Christianity at the Crossroads of Faiths—Globalization, Interreligious Dialogue, and the Future of Theology

The Future of Christianity in a Global Age, Part 1

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No peace among the nations without peace among the religions.

No peace among the religions without dialogue between the religions.

No dialogue between the religions without investigation of the foundations of the religions.

—Hans Küng, Christianity: Essence, History, and Future

I was raised in a small town of 600 people. The three churches were Nazarene, Church of Christ, and Methodist. All very conservative.

The only other religion that I knew of was Judaism. But I didn't understand how it related to Christianity. And my first experience I can remember with another religion outside of Christianity and Judaism came through Morgan Freeman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, who taught me, “Allah loves wondrous variety.”

World History class at Eastern Illinois University became my introduction to different religious perspectives. I found them fascinating. I could see the extent to which they reflected and informed their cultures at the same time. It turned out I had a special affinity to Taoism. I loved the way it talked about the Tao as “Mystery”.

Let's stop here.

Now, let's imagine what my life would have been like 100 years prior.

More than likely, I would have worked on a family farm or business until I inherited it. Alternatively, I may have left the family to work in the big city.

But, the important thing is that I probably would not have encountered significant information about any non-Christian religions. If I did, it would probably have been clothed in the language of demons. And, it's also likely I would have learned that Christian denominations other than my own (certain ones, anyway, if not all) were not “saved”. Such was the case with rural America 100 years ago.

If anything characterizes the last 100 years, it’s rapid change.

We are far more mobile. Communication is now instantaneous. And, we can build active relationships with people half a world away.

For better or worse, the isolation we used to know is but a vague memory for the older generations.

“It's a Small World After All”

When I was 10, my parents took me to Disney World in Florida. The number one thing I remember was the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. (It was so good they made a movie out of it.) The second thing I remember most is the song, “It's a Small World.”

Yes, it is now a small world. And I love that about it. I love living in our hyper-connected reality. It gives us advantages that no age has known before this one.

The 20th century was a century of globalization. Ease of travel and communication have become foundational to the stronger relationships countries enjoy with each other. No, it hasn't all been good for humanity, and I don’t want to dismiss the problems it has caused. But globalization has certainly brought us benefits that touch nearly everyone's lives on a daily basis.

Economic ties

More than ever, national economic interests have been woven together to bring about an age of mutual prosperity. Thanks to global supply chains, we have unprecedented levels of economic interdependence. Today, you would be hard pressed to find any product in America that hasn't been contributed to by a business in another country.

Sure, the wrench you bought last Saturday may have been made totally in the United States, but the machinery that made the wrench probably has parts manufactured somewhere else. And, to go further, the company that made that part probably has machines that also rely on their own imports.

No longer can nations say their economic interests are solely their own. We now rely on each other for economic prosperity.

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Cultural exchange

Thanks to ease of travel and the internet, everyone has access to some form of non-native cultural experience. Just think about your own life…

• What's your favorite restaurant? Italian? Mexican? Asian?

• Are you into anime? How about manga? K-pop? Bollywood?

• Have you ever traveled to another country and directly experienced another culture?

The thing about having an alternative cultural experience is that it triggers curiosity. It's not a normal experience for you, but you enjoy it. So you wonder, “What more could be out there?”

Never underestimate the power of curiosity, especially when it comes to religion. How many people do you know who heard of Buddhism for the first time, thought it sounded pretty neat, and decided to try out Buddhist meditation?

Sure, Taco Bell might not be the most authentic Mexican food available, and American Buddhism might not be the most authentic form of Buddhism, but that's kind of the point. Cultural exchange allows us to keep what enriches us and leave the rest on the table. And at the end of the day, we feel like we can understand each other a lot better.

Technological advancements

Science and technology have exploded thanks to global organizations and partnerships. When scientists do their research, they have access to global information networks. Researchers collaborate across borders to solve complex problems. This accelerates and improves innovation and response.

We can see how powerful this networking is when we look at advancements in the health field alone. By working together, scientists are able to keep our world healthier and safer. Disease surveillance, clinical trials, rapid development of vaccines, improvements in medical technology. All of these result from global cooperation.

Closer international political ties

As countries become more economically, culturally and technologically entwined, it naturally brings them closer politically. Remember, the point of international politics is to promote the interests of one's own country as it relates to other countries. Every intelligent administration knows that it is in their country's best interest to find ways to keep the intellectual and social capital flowing.

