Contextualization in Theological Formation

Abstract

Conclusion: As a transition to the following papers on the different contexts of Indian society, may I permit myself a couple of general remarks. Nearly forty years ago (1974) the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences spelled out a triple dialogue of the Gospel with the many poor, the rich cultures, and the living religions of Asia as the task of the Church in Asia. The situation has not changed very much. But the special elements in the Indian context that theology has to confront are the discriminations and inequalities of the caste system and the way women are treated in society. Social inequalities are not peculiar to India. They take various forms in various regions. Women are at a disadvantage everywhere. But the forms that they take here are special and need to be addressed. It is a question of respecting human dignity and freedom. The vision of the Kingdom of God is meaningless if such inequalities continue. Can we say that the success of our contextual theologizing will depend on our ability in freeing the minds and lives of our theologians from such inequalities? That could be a touchstone of the transformation that we seek. That will translate in the Indian context the new commandment of Jesus: “Love one another as I have loved you!” (Jn 15:12)

Secondly, India is the cradle of many world religions. They are the religions of our ancestors. They are not irrelevant to us. Theology in India will necessarily be dialogical. Such a dialogue need not be external, but internal in which the theologians seek to integrate their past heritage with present realities. External dialogue may not be integrative in the same way but will pose different kinds of challenges. We need to be open to both.