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Speaking of Harmony in Many Tongues: The Crafting of a Pan-Asian Theology

Benoît Vermander
p. 269-286

Abstracts

Developed by Asian theologians from the 1970s onwards, “Theology of Harmony” can be approached as a set of shared topics and concerns, but also, and even more importantly, as a “theological style” with Asian characteristics. The article first recalls the context in which such endeavour has been taking place. It thus describes the (dia-)logic proper to Asian theologians and the way they strategically make use of symbols and narratives. It moves on to investigate the riches and tensions that the term “Harmony” encapsulates, pleading for accrued hermeneutical rigor as the Asian theological enterprise continues to unfold. It also asserts the fecundity of the approaches here studied for loading the theological language with renewed meaning and inventiveness, in Asia and beyond.

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  • 1 Western theologians are of course well acquainted with the work of a number of their Asian colleagu (...)

1Till now, Asian theologies have not met with the echo encountered by theologies developed in other contexts, notably in Latin America.1 And yet, theological endeavors of crucial importance have taken place in the continent since the beginning of the 1970s onwards. The fact that other Churches still know relatively little about Asian theologies is perplexing: for many decades, Asian spiritual traditions have been shaping global trends focused on meditation techniques and inner exploration, and the Asian paths to the Divine have been taking universal significance. However, as Christians constitute only a tiny minority of the Asian population, their theological journey has not awakened an interest as large as should be the case, and spiritual seekers worldwide do not connect Asian Christianity with the resources and insights that originate from this continent.

2The situation may be currently changing: Churches around the world have been taking notice of the fact that the 21st century is truly the “The Asian Century;” they are also progressively recognizing the vitality and inventiveness manifested by Asian Christian communities. In return, Asian theologians have been trying to epitomize the nature of the experiential endeavor lived by their people in a “Theology of Harmony” that has been unfolding its principles and tenets over the last three to four decades. Catholic theologians, networking through the gatherings organized by Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC), have played a leading role in bringing this task to fruition; at the same time, the work of several leading Protestant theologians has been resonating and associating with this endeavor. This article sketches the context, style and topics specific to such theology, while accounting for its inner diversity. It also raises some questions on its premises and methods, the answers to which will weigh on the future of this theological enterprise and the influence it will exercise on ecclesiological, theological and spiritual developments within and outside Asia.

Harmony in Context: Navigating an Ocean of Contrasts

3Entering the mindset and concerns that frame the attempts at building a Theology of Harmony requires the observer to keep in mind the historical, cultural and social situation of Asian Christianity. Such situation could be described as an ocean of contrasts—varying, sometimes even diverging contexts being nevertheless gathered into the unifying flux of the Asian space and ethos. From the perspective of religious cultures, Asia draws its resources from a variety of sources: Chinese culture, embodying notably Taoist, Confucian and Greater Vehicle Buddhist traditions; Hinduism, Lesser Vehicle Buddhism and other religious expressions directly originating from the Indian subcontinent; Islam, with Indonesia being the most populated Muslim country in the world; indigenous beliefs and practices present all over the region, often associating with other faith expressions; and Christianity, as first molded in the West. It should be noted however that Christian presence in South-East Asia started well before the sixteenth century. The Syrian Church, with the help of Persian merchants, established seats in Ceylon, Burma and the Malay archipelago, among other places, from the sixth century on.

4When it comes to Northeast Asia, Christianity as shaped by European tradition encountered the civilizations of Japan, China and Korea mainly from the 1550s onwards. However, the avowed use of local resources and insights for doing theology is still recent. As an example, the Jesuit faculty of theology in Shanghai, which was first transferred to the Philippines from 1952 to 1967, kept Latin as the only teaching language until 1964, later shifting to English. In the Catholic world, it is only with the foundation of the Fu Jen Faculty of Theology in Taipei that teaching and research were conducted in Chinese, starting in 1968. From that time on, the shift has been swift and complete. Similar remarks could be made for Japan and Korea.

Hermeneutic Attentiveness

5The linguistic and cultural rooting of Christianity in the Asian context is a multivalent endeavor. It means coming to terms with worldview embedded into words, concepts and linguistic structures. It requires remaining open to the plurality of experiences as translated into linguistic forms. The main requisite for deepening the theological acculturation may be called “hermeneutic attentiveness.” Sensitivity and attentiveness are also needed when assessing ever-evolving economic, social and ecological challenges. Additionally, Asian Christians deal with political issues that require from them to exhibit much wisdom and forbearance. Revivalism has become a predominant religious trend, which often endangers religious coexistence and freedom; over a background of post-colonial sensitivity, religious and ethnic pride affects the consciousness of various segments of the populations all around Asia. Additionally, the growth of Christianity in Asia often occurs under a fundamentalist and proselytizing garb, which often exacerbates tensions already existing. Proselytism also characterizes “new religions,” which are in the rise in many countries.