Sure, there are going to be times when difficult situations need to be worked out. But at the end of the day, because everything is so entwined, those involved have to work it out. If they don't, the effects would be catastrophic for everyone involved. It would be the epitome of cutting your nose off to spite your face.

So we have organizations to help facilitate productive conversations and negotiations, such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization. On a more regional level we have entities like the European Union. Overall, the goal is to shape policies that promote and maintain a healthy relational environment for the mutual benefit of those involved.

Reduction of violent warfare

This, for me, is the big takeaway for globalization. Remember, globalization is ultimately about relationships. And we all know that stronger relationships are better at weathering the storms of life.

It seems to me that economic ties, appreciation for other cultures, technological advancements, and increased political ties have all worked together to reduce international violence.

Let's look at Europe for a moment. Anyone who has studied European history knows that the different regions have constantly been at war with one another. More recently, we can look at the horrors of World Wars I and II. But when we look at the European situation today, we can see how radically different it is compared to the earlier 20th century.

Now we have the European Union. We have NATO. And in the face of a threat from Russia, the European alliance seems stronger than ever. In other words, those who are fully participating in in their international organizations have stronger relationships that enable them to work through their issues without turning to violence.

In fact, the relationships themselves make violence counterproductive to their national interests. It would undermine the economic prosperity that has directly resulted from working together.

Do we still have violence in this world? Of course we do. But within more globalized networks where various interests are aligned, cooperation is inherently reinforced, and violence is inherently discouraged.

The advantage that globalization has given us is that we have created structures that help prevent armed conflict. They give us the opportunity to leverage mutual benefit as the preferred outcome when conflict arises.

Postmodern culture is experiencing a meaning crisis.

Why have we lost sight of Meaning?
Is there any hope of getting it back?
Better yet, is the loss of Meaning really a bad thing?

If you long for a path forward, my theology book Drinking from an Empty Glass: Living Out of a Meaningless Spirituality is the book you’re looking for.

The dark side of globalization

Human beings are wired to survive. We naturally experience otherness as a potential threat. Hence, it is common for people to react out of fear toward that which is unfamiliar.

With some people, the likelihood of a fearful reaction increases. Studies have shown that the amygdala (aka, “the fear center of the brain”) tends to be larger in conservatives than liberals. In other words, conservatives are more concerned about potential threats and more likely to respond as if threatened.

Meanwhile, globalization has a way of pushing otherness right on to the doorsteps of our lives. As a result, we are seeing strong conservative reactions to it.

Xenophobic reaction and increasing hostility toward immigrants

Now, what happens when large segments of a population who are predisposed to react negatively to otherness experience an influx of others within their borders?

Fears run wild.

• Are “those people” going to take our jobs?

• Are we going to lose our cultural heritage?

• Are we going to be treated as second-class citizens in our own country?

• Am I going to be expected to support them financially when I'm struggling to support my own family?

Truth be told, the problems that reactionaries are worried about don't have anything to do with anything immigrants are actively doing. They are primarily afraid that the very presence of “those people” will change their identity and their familiar way of life. Maintaining a strong sense of identity and familiar way of life facilitate those treasured feelings of safety.

Rise of nationalist movements

Cultural xenophobic reaction is finding expression in rising nationalist movements all over the world. While the form these movements take may vary from country to country, they all share the same common goal: secure their tribe.

Of course, “their tribe” only includes those like themselves. It does not include citizens in their country who are different. In fact, “difference” is what determins who is out.

Their quest is to “take back control” of the political system and establish their supremacy over the nation. A perfect example of this is White Christian Nationalism in America.

And, this is where conservative religion can easily come into play. The very nature of conservative religion with its more black-and-white worldview can supercharge nationalist movements. After all, their theologies provide cosmic justification for xenophobic reactions.

But this is not to say that religion necessarily fuels xenophobia and nationalism. Quite the contrary, it also has the potential to become a solution.

Healthy religion as a vital part of a healthy future

“Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and wages war. … From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a scepter of iron;”

—Revelation 19:11–15 (NRSVUE; emphasis mine)

“True,—This!

Beneath the rule of men entirely great

The pen is mightier than the sword. Behold

The arch-enchanters wand!— itself a nothing!—

But taking sorcery from the master-hand

To paralyze the Cæsars—and to strike

The loud earth breathless!—Take away the sword—

States can be saved without it!”

