This volume addresses the issue of the human encounter with the Mystery of God and the purpose of human life. It explores major themes from diverse cultural and philosophical traditions, starting with questions about the possibility of belief in God, His transcendence as seen in both East and West, and ending with questions about ethics and about personhood, human dignity and human rights. Taking an eclectic approach, the chapters in this book each uniquely address aspects of the human encounter with the Mystery of God, drawing from specific cultures and traditions, and using a particular philosophical and theological style. Together, the chapters provide a fresh approach and a synergy that ensures that each topic contributes something new to the dialogue between religion and culture.

The challenges and changes that take place when religions move from one cultural context to another present unique opportunities for interreligious dialogue. In new cultural environments religions are not only propelled to enter into dialogue with the traditional or dominant religion of a particular culture; religions are also invited to enter into dialogue with one another about cultural changes. In this volume, scholars from different religious traditions discuss the various types of dialogue that have emerged from the process of acculturation. While the phenomenon of religious acculturation has generally focused on Western religions in non-Western contexts, this volume deals predominantly with the acculturation in the United States. It thus offers a fresh look at the phenomenon of acculturation while also lifting up an often implicit or ignored dimension of interreligious dialogue.

The book comes at a very critical moment in the debate on civilization and responds to the lack of scholarly attention by international relations and political theorists as to how the discourse of dialogue of cultures, religions, and civilizations can contribute to the future of world order.

The academic study of religion is undergoing great changes in response to globalization. Just as sociologists now find it necessary to think in terms of "multiculturalism," so religion scholars and theologians today must work in the context of "multireligiosity." Globalization is leading not only to multiethnic societies but also to plurality in religions and worldviews. Theology and the Religions: A Dialogue offers the first sustained analysis of the trend toward multireligiosity and its implications for the study of religion. Drawing on the resources of cultural analysis, religious studies, and theology, an international slate of thirty-seven scholars explores the relation of multiculturality and multireligiosity, the need for interreligious dialogue, and the possibilities for a "theology of religions." This groundbreaking work is supported by case studies of various religious traditions in diverse cultures from around the world. Offering an engaging, wide-angle view of religion worldwide, Theology and the Religions makes a vital contribution to our understanding of the forces shaping the future of religious and social life. Contributors: Kajsa Ahlstrand Theodor Ahrens Jan-Martin Berentsen Ulrich Dehn Helene Egnell Marianne C. Qvortrup Fibiger Patrik Fridlund Virginia Garrard-Burnett Geomon K. George Elisabeth Gerle Friedrich Wilhelm Graf Hans Hauge Ulf Hedetoft S. Mark Heim Chris Hewer Klaus Hock Michael Ipgrave Andrew J. Kirk Lene Kühle Volker Küster Aasulv Lande Oddbjørn Leirvik Ole Skjerbæk Madsen Hiromasa Mase Mogens S. Mogensen Viggo Mortensen Johannes Nissen Klaus Nürnberger Caleb Oladipo Tinu Ruparell Risto Saarinen Lamin Sanneh Olaf Schumann Notto R. Thelle Joachim Track Vítor Westhelle H. S. Wilson