  • 2 Michel de Certeau, La faiblesse de croire, Paris, Seuil, 1987, p. 37.

6With due respect to local contexts, these factors and others are vividly felt and reflected upon by Asian theologians. This sensitivity to the signs of times is part of the theological endeavor: Michel de Certeau has noted that, by the mere fact of combining the words of theos and logos, “theology” was based upon the tension between a logos (a systematic discourse grounded on reason) and a kairos (the surprising event that the coming of the living God always constitutes).2 Theology nurtures the discernment on the faith experience that believers share among them (1 John 4:1‑6), it must accept at the same time to let its language and focus be renewed according to the way God makes himself present, continuing the narrative of the salvation history. This is true in Asia today as it has been for the whole of Christian history.

A Theological Style: the Optimism of the Heart

  • 3 Ibid., p. 39. See also Benoît Vermander, “From Ethnography to Theology: Religious Communities in Co (...)

7Theology is not merely a discourse; it is also a way of proceeding. First, theology entails a critical discernment about the way its discourse is enacted, assessing the procedures through which its propositions are written and communicated. Second, an authentic theological discourse is grounded into an experience of the way the Word of God has been received and made flesh in the midst of a community, an experience that it precisely endeavors to translate into a language. In this regard, the crafting of a Christian community is akin to the crafting of a theological style.3

Dialogue “ad intra”

  • 4 Note that FABC Papers, designed to bring the thinking of Asian experts to a wider audience and to d (...)
  • 5 Aloysius Pieris, “The Asian Sense in Theology,” in John C. England (ed.), Living Theology in Asia, (...)

8The progressive building of a Theology of Harmony reflects the “theological style” that is proper to Asian Christian communities. From the start, it has constituted a collective endeavor, the development of which is intimately linked to the role played by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), a transnational body created in 1972 (after the historic meeting of Asian Bishops with Pope Paul VI in Manila in 1970) now comprising 22 national conferences and stretching from Pakistan in the west to the Philippines in the east, from Korea in the north of Asia to Indonesia at the south of Asia. At the end of 2015, the FABC Papers series was including 147 titles, a most remarkable attempt at collective ecclesiological and theological building.4 The successive FABC theological gatherings have fostered a patient search for in-depth sharing and consensus building among nations who experience a dizzying variety of social, political and cultural challenges. Within FABC, the series of Bishops’ Institute for Interreligious Affairs (BIRA) conferences had an important role in the discussion and dissemination of the Theology of Harmony. The 1980s were a seminal period in the crafting of the concepts and approaches that have been propounded till now. If some theologians contributed decisively to the building of an Asian Theology of Harmony, no name can encapsulate it. This specific theological endeavor belongs to no one. Its construction process reflects the values and methods it defends, which testifies to sound epistemological premises: “The method cannot be severed from the goal. […] The perfection to be achieved is the style of achieving it!”5

Dialogue “ad extra”

  • 6 Tenth FABC Plenary Assembly, December 2012: “FABC at Forty Years: Responding to the Challenges of A (...)
  • 7 Felix Wilfred, “UCAN Interview—FABC Theologian speaks on Theology of Harmony in Asia,” July 20 1988 (...)

9Grounded on dialogue and consensus building, “Theology of Harmony” promotes these same values “ad extra:” the FABC has consistently emphasized its preferential option for the dialogical path of Nostra Aetate, instituting “dialogue as the mode of mission in Asia.”6 As stressed by the Indian theologian Felix Wilfred: “In our context, dialogue must come first. Since in Asia, Christians are only a small minority, we dialogue through life situations with people of other faiths. Theology of harmony is part of the discussion and reflection on theology of dialogue.”7

  • 8 Tenth FABC Plenary Assembly, “FABC at Forty Years,” par. 5.

10Already during its first meeting in 1974, FABC articulated its preferential option for dialogue into the threefold reality of Asia: Religions, Cultures, and Poverty. Evangelization in Asia could not be separated from “living [a] Triple Dialogue: dialogue with the poor of Asia (integral liberation and option for the poor), dialogue with their cultures (inculturation) and dialogue with their religious and philosophical traditions (interreligious dialogue).”8 And indeed, these three axes have been informing the vast majority of the documents it has elaborated. The theological style developed by FABC in the documents laying out the basic concepts of the Theology of Harmony, has endeavored to be inseparably dialogic and “Asian.” There are indeed many dialogical styles, and an Asian way of entering into dialogue differs from the argumentative style that other civilizations privilege. Raimon Panikkar had already sketched the epistemological bases of this approach:

  • 9 Raimon , Myth, Faith and Hermeneutics, New York, Paulist Press, 1979,p. 243.

