Book Reviews

John W . Miller ed . , Interfaith Dialogue: Four Approaches, Waterloo. Ontario. Universiw of Waterloo Press, 1986, 104pp.

The University of Waterloo’s Department of Religious Studies has organized a series of discussions to identify and elucidate the ques- tions posed to adherents of any religion (or none) by our contemporary pluralistic milieu, and the book at hand comprises the papers and responses of the project’s first colloquium. This preliminary meeting took place some time early in 1985. but it is surprising that so thorough a report should lack any precise indication of such a basic fact. We must nevertheless thank Dr Miller and his collea- gues for publishing this record as soon as they could, so that i t would take its rightful place among early contributions to a socially holis- tic approach to interfaith matters, engaging academics and bclievers (and especially peo- ple who are both) in an intensive quest for a broad understanding of belief and spirituality in multi-religious environments.

In the first paper, Darrol Bryant reports on a gathering of a dozen people from six dif- ferent religious traditions over four days of October 1984 at St Benedict‘s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado. Bryant himself was not one of the twelve but an observer. and he docs not say whether he was the only one. His report is nuanced by the anomaly of his being in the group but not of it. but his remarks are more suggestive of sympathetic involvement than clinical observation. Bryant makes a usc- ful distinction between the “interreligious ecu- menism” with which he identifies the Snow- mass experience, and both the “ecumcnism of tolerance and understanding” (polite and academic) and “worldly ecumenism” (diaconic). Having fairly convinced us of the significance of the meeting, the author notes the points of agreement affirmed by the parti- cipants, then concludes with a fcw questions. He is chiefly troubled by the question of the universal and particular quests for the Ulti- mate Mystery and the difficulty of recogniz- ing the call of God in another tradition. Bryant

does well to raise the point, but many find these questions more challenging than troubl- ing. Daniel Sahas offers fifteen fine points for conversation about Bryant’s paper, but here we have occasion only to applaud his final observation (p.30) that “the most hopeful in- terreligious dialogue is that one which con- sists of a continuous cyclic interaction and interchange between a living science and a creative world”.

The second paper. by Frank Thompson, considers Sri Aurobindo (ob. 1950) as a model of Hindu-Christian engagement. After a quick survey of the major points of contact from Ram Mohan Koy (1772-1833) to such con- temporaries as Basil Pennington and Bcde Griffiths, Thompson sets Aurobindo into this context and reviews his subject’s principal “Christological” and “ecclesiological” dicta. Citing Aurobindo’s references to Jesus, Bud- dha and Krishna as the greatest of avatars, or verha Dei, Thompson makes special note of Aurobindo’s idea of an avatar’s “way and goal”. He finishes with a number of pertinent questions about the possibility of a genuine acknowledgment of piety in other religions, moral discipline, global vision and the spiritu- al basis necessary for unity and morality. In response, Russel Legge underlines the diffi- culty o f rcpresentativity in diffuse traditions like Hinduism and Protestantism in contrast to a system in which a Vatican Council can “bestow legitimacy” and so give terms a gen- erally valid frame of reference. But Legge also reminds us of one of the enduring truths about interfaith dialogue (p.49): ”Once the people of one religion engage the followers of another religion. with their beliefs, practices and institutions, in a serious way, their own religion, regardless how old and established it is, is never the same after that, just because they know there are other ways of being religious.”

Our third author, Walter Bildstein, treats Protestant-Catholic engagement as typified by the history of the Joint Working Group of the WCC and Roman Catholic representatives, which has k e n meeting regularly since 1965.

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Arguing that the unity of the church will come through metanoia and intercommunion in new faith, Bildstein follows four issues which have preoccupied the JWG over the years. He praises the Group for helping the Roman hierarchy adopt a more open attitude to interdenominational marriage and he traces the converging evolution of thinking about the unity of the church and intercommunion. Finally, he puts on a brave face over the demise of SODEPAX, the interchurch pro- gramme for social development, claiming that this experiment has fostered creative opposition and conversion. As Bildstein says, the JWG plays a role as a “unique model of dissent, reconciliation and consen- sus” (p.69). but Walter Klaassen poses sever- al provocative questions in his response, chiefly regarding the parameters of rnetanoia and the dispensability of inherited patterns of doctrine and structure. Interesting as these Christian discussions doubtless are, their in- clusion, however, seems somehow incongru- ous in the general theme of interfaith dia- logue set by the book’s title.

