Jesus Christ in the Asian Context (DM3710A)

Content

This unit seeks to critically examine the Christological developments in the Asian context. Primarily, it aims to demonstrate ‘who is Jesus Christ’ for the people in the multi-faceted context of Asia. It will critically analyse the Asian social realities, namely religious, ethnic, cultural, gender, and economic phenomena, to recognise ‘Christ’s social face’ that emerged in this context. Most relevantly, the unit will critically deliberate the indigenous expressions of Christology to understand the methodological nuances of 'theology from below' in contrast to 'theology from above.' It will also evaluate the earliest traits of Christological presence in Asia and its scope of perceiving the idea of Christ ‘from below’ to be able to score the attention for a critical conversation through various contextual theological methodologies. All the above discussions will have a flavour of Christian mission in the Asian context.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

No prerequisites, no prohibited combination of units

Pedagogy

asynchronous and synchronous lectures and tutorials

Indicative Bibliography

• A, Alangaram. Christ of the Asian Peoples: Towards an Asian Contextual Christology Based on the Documents of Federation of Asian Bishop’s Conferences. Bangalore, Indian: Asian Trading Corp., 2001.
• Aleaz, K.P. “An Indian Jesus from Advaita Vedanta.” Indian Journal of Theology 39, no. 2 (1997): 29–42.
• Amaladoss, Michael. The Asian Jesus. New York: Orbis Books, 2006.
• Biehl, Michael., & et al. Witnessing Christ: Contextual and Interconfessional Perspectives on Christology. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer Verlag. 2020.
• Clarke, Sathianathan. “Asian Christian Theology: Birds’-Eye Views of the Furrows,” edited by Peniel Jesudason Rufes Rajkumar, 3–12. London: SPCK, 2012.
• Kim, Dong-Kun. The Future of Christology: Jesus Christ for a Global Age. Lanham, Maryland: Fortress Academic, 2019.
• Kim, Yung Suk., & Jin-Ho Kim. Reading Minjung Theology in the Twenty-First Century: Selected Writings by Ahn Byung-Mu and Modern Critical Responses. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2013.
• Parratt, John. The Other Jesus: Christology in Asian Perspective, Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2012.
• Pieris, Aloysius. An Asian Theology of Liberation. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1988.
• Prabhakar, M.E. “Christology in Dalit Perspective,” In Frontiers of Dalit Theology, edited by V. Devasahayam, 402–32. Madras: ISPCK/Gurukul, 1997.
• Samartha, S.J. One Christ- Many Religions: Toward a Revised Christology. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1991.
• Sugirtharajah, R.S., & Cecil Hargreaves. Reading Indian Christian Theology, London: SPCK, 1993.
• Vinayraj, Y.T. Dalit Theology After Continental Philosophy. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.

Assessment