Dialogue seeks truth by trusting the other, just as dialectics pursues truth by trusting the order of things, the value of reason and weighty arguments. Dialectics is the optimism of reason; dialogue is the optimism of the heart. Dialectics believes it can approach truth by relying on the objective consistency of ideas. Dialogue believes it can advance along the way to truth by relying on the subjective consistency of the dialogical partners. Dialogue does not seek primarily to be duo-logue, a duet of two logoi, which would still be dialectical; but a dia-logos, a piercing of the logos to attain a truth that transcends it.9

11Similarly, the Indian Jesuit theologian Michael Amaladoss has been consistently pleading for the emergence of what could be called a “dialogical Church:”

  • 10 Michael Amaladoss, “Identity and Harmony,” in Robert J. Schreiter (ed), Mission in the Third Millen (...)

A vision of harmony accepts multiple identities in the community as the gift of God for the enrichment of all. It promotes a participative democratic order to which every group has its contribution to make. It moves through consensus rather than through the domination by any one group. Dialogue is the appropriate way of promoting harmony. Any mission that is set in the context of the mission of God cannot but be dialogical.10

  • 11 Jose kuttianimattathil, Practice and Theology of Interreligious Dialogue, Bangalore, Kristu Jioty P (...)
  • 12 kuttianimattathil, Practice and Theology of Interreligious Dialogue, p. 607.

12Another Indian theologian, Jose Kuttianimattathil, SDB, has attempted to systematically describe the characteristics of dialogue when led in the Indian/Asian way: greater emphasis on the principle of identity than on the one of contradiction; emphasis on complementarity rather than on exclusion; emphasis on a perception of reality that is context-sensitive rather than “context-free;” emphasis on realizing rather than merely knowing the Ultimate reality; and, finally, emphasis on the relative character of every experience.11 A sense of what Jose Kuttianimattathil calls the “radical relatedness of all reality”12 leads him to assert:

  • 13 kuttianimattathil, Practice and Theology of Interreligious Dialogue, pp.  608-609.

The way of procedure of the dialogical method is to let the knowledge and experience of other religions gained by one to interact through study, reflection, prayer and contemplation with the faith affirmation of one’s own community in order to correct oneself, to enrich oneself, to change oneself and also to challenge the other. […] Like any method in theology, the dialogical method too will be vindicated only by the theology it gives rise to. If this method is able to give a coherent elaboration of the deposit of Christian faith in a religiously pluralistic context, and the Christian community can recognize its faith in that elaboration, then the method can be said to be valid.13

Symbols and Narratives

  • 14 Kosuke koyama, Waterbuffalo Theology, London, SCM Press, 1974. 15.
  • 15 Francis Gonsalves, God of Our Soil. Towards Subaltern Trinitarian Theology, Delhi, ISPCK, 2010, pp. (...)
  • 16 Gonsalves, God of Our Soil, p. 178.
  • 17 Michael Amaladoss, Preface to Gonsalves, God of Our Soil, p. xvi.

13A final characteristic of the “theological style” proper to the Theology of Harmony is its reliance on images, metaphors, poems and stories as constituting the privileged language through which God makes Himself known throughout history. Most Catholic Asian theologians would concur with what Kosuke Koyama was writing while contemplating a herd of buffalos grazing in a muddy paddy field: Monsoon frogs, sticky-rice and cock-fighting were realities providing the congregation with metaphors akin to the language and insights of the Hebraic psalms.14 More recently, the Indian theologian Francis Gonsalves has been envisioning God’s Kingdom as “counter space” that subverts a set of categories through which we construct spaces, such as sacred/secular, insider/outsider, etc.15 It is within this framework that he proposes to represent Harmony itself as a communal dance: as it does not separate performers from audience, the village dance “is Life reenacted in dance. And Life is a dance in solidarity and communion.”16 This metaphor extends to a contemplation of the Trinitarian movement, as “the dynamism of the dance evokes a plurality of manifestations that merge into one movement.”17 Metaphors grounded into life experiences open up the parabolic space in which human and divine realities commune.

Defining Harmony?

14Harmony is an over-encompassing word, the meaning of which may sometimes appear evasive. One of the FABC papers attempts at approaching the term not as a “technical” concept but rather as a door that opens up a way to look at both the spiritual and the social world:

  • 18 “Asian Christian Perspectives on Harmony,” FABC Papers 75 (1996), par. 3.4.