By contrast, interfaith relations are at the very core of Rodney Sawatsky’s paper, “In Defense of Proselytizing”. The article begins with a deft analysis of contradiction inherent in the classic evangelical stance, which vigor- ously endorses the freedom to proclaim the gospel and win converts even as it decries the “brainwashing” techniques of various “sects” which have gained new members from the ranks of the evangelicals. It is indeed ironic that liberal opposition to curbs on new reli- gions has left evangelicals free to continue their own activities. A plural society, Sawats- ky contends, allows free expression of all thought systems, although it also risks in- stitutionalizing a certain civility inimical to any change of affiliation as a threat to social equilibrium, so transforming its original liber- al toleration to restraining, confining conser- vatism. The “proselytism” which this author would defend is the recruitment of new adepts through proclamation and persuasion, and he eschews all coercion and manipulation. We cannot but endorse his plea for freedom of recruitment within the bounds of fair argu- ment, as long as such liberty extends to every- one who has a message to share and a cause to promote. “Dialogue”, he says (p.96), “assumes that both sides are open to learn from each other. True vulnerability must allow for change, for conversion.” Such a change may well be a small adjustment or a

complete transfer of allegiance but no sincere participant in serious inter-religious discus- sion can be closed to such eventualities.

These four studies have well substantiated the editor’s observation that a project such as Waterloo’s must involve pastoral as well as academic perceptions, and this first volume has significantly furthered the sponsors’ hope “that a respectful, yet searching dialogue among the adherents of differing religious persuasions might indeed strengthen our hold on a better human future.. . .” We are grateful to Prof. Miller and his colleagues for their timely initiative, as we eagerly await the re- ports of their future symposia.

STUART BROWN

Dr Stuart E. Brown is programme secretary for Christian-Muslim relations and traditional religions in the WCC’s Sub-unit on Dialogue.

Juan Luis Segundo. The Historical Jesus of the Synoptics. Vol. I I : Jesus of Nazareth Yes- terday and Today. Maryknoll, NY, Orbis Books, 198s.

Characteristically liberation theology is a reflection on primary faith experiences. Though doing theology is always a second level activity of faith, Segundo nevertheless takes the reader to an understanding of the primary process of faith. His objective is to get behind the encrustations of Christology which cloak much of the New Testament and later theologies emerging from the post- paschal and post-ecclesial eras.

The nub of the question for Segundo is who is Jesus, and what is his real message? To understand that, Christians have got to sepa- rate the pre-paschal message from the post- paschal rose-coloured glasses that tinted the memories of the synoptic redactors. In his previous book, Faith and Ideologies, Segun- do developed a methodogy to enable the read- er to penetrate a post-paschal view and enter into the pre-paschal Jesus.

To discover a Jesus stripped of later Christ- dogies one has to understand that the ideolog- ical expression of faith in Jesus after the resurrection assumes both that Jesus was di- vine and that this could be retrojected to explain the rea..ons for his actions and his acceptance of his fate prior to his death. Segundo sees this as an ideological approach

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which hides the tNe identity of Jesus. Scho- larship has the tools to discover Jesus and his sayings in a pre-paschal and pre-ecclesial set- ting.

Jesus comes as man and it is this human public agenda that Segundo stresses. He asks his followers as humans to believe in him as a person, neither as God nor as a miracle work- er; otherwise they miss the message. By separating the pre-paschal material from the post-paschal and the pre-ecclesial nuances from the ecclesial in the Synoptics, Segundo develops a picture of Jesus, the human prophet of Yahweh authentically leading a revolution against the theocratic establishment of his day. For this he is eventually con- demned and executed as an agitator undermin- ing the public order.

Segundo effectively develops the agenda of Jesus as socio/politico/religious. He distin- guishes Jesus’ audience in a threefold manner through the sayings and parables. The first group towards whom the parables are directed are the Pharisees and rulers who are ridiculed, condemned and will be excluded from the kingdom. This is a timeless message for all who occupy positions of power which they abuse. The second level of parables are di-

rected to the oppressed. Simply because they are oppressed they are beloved and the king- dom of heaven will be given them. No further demands are made of them. The third level of sayings is addressed to the followers of Jesus. To them the kingdom will be given because of their personal faith in Jesus and their fidelity to his demand for conversion, service, fellow- ship and discipleship.

In this second book of the series Jesus of Nazoreth Yesterday and Today, Segundo builds on the methodology of the first in the series, Faith and Ideologies, and challenges the reader to critically reread the Synoptics as if they were not burdened with two thousand years of ideological expressions of Christolo- gy. How does one try to hear Jesus outside the events of his resurrection and the Christian church? This is the critical issue which Segun- do brilliantly unfolds with his unique methodology in this book.

WALTER J. BtLDSTEIN

Dr Bildstein is professor of theology at the Univer- sity of St Jerome’s College, Waterlcw, Canada.

Sister Heidi, whose article “The Celebration of the Eucharist” appeared in the July I986 issue of The Ecumenical Review (Vol. 38, No. 3). is a member of the Protestant Community of Grandchamp. Switzerland. We deeply regret the error in identifying the Community as Roman Catholic.

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