Conclusion: Overcoming Religious Polarization: A Pragmatic Theological Approach

For many Christians, and particularly for those who either consciously or unwittingly identify themselves as Evangelical in their theological orientation, there is a fundamental tension between their affirmation of the uniqueness of Jesus as the Christ and their ability to truly engage in theological discussion with those who do not accept this viewpoint. Max Warren was General Secretary of the Church Missionary Society from 1942 to 1963. In an Introduction to the Christian Presence series of books, he wrote:

"The Christian church has not yet seriously faced the theological problem of 'co-existence' with other religions. The very term seems to imply the acceptance of some limitation on the universal relevance of the Gospel. Can that be accepted? It can hardly be doubted that the answer must be 'no'. Are we then shut up to the alternative of what in some disguise or other must be an aggressive attack on the deeply held convictions of those who live by faiths other than our own?"

Many theologians reject such a statement of the alternatives available to even the most Christ-centered of scholars. A very interesting recent effort to reconcile Christian tradition and religious diversity was found in the book, “The Wide, Wide Circle of Divine Love: A Biblical Case for Religious Diversity” by W. Eugene March. March acknowledges the claim of a Christocentric theology, but does not find it to be in contradiction to a loving regard for those outside the faith. “Jesus is, for Christians, undoubtedly the most profound moment in God’s story with the human family. What Jesus teaches over and over again is to recognize the depth of God’s grace and the ever so wide circle of God’s love.” March argues that the Bible itself contradicts “the narrow, supersessionist interpretation that God is concerned only with the chosen people, whether Jews or Christians”

March notes that from Genesis 12-- the story of Abraham and Sarah-- that the Bible supports the idea that “all the families of the earth will be blessed.” March explores this and other texts from throughout the Biblical canon to argue that God’s love is not intended for only a select portion of the human community, but all the families of the earth, whether Gentile or Jew, Christian or non-Christian. He argues that all faiths have aspects of their canon that can enhance dialogue and others that are conversation stoppers (to use Rorty’s term). He advocates using the former, what he calls the “generous texts” as a basis for discussion and renewed understanding both within Christianity and in our conversations with people of other and no faith traditions.

Another well-known way out of the box of an overwhelming and limiting orthodoxy was expressed by Abraham Joshua Heschel. One of his most important ideas was his conviction that it is God who is searching out humankind, rather than the other way around. This paradigm shift presents us with the essential question answered by the Bible: What Does God Demand of Us? The liberal and ecumenist Catholic theologian Hans Kung has identified three broad approaches to God in the work of Heschel. First “is the way of sensing the presence of God in the world, in things. The second is the way of sensing His presence in the Bible. The third is the way of sensing his presence in sacred deeds” that is to say in the Commandments.” Obviously, such a theological approach would allow us to look beyond our objections to the religion of the other—whether within or outside our own tradition—to undertake an effort at understanding how God is present or absent in each of these three approaches.

Hans Kung’s own work recognizes the importance of an awareness of other faith traditions to arrive at a better understanding of one’s own path through a thoughtful effort to understand the way of others. In his masterpiece On Being a Christian, Kung wrote passionately of the need for a dialogue and dialectic between the faith traditions. This does not have to lead to some watered down New Age World Religion, but rather, an understanding of the “unique but not exclusive” value of each faith.

If nothing else, such a serious effort will help to moderate and temper our own tone as we approach dialogue or understanding with those who stand across the divide of religious polarization. In his recent book, “Infidels: A History of the Conflict Between Christendom and Islam,“ Andrew Wheatcroft explores at length the stridency and absolutism on both sides that has led to a history of brutal conflict that has not put either faith in the best light. Looking for a path to reduce the stridency and intensity of the debate, Wheatcroft comes back to perhaps an unexpected source of theological wisdom: Abraham Lincoln. Despite being convinced that he had the high moral ground in the conflict over slavery, Lincoln urged moderation in rhetoric.

In his famous First Inaugural speech Lincoln urged understanding and consideration on both sides of the bitter debate over slavery: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

In her Yale Divinity School speech, Secretary Albright urged a similar effort: “We had better find a way of putting out old fires rather than starting new ones.” A pragmatic theology and theologically aware leaders have a unique role in furthering this important effort.
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Notes:

Quoted by Canon Roger Hooker, Mission and Salvation III: Christian Faith and Other Faiths-The Tension Between Dialogue and Evangelism, Common Ground, 1997

The Wide, Wide Circle of Divine Love: A Biblical Case for Religious Diversity, by W. Eugene March. Louisville: WJKP, 2005.

Id., p.106

Id, pp.118-119.
One of his books is titled God in Search of Man. Hans Kung, Judaism: Between Yesterday and Tomorrow, pp
Id, pp.

Hans Kung, On Being a Christian, Penguin Books, London, 1984

Andrew Wheatcroft, “Infidels: A History of the Conflict Between Christendom and Islam,” Penguin, London, 2004

Quoted at id., p.326, From the March 4, 1861 Inaugural Address.