There is an Asian approach to reality, an Asian understanding of reality that is profoundly organic, i.e., a world-view wherein the whole, the unity, is the sum-total of the web of relationships, and interaction of the various parts with each other. There is no part which is not in relation to all other parts; and all the parts together make the whole. The parts are understood in terms of their mutual dependence. Our efforts to resolve disharmony and promote wholeness of life need to draw from our Asian cultural and religious resources which will resonate with our people and speak to them more effectively.18

15Other documents offer a more programmatic view of what the term implies; harmony is an ideal to be realized first at the ecological level, second at the level of social relationships as there is no harmony without respect for human dignity, and finally as a way of living pluralism, which implies a special concern for interreligious dialogue. The later task has been one on which several Asian theologians have expressed themselves forcefully. Thus, Michael Amaladoss expands,

  • 19 Michael Amaladoss, “Syncretism and Harmony,” in Michael Amaladoss, Beyond Dialogue, Bangalore, Asia (...)

if we really believe that God’s plan is to “gather up all things,” to “reconcile all things” then encounters with cultures and religions leading to symbiosis and harmony would be normal. Deeper encounters may lead us to explore newer dimensions of experience beyond “name and form.”19

Asian Harmony and Biblical Hermeneutics

16Whatever the approach privileged, the stress is always on finding the positive forces of harmony within Asia itself. Asian textual and living traditions are the ones to teach the theologian about the way God has created both the cosmos and humankind for the ultimate harmony that His own being irradiates. At the same time, this standpoint resonates with a specific Biblical hermeneutics:

  • 20 FABC Papers 75, par. 3.3.2.3.

The Pauline writings present harmony in terms of reconciliation and recapitulation in Christ. Human beings stand in a state of broken relationship and must be reconciled to God. This has been done by God through the death and resurrection of Christ. To express this idea, Paul uses the term katallassein, which means a change from the estrangement to friendship with God. Reconciliation is God’s work of grace. […] Hence, the Church, as the communion of the children of God, is the community of restored humanity, the icon (eikon) of God. Therefore, the Church has to be at the service of the restoration of the whole creation in its original harmony.20

  • 21 See Fang Chin-jung, “Jidutu kan Kongzi yu qi mendizi de guanxi [A Christian’s View on the Relations (...)

17Chinese Christians, who have been versed in the art of comparing Classics from the time when Jesuits and Literati were mutually discovering their textual traditions, have been particularly prone to make Confucian teachings harmoniously resonate with the Biblical tradition. Meditating on the Analects of Confucius, the Chinese Jesuit theologian Mark Fang Chih-jung notes that this particular Classic — a lively record of the exchanges between Confucius and his disciples—constitutes a “pedagogical universe” that opens up the reader to the joy of teaching and learning. Similarly, during the course of his public life Jesus leads his disciples towards enlightenment through efficient and sometimes paradoxical learning experiences. In both cases, an investigation into the nature of the world and of humankind is under way, an investigation that Jesus extends towards the full revelation of God’s mystery. Metaphors of “the way” and “the door”—frequent both in the Analects and the Gospel of John—help us to understand the attitude of the Master, humble enough for becoming merely the path on which the disciple can travel. In Chinese context, Confucius remains the model of the Master, the one who opens the road towards inner freedom and constant spiritual progress. By appropriating Confucius’ way of proceeding, the Chinese Christian can even better apprehend how deeply rooted into the nature of things and of humankind is the Way of Jesus, and marvel at the work of the Spirit throughout all cultures and times.21

Harmony, Justice and Ecology

  • 22 See notably Margins: Site of Asian Theologies, Delhi, ISPCK, 2008.

18Conceiving of Harmony as a “dance” suggests that it is also, in some respect, a “struggle.” Felix Wilfred, among others, has attempted to capture the implications of the Asian approach of harmony when articulating issues related to social and ecological justice.22 An organic world-view implies a constant attempt at nurturing and balancing relationships:

  • 23 Margins, pp.  126, 128, 134.

By recognizing the ontological communion among the various parts of reality—and therefore among the various constituents (individuals and groups) in society—organic vision leads one to experience the whole of reality and one’s place in it Plurality does not become a threat, because it is part of one’s very self. […] Harmony is an approach in which the human is understood and viewed from the perspective of the various bonds that bind it with the whole of creation in cosmic solidarity. A new anthropology from the perspective of harmony could significantly contribute to develop a theology that is more sensitive to the present-day issues of nature and ecology.23

19One senses here an underlying tension: Harmony is about organic solidarity; however, upholding such vision and value requires one to sometimes engage into divisive choices and struggles. The tension is subsumed into a creative dynamic by stressing the fact that all struggles are about restoring social and cosmic solidarity, and that they are to be led in a fashion that never betrays the original vision.

The Outer World and the Inner Experience: towards an “Harmonic Christology”

20Theology of Harmony goes beyond an ecclesiological style and agenda. It strives at articulating insights on the way God inhabits our hearts and our communities, making us already enter into His ultimate mystery by the very fact that He is dwelling in our midst. Such insights are drawn from the experience underwent both by very ancient traditions and by the witness of locally anchored Christian communities. FABC theologians working on interreligious dialogue have been recently putting a stress on the witnessing dimension of a Theology of Harmony:

  • 24 Final Statement BIRA VI, November 2015: “Asian Celebration of 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate,” p (...)

