EMQ » January–March 2020 » Volume 56 Issue 1
By Henning Wrogemann
Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2019
497 pages
USD $45.00
Reviewed by David H. F. Ng who has served in cross-cultural ministry and training in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. He is currently lecturer in Intercultural Studies and Program Director for the Master of Missional Leadership at Melbourne School of Theology, Australia.
How should Christians respond to the increase in religious pluralization in our societies brought about by global migration? In this book, the third volume of a trilogy, Henning Wrogemann addresses this question, contending that “many contemporary theology-of-religion publications” (xvii) are incapable of addressing religious challenges and questions raised in our current context.
In the first two chapters, Wrogemann offers a broad overview of a theology of religions and outlines how Christians have classified other religions. He introduces six “heuristic questions” (epistemological, hermeneutical, soteriological, theological, ethical, and socio-political) that will act as a guiding “grid” (138) to assess the various approaches to other religions.
The book is then divided into six parts. In parts one and two, Wrogemann examines “theology-of-religions” models from Christian (part one) and from Islamic and Buddhist (part two) perspectives using his heuristic grid (chapters nine and fifteen respectively). The approaches of these non-Christian religions emphasize different topics than a Christian theology of religions and can even help us see the “limitations of Christian perspectives” (136).
Having surveyed the above approaches, Wrogemann provides building blocks (rather than a definitive solution) for a theory of interreligious relations in part three. He invites readers “on a journey of discovery, to open up new perspectives, to overcome outmoded ways of seeing, and to question present-day stereotypes” (211). Key to his theory of interreligious relations is an interdisciplinary approach that examines complex phenomena and religious interactions. In so doing, he aims to “to break up rigid perceptual patterns” (223) and this includes certain approaches to a theology-of-religions (225).
With this theory of interreligious relations in mind, part four explores various examples of dialogue before proposing a theology of interreligious relations as “an alternative to the theology-of-religions models of the past” (346) in part five. This theology of interrelations flows out (216) of his theory of interreligious relations outlined earlier and argues that respectful behaviour towards other religions does not necessitate the relativization or abandonment of claims to ultimate validity (422). In part six, Wrogemann concludes with his reflections on intercultural theology, mission, and religious studies, underscoring the importance of interdisciplinary engagement and cooperation between faculties in an age of globalization.
Wrogemann’s book is a significant, nuanced and substantial contribution in the area of theology of religions and interreligious relations. While he states that his work is limited to posing new questions and perspectives rather than providing conclusive answers (xxi), he makes clear that “New Testament claims to ultimate validity are precisely what forms the Christian basis for lasting, sustainable, and constructive relations with the followers of other religious traditions” ( xvii) and that an interdisciplinary approach is important if we are to understand interreligious relations in our globalized world. This book is best suited as a seminary text for courses helping students understand holistic and integrated Christian approaches to studying and engaging with those from other religions in our complex world.
For Further Reading:
Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti. Introduction to the Theology of Religions. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003.
D’Costa, Gavin, Paul F. Knitter, and Daniel Strange. Only One Way?: Three Christian Responses to the Uniqueness of Christ in a Religiously Pluralist World. London: SCM Press, 2011.
Netland, Harold A. Christianity and Religious Diversity. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015.
