandan takes a path which explores the possibility of revelation, which
will judge, justify and renew other religions, so as to make them true
religious partners in witnessing and participating in the recreation of the
modern world in Christ.[25] He
surveyed modern religious situation, and found that there are problems of
relating the classical theology to the new anthropology. He wishes to affirm
that all faiths are brought in to the circle of theological anthropological
concerns in creating common situation of modern history. In that process he put
the New Humanity in Jesus Christ at the central part.
3.2.4.
Christian Ecumenism: His main contribution to Christian
ecumenism lies in his stimulation of interfaith dialogue as an ongoing concern
of the church in the common search for human community. The emphasis here is
the common humanity within which people of all religions and no religions can
work together to enrich the common life.[26]
4. Issues in the Debate:
a Concluding Comment
In
this section, Thomas briefly looks at some of criticisms against the
understanding of Christ and the church of Panikkar and Devanandan.
4.1.
The Historical and the Universal: The emphasis on
the universal Christ is made in order to find a common ground for particular
historical religions to meet and enter into dialogue with one another. To that
point, Pannikar’s universal Christ is questioned. Anto Karokaran argues his
negative aspects of historical dimension of religion. Hans Kung criticizes
Panikkar for making the Cosmic Christ for his starting point for interfaith
dialogue, because it de-emphasizes the historical dimension of the
Christ-event.[27]
Nirmal
Minz makes criticisms to Devanandan’s emphasis on the historical particularity
of Jesus. First, he is prevented by his missionary motivation to the elemental
openness for understanding the other as an equal partner in the dialogue.
Second, He is also preoccupied by personal and historical categories, which
made his theology inadequate to meet Hindu partner in real dialogue. Third, his
neo-orthodox stance also makes his theology of religious pluralism weak.[28]
4.2.
Salvation and Humanization: Devanandan emphasizes
the awakening of non-Christian religions to the new anthropology of personal
values, social justice in community and purposive history under the impact of
Christianity and Western culture.[29] Pannenberg
says about anthropology as the medium of fundamental theological discourse and
the clarification of salvation in Christ. Thus the relation between salvation
and humanization needs deeper ecumenical exploration because an eschatological
humanization is the ultimate salvation where sin, principalities and powers
will be removed and humanity will find divine fulfillment in the kingdom.[30]
4.3.
Church and the Wider Koinonia-in-Christ: Both Panikkar
and Devanandan try to present Christianity as the sign of the kingdom and the
fermenting leaven in the universe of faiths, bringing to them the transforming
knowledge of the universal presence of Christ. Panikkar’s Unknown Christ and Devanandan’s Acknowledge
Christ point to a reality which calls for a redefinition of the church of
Jesus Christ in relation to a wider people of the Christ. Then an important
Ecumenical task for our generation is to discern the need for Christians to be
in dialogical partnership with others in the witness to the kingdom to come,
which call for a redefinition of the different levels and forms of
koinonia-in-Christ.[31]
4.4.
An Ecumenical Problem: Panikkar and Devanandan’s
Christology stands on the Catholic and Protestant church traditions. The
conflict between them is not merely personal, but the traditional
Catholic-Protestant theological conflict. Therefore an ecumenical problem lies
in the reconciliation of the two theological traditions. These two traditions
dominate Western theology during and after the Reformation. In this situation,
Christian ecumenism must take the theology of religious pluralism as an
important theme of interchurch dialogues.[32]
Concluding Remark
The
plurality of religion, culture and ideology comes with the ferment of
modernity, and that becomes the point where Christian theology tries to
interfere in order to build wider community with human reaching new stage.
Intrafaith and Interfaith dialogue become the new theological options in order
to meet cooperative struggles against dehumanization. M.M. Thomas looks for an
Ecumenical ecumenism, in which unity in the Christ has to be understood as
resulting from inner reform and must accommodate diversity. Christians risk
Christ for Christ's sake by allowing their faith to be reinterpreted in the
categories of others.
Some of the chapter wise remarks are
given in the following:
Firstly,
the first chapter deals with the challenge of Pluralism that introduces the
plurality of the society that comes with forces of modernization. That
pluralism has to be interacted with new theology of interfaith dialogue, in
which the writer sees a necessity of new Christology with secular and religious
dimensions. The new Christology is Universality of Christ that transcends
Christianity, other religions and ideologies. But today, in the context of
pluralism, we need Christology that is Christ-in-relation that will be more
accommodate with diversity.
Secondly, chapter two is the analysis of the ecumenical developments
in the Catholic thoughts along with Panikkar’s contributions. Catholic reaches
new stage in Mission theology. The stage develops from Vatican II which sees
other religions as pre-Christian search for salvation fulfilled in
Christianity. It is widely accepted that all religions search for salvation in
different ways. But Vatican II’s Fulfillment
Theory can be questioned; does this mean non Christian religions come to
Christianity one day to fulfill their search for salvation? Salvation is
fulfilled in Christ, not in Christianity.
Thirdly,
the next chapter explores ecumenism in the Protestant thoughts with
Devanandan’s contribution towards it. In which the writer talks about Christ of
the movements of Renaissance, emphasizing the presence of Christ’s nature in
every movement. But it is difficult to accept and believe in God’s work of his
purpose to every renaissance and movements today, where dehumanizing movements
are encountered in the present world.
Fourthly, in his concluding comment, the
writer mentions the need of deeper ecumenical exploration in the relation between
salvation and humanization. For him the ultimate salvation is the
eschatological humanization. But there has been lack of full humanization in
our salvation particularly in our pluralistic society. If humanity does not
find enough divine fulfillments in the kingdom; and sin, principalities,
powers, etc. are still the problems, then we need to explore more about
salvation and humanization in our plurality context.
[1] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake: Towards an
Ecumenical Theology of Pluralism (Geneva: WCC Publications, 1987), 1-2.
[2] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 3.
[3] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 8.
[4] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 12.
[5]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 14.
[6]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 19.
[7]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 20-22.
[8]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 23.
[9]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 25-26.
[10] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 27-28.
[11] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 31-33.
[12] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 34-35.
[13] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 38.
[14] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 45.
[15]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake,
49.
[16]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 53.
[17]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 55.
[18]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 69.
[19]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 70-73.
[20]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 78.
[21]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 83.
[22] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 87.
[23] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 88-89.
[24] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 91.
[25] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 95.
[26] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 101.
[27] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake,
106-107.
[28] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 109.
[29]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 110.
[30]
M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 113.
[31] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 114.
[32] M. M. Thomas, Risking Christ for Christ’s Sake, 116.
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