21As a community of disciples, we give witness to Jesus through our personal and communal lifestyle of love in three interconnected ways: silence, presence, and story-telling. In an existential silence, we empty ourselves and listen deeply to the voices of the other without judging, with a loving heart. In the depth of our silence, we are aware of Jesus’ presence among us, which is inspiring our journey of interreligious dialogue and action for transforming the world. It is by telling our own story of transformation through Jesus, as individual persons and as communities, that the globalized culture of indifference and greedy consumerism is to be transformed into the gospel-culture of solidarity and sharing.24

22The relationship existing between Silence and Word is a favorite topic of Asian theologians. One of his revered pioneers, Aloysius Pieris, has often meditated on the theme:

  • 25 Aloysius Pieris, “The Asian Sense in Theology,” p. 175.

Harmony between Word and Silence is the test of Asian authenticity, indeed it is the Spirit, the Eternal Energy which makes every word spring from Silence and lead to Silence, every engagement spring from renunciation, every struggle from a profound restfulness, every freedom from stern discipline, every action from stillness, every “development” from detachment, and every acquisition from non-addiction. […] If there is Harmony between our Speech and our Silence, whether in worship or service or conversation, the Spirit is amongst us.25

23Quite naturally, contemplating how Silence and Word spring from one another leads Asian theologians to resort to musical metaphors. Felix Wilfred, reflecting on the style proper to Indian music, suggests how eternity is experienced in the blink of a moment, transcending the limitations proper to the approaches of time and consciousness that remain merely linear:

  • 26 Wilfred, Margins, p. 131.

[In Indian music], what we have is an eternal harmonious melody which is not divisible into past or present or future, nor split into a beginning, middle and end. It conveys the impression of a never-ending eternity, experienced as now. Because the organic vision is rooted in the realization of the inter-connectedness of all reality, the experience of it is not primarily in terms of time. Rather, one seeks together in the centre of one’s consciousness the totality in all its diversity and richness. Therefore many things can simultaneously become present and be experienced within human consciousness.26

  • 27 See Jung Young Lee, The Trinity in Asian Perspective, Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1996.
  • 28 See notably Heup Young kim, Christ and the Tao, Hong Kong, Christian Conference of Asia, 2003 (repr (...)
  • 29 Mencius, 7A4.
  • 30 Jonathan Yun-Ka Tan, “Jesus, the Crucified and Risen Sage: Constructing a Contemporary Confucian Ch (...)
  • 31 See “Discovering the Face of Jesus in Asia Today: a Guide to Doing Mission in Asia,” FABC Papers 84 (...)

24In another cultural context, the late Korean-American theologian Jung Young Lee had used the Chinese notion of harmony as understood through the philosophical construct of yin-yang with its inherently “both-and” (rather than “either-or”) worldview to meditate on the mystery of the Trinity.27 In a number of publications, another Korean protestant theologian, Heup Young Kim, proposes the Dao (the Way of Life), instead of logos and praxis, as an alternative root-metaphor for theological and interreligious discourse: in contrast to theo-logos (classical theologies) and theo-praxis (liberation theologies), he calls this paradigm theodao. Both the logos and the praxis metaphors, he says, underscore only one dimension of knowing and acting. In contrast, Dao entails the unity of knowing and acting, as was notably propounded by the Chinese philosopher Wang Yangming.28 In all these approaches, experiencing the outer world and one’s inner reality, acting upon the outer world and engaging into one’s inner transformation, are operations that all merge into one and the same process, which was already described by the ancient Chinese masters: “All things are complete within me. If I examine myself and am sincere (with myself), there is no greater joy. When in my conduct, I vigorously exercise altruism, then ‘benevolence’ (ren) is not for to seek, but right by me.”29 Such theological path, anchored into the search for inner and outer harmony as framed by the writings of the ancient Chinese philosophers, leads to a specific Christological style, which sees Jesus as “the Crucified and Risen Sage.”30 From his incarnation to his Kenosis, Jesus makes his innermost union with the Father become the locus through which he interacts with and acts upon the outer world. Uniting Truth and Life throughout the path in which he leads us, Jesus-Christ—the Way—is ultimately “the Source of Harmony.”31

Questions and Prospects

Diversity and Conflicts

  • 32 Starting of course with C. S. Soong.
  • 33 On theologies developed in the Chinese world including “homeland theologies,” see Matteo nicolini-Z (...)
  • 34 See for instance Dionysius Rasquinha, “A Dalit Christian Critique of the Brahminic Ideology,” Journ (...)

