by Doug King    [6-4-01]

Growing religious pluralism -- simply a reality

A recent book by Prof. Diana Eck of Harvard University, A New Religious America, explores the growing impact of other religious traditions in American culture. The thesis of her book is summed up in its subtitle: "How a 'Christian country' has now become the world's most religiously diverse nation." While over 80% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, and less than 10% affirm allegiance to some other tradition, her point is that other faiths are becoming a stronger presence in our culture. As she points out, people of other faiths are becoming more fully integrated into mainstream American life, and are becoming more articulate about their own beliefs. "Your kids know Muslim and Hindu kids, whether you know Muslim and Hindu parents or not," she says.

The Dallas Morning News offers one look at her book. And you can also visit the web site of Harvard's Pluralism Project, whose work is reflected in Eck's book.

Getting perspective on our own Presbyterian disputes

For a helpful look at the current debate within the Presbyterian Church, you might look at a letter published on PresbyWeb from Robert R. von Oeyen, PCUSA Mission Specialist and professor of missiology at the Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Seoul, Korea.

Joining with one of the current slogans of the Right that "theology matters," he cites two recent articles in Presbyterian Outlook as providing helpful perspectives.

Professor A. J. McKelway's essay on the controversy over Dirk Ficca's speech, in the April 16^th Outlook, affirms that for Christians, Christ is clearly the place where we "see God" most clearly. Yet McKelway also points to Karl Barth's affirmation that light and truth may be found in other traditions as well, even though Christians will see them (if they see them at all) as reflecting the "one great light" of Jesus Christ.

Von Oeyen then turns to the article by Professor William Stacey Johnson's (Outlook of May 21) on "Regaining Perspective." His commentary on the "confessing church movement" has drawn the wrath of some conservatives, but Johnson is simply saying that most Presbyterians would join in affirming those three points. His concern is that this affirmation reduces the moral issues of our culture and our church to matters of narrowly defined personal morality, while ignoring the fact that (in Johnson's words) "on a proportionate basis, the teaching of the Bible in general, and of Jesus of Nazareth in particular, has vastly more to say about justice, righteousness and salvation than about anything else. Indeed, the smattering of passages pertaining to homosexuality need to be held up against the massive amount of biblical material commanding us to embrace the stranger, to feed the hungry, to clothe the destitute, in short, to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God."

The term "Christomonism" was used by a number of theologians in the mid-20th century to express their concerns about versions of theology which reduced the whole biblical faith to the saving work of Christ, largely ignoring the work of God as Creator, the living and enlivening presence of the Holy Spirit, and much more.

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PVJ's Facebook page

Mitch Trigger, PVJ's Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!

Voices of Sophia blog

Heather Reichgott, who has created this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:

John Harris’ Summit to Shore blogspot

John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive

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