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Title: Does Christ Have an Asian Face?
Subtitle: An Analysis of Aloysius Pieris' Theology of Religions
Author(s): GLORIEUX, Frederik
Journal: Louvain Studies
Volume: 30    Issue: 4   Date: winter 2005   
Pages: 325-349
DOI: 10.2143/LS.30.4.2017537

Abstract :
Contemporary theologians of religions are often described as belonging to one of three camps, which go by the names of exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism. In this article, we examine the position of the Asian Catholic theologian, Aloysius Pieris, within this framework. Whereas the proponents of a pluralistic theology readily characterize him as a pragmatic pluralist, it would seem more appropriate to characterize the theology that he has developed as inclusivist. This argument is developed in three steps: (1) an examination of the specific paradigm that Pieris proposes for a theology suited to the Asian context; (2) a consideration of Pieris’ views on religion and inter-religious dialogue; (3) an examination of Pieris’ understanding of the incarnation with a view to demonstrating that his perspective on the uniqueness and universality of Christ is more inclusivistic than pluralistic. However, we also hope to demonstrate that the case of Pieris makes clear that the traditional threefold characterization is obsolete and in need of replacement.


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