25It should be noted that, even though its resonance has been widespread, the theme of “Harmony” does not suffice to capture the diversity and nuances of Asian theologies. “Homeland” theologies, such as the one developed for instance by Protestant theologians in Taiwan32, show some diffidence towards traditional cultural concepts, which may unduly tame or even deny local and/or marginal sensitivities and their potentially subversive appeal. In the Chinese context, the school that calls itself “Sino-Christian theology” has started from different premises; its original impetus had to do with elaborating a multifaceted theological discourse anchored into the experience and the mother tongue proper to individual subjects—be they professional theologians or not. For such scholars (often wary of the political uses of the discourse on “Harmony” that the Chinese state is prompt to foster), “Individuality” and “Modernity” have been topics more prominent than Harmony has ever been.33 In the Indian context, the theological style proper to Dalit theologians (Dalit being the self-chosen name of castes that the dominant system considers “untouchable”), while not being directly opposed to the acculturation endeavor led by other Indian theologians, strikes other chords: the structural sin and the underlying lies that are inherent to an oppressive religious and cultural system constitute the realities prominently emphasized, which may go directly against an emphasis on Harmony.34

26Most proponents of a Theology of Harmony are acutely aware of the potential traps that the term conveys:

  • 35 Wilfred, Margins, p. 121.

[The discourse] about theology of harmony … may appear as an effort to camouflage the realistic situation of the battleground and to dissuade the aggrieved from the path of struggle. It may give the impression of having taken side with the powerful and privileged of our world who are at home with the language of “peace,” “harmony,” etc., and are uncomfortable with the language of conflict and struggle.35

27The difficulty may not be easily overcome in China, as the social ideal of harmony (he, hexie, or else xiehe) has been and is still often used for silencing dissent. More generally, anyone who wants to creatively refer to the traditional worldview on “Harmony” meets immediately with a problem: notably in Chinese context, the concept suited well a homogeneous society with clear-cut levels of authority and firm control over external influences. Contemporary societies (be it in China or elsewhere) are characterized by their fluidity, their internationalization, a constant diversification in thinking and norms of conduct, and by an ever-increasing degree of human, economic and cultural interactions.

Comparing Values and Classics

  • 36 See notably FABC Papers 75, ch. 3: “Harnessing Asian Cultures and Religions.” Among other “vignette (...)

28An enterprise aiming at building up a theological style extending to the space of a continent as immense as Asia is always to be led with much methodological caution. Such imperative may be sometimes overlooked. Some of the FABC papers (notably no. 75 [1996]) appear to be engaging into the dubious task of “harmonizing harmony,” i.e. equating concepts and values that have been elaborated from within widely varying contexts. The Indonesian Pancasila ideology, the Chinese approach to hexie, the attainment of harmony with Nature and the Divine in Hindu, Buddhist or Shinto traditions… A correct understanding of all of the above necessitates activating precise conceptual distinction; it also requires one to exercise much political flair when it comes to the way these concepts may be instrumentalized. And the way to approach “Harmony” in Islam or in primal religions should come with even more methodological caution.36

  • 37 Such methodological caution has not always been respected, and not only on the Western side of the (...)

29At the same time, the task on which the Asian Theology of Harmony has been embarking promises to be of astounding fecundity. It should help the traditions engaged in the process re-interpret some of their tenets through an attentive reading of the Classics and life experiences of the Other, provided that the various texts and cultural-linguistic expressions being compared are taken and analyzed according to their hermeneutical status, the analysis thus following a rigorous process of formulation and reformulation.37 For instance, a closer look at the Chinese Classics reveals the complexity of the debates in which their authors are engaged, sometimes through bitter debates; but it may be this inner complexity (rather than too linear a view of their supposed unity) that will enrich biblical exegesis, once the plurality of the Christian scriptures is also taken into account. Once such precautionary rules are respected, the venues opened are particularly promising: individual narrations of the spiritual experiences undergone in East Asian contexts challenge Western categories of the spiritual or mystic path; Buddhist and Taoist scriptures obey hermeneutic models which enrich the usual categorization of theological discourse. Eventually, “Harmony” may appear as the almost unexpected fruit of the taking into account of all these “disharmonies,” rather than being merely the result of a programmed endeavor.

  • 38 Kosuke Koyama, Mount Fuji and Mount Sinai. A Critique of Idols, Maryknoll, NY, Orbis Books, 1984, p (...)

