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A review by drbobcornwall
What Christians Can Learn from Other Religions by J. Philip Wogaman
4.0
Philip Wogaman, former senior minister at Washington D.C.'s Foundry United Methodist Church, a congregation whose members included Bill and Hillary Clinton along with Bob and Elizabeth Dole, as well as former President of the Interfaith Alliance and professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary, writes a book that I think should have great value to Christians who wonder whether there is something to learn from their neighbors who hail from religions other than their own. Once Protestants and Catholics might have asked that about each other, but in today's increasingly pluralistic context the conversation partners are becoming increasingly diverse. Wogaman asks the right question -- what can we as Christians learn? In the course of ten chapters he offers his reflections on that question.
He focuses his attention on primal religions, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese religions (Taoism and Confucianism), and atheism. He adds another chapter that asks similar questions of several religions he is unable to address more broadly -- Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, and the Baha'i movement. The principle that he works with is that dialogue must compare the best of the other with the best in one's own. He notes where he feels is necessary where Christians probably won't find a particular belief system workable (such as the idea of reincarnation present in a number of Eastern religions). He seems to have invited members of these faith communities to read and critique his presentation so its fair. He includes atheism because while not affirming divinity, they do have conversations about ultimate concerns, and their critiques are worth considering.
The concluding chapter offers suggested areas where other faith traditions might learn from Christianity -- including the way in which modern Christian scholars have handled scripture critically.
The book began as a sermon series, which makes this a very accessible and readable text. As one involved in interfaith work, I found this to be quite useful. My only real problem area came when he delved into that treacherous doctrine of the Trinity in his chapter on Islam. Recognizing that the Trinity is a problem for Jews and Muslims, he sought to address their concerns about whether Christianity is truly monotheistic. In his effort to demonstrate that Christians aren't tri-theists or polytheists, he seemed to move to the opposite view, which is modalism (father, son, and spirit end up being masks or functions). But, that is really the only place where I struggled with his presentation.
Recommended resource for interested Christians and their friends outside the faith!
He focuses his attention on primal religions, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese religions (Taoism and Confucianism), and atheism. He adds another chapter that asks similar questions of several religions he is unable to address more broadly -- Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, and the Baha'i movement. The principle that he works with is that dialogue must compare the best of the other with the best in one's own. He notes where he feels is necessary where Christians probably won't find a particular belief system workable (such as the idea of reincarnation present in a number of Eastern religions). He seems to have invited members of these faith communities to read and critique his presentation so its fair. He includes atheism because while not affirming divinity, they do have conversations about ultimate concerns, and their critiques are worth considering.
The concluding chapter offers suggested areas where other faith traditions might learn from Christianity -- including the way in which modern Christian scholars have handled scripture critically.
The book began as a sermon series, which makes this a very accessible and readable text. As one involved in interfaith work, I found this to be quite useful. My only real problem area came when he delved into that treacherous doctrine of the Trinity in his chapter on Islam. Recognizing that the Trinity is a problem for Jews and Muslims, he sought to address their concerns about whether Christianity is truly monotheistic. In his effort to demonstrate that Christians aren't tri-theists or polytheists, he seemed to move to the opposite view, which is modalism (father, son, and spirit end up being masks or functions). But, that is really the only place where I struggled with his presentation.
Recommended resource for interested Christians and their friends outside the faith!