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| Universal Salvation? A Study in Myanmar Christian Theology | ||
| 作者 | Adams, Daniel James (著) |
|---|---|
| 出處題名 | Asia Journal of Theology |
| 卷期 | v.22 n.2 |
| 出版日期 | 2008.10 |
| 頁次 | 219 - 236 |
| 出版者 | Association for Theological Education in South East Asia; Board of Theological Education Senate of Serampore College |
| 出版者網址 | https://atesea.net/ |
| 出版地 | Singapore [新加坡] |
| 資料類型 | 期刊論文=Journal Article |
| 使用語言 | 英文=English |
| 摘要 | In Myanmar where dose to 90% of the population are Buddhists and almost 70% of the population are ethnic Burmese, there is a close identification between Buddhism and Burmese culture and, increasingly, Myanmar nationalism. For these reasons very few ethnic Burmese Buddhists have become Christians. This has posed the question of universal salvation: If only Christians can be saved, why have the Church's efforts to evangelize the Buddhists failed? Does this mean that all of the Buddhists in Myanmar--both in the past and in the present--cannot be saved? Christian theologians in Myanmar have tended to answer these questions in three ways. There are those who would assert that only Christians can be saved and therefore all Buddhists are damned. This answers the question of universal salvation with a near universal damnation. Others believe that the Buddhist rejection of Christianity is tied to political events and attitudes of religious and cultural superiority. Only God knows who is saved; it is the task of the Church to be in constructive dialogue with Buddhists for mutual understanding and respect and for the building of a better social situation in Myanmar. A minority argue in favor of universal salvation and assert that conversion from one faith to another is not necessary since there is a plurality of divine revelations. Another answer to the question of universal salvation suggests that it is possible to be a dual practitioner, that is, be either a Christian-Buddhist or a Buddhist-Christian. This view is based in part on the "both/and" thinking of the Korean theologian Jung Young Lee. By replacing the western "either/or" way of thinking with the Asian "both/and" way of thinking new possibilities for theological understanding are opened up that are more in tune with the Asian context and realities. The question of universal salvation and dual practitioners takes on increased relevance in the light of the fact that 10 million people are now Christians within their original religions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. What was once a debate among Christian theologians in Myanmar now has significance for global Christianity. |
| ISSN | 02180812 (P); 28151828 (E) |
| 點閱次數 | 523 |
| 建檔日期 | 2009.11.27 |
| 更新日期 | 2022.05.05 |
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