- [UNTITLED]
- Acknowledgments
- Members of the Editorial Board and Contributors
- General Introduction
- Introduction
- Christianity in Western Asia
- South Asian Christianity in Context
- Christian Minorities on the Central Asian Silk Roads
- “On the Trail of Spices”: Christianity in Southeast Asia: Common Traits of the Encounter of Christianity with Societies, Cultures, and Religions in Southeast Asia
- Identity and Marginality—Christianity in East Asia
- Introduction
- Asian Theological Trends
- Scriptural Translations and Cross-Textual Hermeneutics
- The Contributions of the Ecumenical Movement in Asia to World Ecumenism
- Inter-Asia Mission and Global Missionary Movements from Asia
- Pentecostalism and Charismatic Movements in Asia
- Forms of Asian Indigenous Christianities
- Gender, Sexuality, and Christian Feminist Movements in Asia
- Introduction
- Modernity and Change of Values: Asian Christian Negotiations and Resistance
- Christianity in Southeast Asia Colonialism, Nationalism and the Caveats to Conversion
- Sociopolitical Developments in West Asia and Their Impact on Christian Minorities in the Region
- Religious Disarmament: Rethinking Religious Conversion in Asia
- Christianity and Political Democratization: The Case of East Asia
- The Role of Christianity in Peace and Conflict in Asia
- Christianity and the Cause of Asian Women
- Christianity and Education in Asia
- Christian Social Engagement in Asia
- Introduction
- Changing Paradigms of Asian Christian Attitude to Other Religions
- Jewish‒Christian Relationships in West Asia: History, Major Issues, Challenges, and Prospects
- Muslim Perceptions of Asian Christianity: A Survey
- The Multiverse of Hindu Engagement with Christianity: Plural Streams of Creative Co-Walking, Contradictions, and Confrontations
- Christian Tradition in the Eyes of Asian Buddhists: The Case of Japan
- Encounter between Confucianism and Christianity
- Christianity and Conversion: Conceptualization and Critique, Past and Present, with Special Reference to South Asia
- Christian Art and Architecture in Asia
- Introduction
- Christians in Asia Read Sacred Books of the East
- Multiple Religious Belonging or Complex Identity?: An Asian Way of Being Religious
- Asian Christian Spirituality
- Asian Christian Forms of Worship and Music
- Revisiting Historiographies: New Trajectories for Asian Christianity
- Asian Christianity and Public Life: The Interplay
- Migration and New Cosmopolitanism in Asian Christianity
- In the Light of Asia: Reflections of a Western Christian
- Religious adherents in Asia by country, mid-2010 – Statistics Table
- Bibliography
- Index
Abstract and Keywords
Chapter 35 discusses the role of religion in public life, a topic that has become a subject of debate among sociologists of religion, theologians, and political scientists. Many areas of life once thought to belong to the private realm have now become issues of public concern. Religion has become an important aspect of life in most parts of the world that one could hardly consider it a private affair. This chapter examines the unique characteristics and problems posed by Christianity’s relationship with public life in the Asian continent. The construction of Christian identity in the different regions of Asia plays a major role in how this identity relates to public life. Asian Christians, in many cases, create a separate Christian identity while staying rooted in their culture and tradition.
Keywords: role of religion, public life, sociologists of religion, theologians, political scientists, private realm, public concern
Felix Wilfred is founder-director of the Asian Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies, Chennai. Earlier he was Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Chairman of the School of Philosophy and Religious Thought, at the State University of Madras. He was also Professor and head of the Department of Christian Studies in the same University. Dr. Wilfred is the President of the International Theological Review Concilium. He has been a member of the Vatican International Theological Commission and visiting professor in several universities, including the University of Frankfurt, University of Nijmegen, Boston College, Ateneo de Manila and Fudan University, China. His writings have appeared in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese. He was recently appointed by the Government of India to the newly endowed Chair of “Indian Studies” at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
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- [UNTITLED]
- Acknowledgments
- Members of the Editorial Board and Contributors
- General Introduction
- Introduction
- Christianity in Western Asia
- South Asian Christianity in Context
- Christian Minorities on the Central Asian Silk Roads
- “On the Trail of Spices”: Christianity in Southeast Asia: Common Traits of the Encounter of Christianity with Societies, Cultures, and Religions in Southeast Asia
- Identity and Marginality—Christianity in East Asia
- Introduction
- Asian Theological Trends
- Scriptural Translations and Cross-Textual Hermeneutics
- The Contributions of the Ecumenical Movement in Asia to World Ecumenism
- Inter-Asia Mission and Global Missionary Movements from Asia
- Pentecostalism and Charismatic Movements in Asia
- Forms of Asian Indigenous Christianities
- Gender, Sexuality, and Christian Feminist Movements in Asia
- Introduction
- Modernity and Change of Values: Asian Christian Negotiations and Resistance
- Christianity in Southeast Asia Colonialism, Nationalism and the Caveats to Conversion
- Sociopolitical Developments in West Asia and Their Impact on Christian Minorities in the Region
- Religious Disarmament: Rethinking Religious Conversion in Asia
- Christianity and Political Democratization: The Case of East Asia
- The Role of Christianity in Peace and Conflict in Asia
- Christianity and the Cause of Asian Women
- Christianity and Education in Asia
- Christian Social Engagement in Asia
- Introduction
- Changing Paradigms of Asian Christian Attitude to Other Religions
- Jewish‒Christian Relationships in West Asia: History, Major Issues, Challenges, and Prospects
- Muslim Perceptions of Asian Christianity: A Survey
- The Multiverse of Hindu Engagement with Christianity: Plural Streams of Creative Co-Walking, Contradictions, and Confrontations
- Christian Tradition in the Eyes of Asian Buddhists: The Case of Japan
- Encounter between Confucianism and Christianity
- Christianity and Conversion: Conceptualization and Critique, Past and Present, with Special Reference to South Asia
- Christian Art and Architecture in Asia
- Introduction
- Christians in Asia Read Sacred Books of the East
- Multiple Religious Belonging or Complex Identity?: An Asian Way of Being Religious
- Asian Christian Spirituality
- Asian Christian Forms of Worship and Music
- Revisiting Historiographies: New Trajectories for Asian Christianity
- Asian Christianity and Public Life: The Interplay
- Migration and New Cosmopolitanism in Asian Christianity
- In the Light of Asia: Reflections of a Western Christian
- Religious adherents in Asia by country, mid-2010 – Statistics Table
- Bibliography
- Index