—Spoken by the character Cardinal Richelieu in Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s play, “Richelieu” (1839; emphasis mine)

Religion is a powerful force to bring change in this world. It's power lies in it's amazing ability to capture hearts and minds, arguably better than any ideology.

The religious message grants a sense of ultimate meaning and purpose. It drives ordinary and extreme behaviors alike. It binds and shapes entire cultures.

Religions have a unique potential to trail blaze and inspire a new future.

Up until this emerging Contemporary Ecumenical Paradigm (as Hans Küng identifies it), religions have been able to live mostly in isolation. Yes, missionaries have gone out into the world for centuries. But, for the most part, typical religious people had little to no contact with those of other religions.

In our hyper-connected and pluralistic world, avoiding other religions is no longer an option. Because of the inherent power that religion has at its disposal, I believe that religious leaders have a moral responsibility to lead the way by promoting healthy relationships with those of other religions.

To lead the way of healthy, respectful dialogue is to lead the way to a healthy, respectful peace.

Toxic religion as a push toward mutual destruction

Read nearly any history book spanning a significant amount of time and you will see wars waged in the name of religion. No, religion has never been the only reason to go to war, but it has been a prominent.

The reason why religion rises to the top of issues, arguably, comes back to the way it unleashes the power of ultimate purpose. Mark Juergensmeyer, in his book Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence, notes the significance of this. Religion has the power to drive people to do things they wouldn't normally do, including engaging in religious violence.

Charles Kimball in his book, When Religion Becomes Evil: Five Warning Signs, identifies warning signs that a religion is becoming toxic, if not downright evil (more about this over here).

1. Absolute truth claims

2. Blind obedience

3. Establishing the “ideal time”

4. The end justifies any means

5. Declaring holy war

I believe the bottom line is this: the more of those characteristics present, the more toxic the community.

I highly recommend those two books for anyone interested in studying how religion can go off the rails. But at the end of the day, the biggest problem is at the core of their religious message itself…

“We're right. You’re wrong. Bend the knee to our God” (which really means bend the knee to us).

Inherent in their message—their theology—is an ultimate threat of eternal damnation. What they offer is peace, but it's peace through superior firepower. And of course on their side is the most superior firepower of all, God.

And here’s part of the problem with that kind of theology…

When you threaten people, they tend to react defensively. This triggers a vicious cycle of feeling threatened and defensive behavior. Division. Strife. Suffering. These are the fruits of toxic religion.

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Time to choose: The way of life or the way of death?

What path will Christianity in America take?

Part of the solution or part of the problem?

I suspect that most readers will say, “Part of the solution, of course!”

But are you so sure that's the path you really want to take?

You see, religion is meant to be part of a culture. When it functions symbiotically with culture, it is able to understand and speak to the culture in a meaningful way.

When we're talking about interfaith dialogue in light of globalization, it is this globalized culture that moves to center stage. We're not thinking about the culture of a small rural church. It is not even the culture of an urban mission. It is a culture in which one's neighbor whom we are called to love comes from another religion that has been formed by another culture entirely.

How do we love our global religious neighbors?

I think the first step is to learn about them and to appreciate them. That means suspending judgment and listening to what they have to say about their spiritual truths.

After having listened, it's important to use that conversation as a mirror to take a good hard look at ourselves. It helps us to understand how are our articulation of our truth claims affect others.

And that means we're going to have to adjust the way we talk about our truth claims, which means adjusting our truth claims themselves.

In other words, authentic interfaith dialogue that respects the other requires us to change traditional theology.

Let me say that again…

Authentic interfaith dialogue that respects the other requires us to change traditional theology.

It requires us to critically assess where it succeeds and where it fails in light of globalization.

And that's where many will balk. They don't want to change Christian theology.

But, that is precisely what needs to happen in order to have an authentic relationship with our religious neighbors. We have to stop looking at them as second class citizens. It is entirely possible to respect and appreciate the truth claims of other religions while making our own truth claims.

In this series, I want to explore some ways theologians have understood Christianity's relationship with other religions, what I think rises to the top for options, and my own take on where we might go from here.

I hope you join me for this journey.

Peace, Bo
www.evolvingchristianfaith.net

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• Thanks to DALL-E for the cover art

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