Issues in Inculturation and Interreligious Dialogue

The mission of the Church calls it both to dialogue with people of other faiths and to inculturate its own Good News in the meaning systems of diverse times and places. These two aspects of mission are interwoven, and the following essay explores this relationship, particularly in the context of the Church in Asia. The inculturation of the Christian message in other religions has been a historical reality and practice of the Church throughout its history. Contemporary Asia, by its very nature, demands inculturation that is interreligious; furthermore it demands an approach to inculturation that is informed by the practice of dialogue. Such an approach would in turn critique the dominant theology of inculturation, which centres on the analogy of the incarnation. Inculturation as dialogue advocates for the paschal mystery as a more meaningful symbol for the death and transformation that takes place in the encounter between cultures and faiths.