30The sustainability and inner creativity of a Theology of Harmony will depend on its realizing that, throughout history, dialogues are always interrupted and always re-starting anew: even as they appear “broken” by disjunctions, violence and misunderstandings, our various dialogic attempts are eventually drawing a non-linear continuum in time and space, a continuum that links all dialogic attempts into an inchoate and continuous conversation. Dialogues are never started nor are they ever terminated, they rather appear in sequences that connect into unfinished narratives, which may, at some of their turns, join the disciples of Socrates, Confucius, Jesus and Buddha into a single conversing body. Such a global conversing body ultimately takes shape because specific dialogic endeavors had first fostered (and still foster today) “local” communities—communities both unified and kept open for further extension thanks to their dialogic origin. Thus, remaining attentive to the interruptions, upturns and surprises inherent to the dialogic endeavor will help the Asian Theology of Harmony to embark on yet unexplored ventures. And fostering a potential for creativity and novelty is part of the duties of the theologians’ community: “All theologies must express the creativity of Jesus-Christ who is ‘broken and holy,’ ‘holy and broken’ for our salvation.”38

31As already noted, the development of the Asian Theology of Harmony cannot be separated from the way local Churches, throughout the continent, envision their call and mission:

  • 39 Jonathan Yun-Ka Tan, “A New Way of Being Church in Asia: the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferenc (...)

The FABC’s “new way of being church” seeks to immerse the Asian Church in the diverse and pluralistic Asian Sitz-im-Leben, sharing life in solidarity with the Asian peoples and serving life, as Jesus had done. In doing so, the FABC unequivocally privileges solidarity, companionship, and collaborative partnership with the Asian peoples and their myriad religions, cultures, and immense poverty. […] In the final analysis, for the FABC the way forward is not a defensive and inward-looking church, but a church that seeks to collaborate with others to address the challenges of twenty-first century Asia.39

32More than any specific topic, this is the “optimism of the heart” that we should take as the basis of present-day Asian theological endeavors. While exploring the interconnectedness of all sentient beings, the Asian Theology of Harmony re-asserts that humanity is “capable of God” as long as we experience and nurture the organic solidarity that gathers us into a whole. Because it is dia-logical the Asian quest for Harmony, inspired both by the Church’s reading of the Scriptures and by the living traditions of the continent, is truly theo-logical: it unfolds as a continuous discovery—emerged from within silence and sharing, expressed through narrative, symbolic and conceptual discourses—of the inexhaustible novelty of God.

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Bibliography

Quelques références bibliographiques en français

M. Amaladoss, Le Cosmos dansant, une voie vers l’harmonie (Spiritualités en dialogue 4), Paris, Mediaspaul, 2005.

D. Arghiresco, De la continuité dynamique dans l’univers confucéen. Lecture néoconfucéenne du Zhongyong (中庸): nouvelle traduction et commentaire herméneutique (Patrimoines. Confucianisme), Paris, Cerf, 2013 (traduction et tentative d’interprétation selon le modèle des commentaires chinois d’un texte fondateur du confucianisme).

É. Chia, « Le dialogue interreligieux et la plénitude de vie en Asie », Culture et foi, http://www.culture-et-foi.com/texteliberateuredmund_chia_dialogue_interreligieux.htm

M. Fang, « Faire de la théologie en chinois », dans P. bovati – R. Meynet (éd.), Ouvrir les Écritures. Mélanges offerts à Paul Beauchamp (Lectio divina 162), Paris, Cerf, 1995, p. 307-316.

M. Fédou, Regards asiatiques sur le Christ (Jésus et Jésus-Christ 77), Paris, Desclée, 1998.

R. Panikkar, Entre Dieu et le cosmos. Une vision non dualiste de la réalité, entretiens avec G. Jarczyk (Expérience intérieure), Paris, Albin Michel, 2012.

Y. Vagneux, Co-esse. Le mystère trinitaire dans la pensée de Jules Monchanin – Swâmi Paramârûbyânanda (1895-1957) (Sed contra), Paris, Desclée de Brouwer, 2015.

B. Vermander (éd.), Le Christ chinois. Héritages et espérance (Christus 87), Paris, Desclée de Brouwer, 1998.

B. Vermander, « Le monde sinisé: Chine, Taiwan, Corée, Japon », dans J. Doré (éd.), Le devenir de la théologie catholique mondiale depuis Vatican II, 1965-1999 (Sciences théologiques et religieuses 10), Paris, Beauchesne, 2000, p. 397-427.

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Appendix

Long résumé en français/ Long French abstract

Les théologies d’Asie rencontrent encore peu d’échos sur les autres continents par rapport aux théologies originaires d’Amérique latine, notamment. Mais à l’intérieur même de l’immense continent asiatique, des initiatives et des projets se sont fait jour pour l’élaboration d’une théologie prenant en compte la diversité du christianisme selon les pays et les communautés. La Fédération des conférences épiscopales d’Asie (FABC, selon l’acronyme anglais) a des affirmations fortes dans ce sens, dans la ligne de la mémorable rencontre du Pape Paul VI avec les évêques de 22 pays d’Asie à Manille en 1970; des théologiens protestants font aussi entendre leur voix.

