New LWF publication says communities cannot thrive if they withdraw into restricted areas. Photo: LWF/S. Gallay
New LWF publication on religious pluralism in Asia
(LWI) – In a new publication, Interactive Pluralism in Asia. Religious Life and Public Space, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) provides insights into the influence of religious life in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Myanmar.
Interactive pluralism captures the notion that communities cannot thrive if they withdraw into restricted areas. Rather, they need to actively engage with one another by exchanging their different convictions and perspectives in a shared public space, where common commitments and values can emerge.
In articles focusing on justification, salvation, the Holy Spirit and the Trinity, theologians and social scientists examine how Christian theology and religion engage with politics and contemporary issues in Asia and the Christian responsibility in society.
One of the contributors, Fernando Sihotang, points out that the present moment is appropriate for religious people in Indonesia to prove that they long for peace and justice. “No one should be forced out of a community because they are different. Instead, we may take our very diversity as an opportunity to join hands for our common well-being,” he writes.
This publication is part of the LWF study process on the role of religions in the public space. A global study group developed a public statement and study document on The Church in the Public Space, which the LWF Council received at its June 2016 meeting.
Interactive Pluralism in Asia. Religious Life and Public Space is co-edited by Simone Sinn, LWF study secretary for Public Theology and Interreligious Relations, and Tong Wing-Sze, director of the Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre, Hong Kong.