Un examen du contexte fait apparaître en premier lieu un « océan de contrastes », au plan politique, social, culturel et religieux, qui fait mesurer la difficulté d’aboutir à une « théologie de l’harmonie » qui s’approprierait à la fois les convergences et les divergences. Il faut partir de la conviction que le but et la méthode, la pensée et le « style » sont étroitement liées, comme le suggère Aloysius Pieris. C’est un projet à poursuivre ensemble, et cela passe à la fois par un dialogue ad intra et par un dialogue ad extra – « le dialogue comme modalité de la mission en Asie », affirme la FABC à la suite des propositions de Nostra Aetate; R. Panikkar et d’autres plaident aussi pour une théologie du dialogue. Lors de sa première réunion en 1974, la FABC a promu son option préférentielle pour un triple dialogue, au plan des religions, de la culture, de la pauvreté. C’est appeler à une « Église dialogale », selon l’expression du jésuite indien Michael Amaladoss. Sur un plan proprement épistémologique, c’est la « relationalité radicale du réel tout entier » (Jose Kuttianimattathil), affirmée par nombre de pensées asiatiques, qui constitue la base de l’édifice.

C’est sur pareille base qu’opère le recours aux métaphores, au langage symbolique et aux récits présents dans toutes les traditions religieuses et dans la vie même des différentes communautés. Ainsi émerge, par exemple, l’image de la danse pour signifier le mouvement intra-trinitaire.

Il n’est cependant pas si facile de définir ce qu’est l’harmonie. On peut la comprendre à partir d’affirmations néotestamentaires présentant le Christ comme « récapitulant toutes choses » et « réconciliant » la création. Une telle herméneutique biblique est propre à la rencontre avec les traditions religieuses et culturelles asiatiques dans leur diversité. Plusieurs théologiens travaillent ainsi à favoriser les rencontres entre le style de vie et d’enseignement confucéen et celui de Jésus par exemple. Mais la pensée de l’harmonie se nourrit aussi de considérations sociales et de justice écologique, ce qui l’enracine comme « solidarité organique » et « cosmique ».

Les communautés chrétiennes asiatiques ont ainsi à témoigner d’une théologie et d’une christologie de l’harmonie – une harmonie entre Parole et Silence qui rencontre l’authenticité la plus profonde de l’Asie. Heup Young Kim, théologien coréen protestant, propose ainsi le Dao (la Voie) comme une métaphore fondatrice pour un discours théologique et interreligieux et substitue au syntagme theo-logos des théologies classiques celui de theodao. Par des biais divers, philosophes tant confucéens que taoïstes peuvent susciter une relecture originale, authentiquement inculturée, de la relation du Père et du Fils telle qu’elle se manifeste dans l’Incarnation.

Bâtir une théologie de l’harmonie en contexte asiatique ne va pas sans difficultés ni risques, notamment dans la société chinoise contemporaine. La dimension politique, productrice d’ambiguïtés, ne peut pas être totalement occultée, pas plus que la prise en compte du processus de globalisation, lequel relativise la spécificité des différents mondes culturels. Si la complexité des débats et des enjeux exige de faire preuve de prudence, l’entreprise n’en est pas moins promise à une grande fécondité – par définition, le dialogue n’est jamais achevé, et les interlocuteurs ont à risquer l’aventure. L’« optimisme du cœur » et la conviction que l’humanité est « capax Dei » conduisent, chez les théologiens asiatiques, cette quête de l’incessante nouveauté du mystère du Christ.

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Notes

1 Western theologians are of course well acquainted with the work of a number of their Asian colleagues, such as Peter Phan, Aloysius Pieris Choan-Seng Song or Jonathan Y. Tan. We do not intend to offer here a panorama of Asian theology as a whole but rather to reflect on the way the theme of “Harmony” has been tackled by theologians living and working in Asia.

2 Michel de Certeau, La faiblesse de croire, Paris, Seuil, 1987, p. 37.

3 Ibid., p. 39. See also Benoît Vermander, “From Ethnography to Theology: Religious Communities in Contemporary Shanghai and the Tasks of East Asian Theology,” Korean Journal of Systematic Theology 39 (2014), pp.  7-35.

4 Note that FABC Papers, designed to bring the thinking of Asian experts to a wider audience and to develop critical analysis of the problems facing the Church in Asia from people on the scene, do not necessarily represent official policies of the FABC.

5 Aloysius Pieris, “The Asian Sense in Theology,” in John C. England (ed.), Living Theology in Asia, Maryknoll, NY Orbis Books, 1982, p. 174.

6 Tenth FABC Plenary Assembly, December 2012: “FABC at Forty Years: Responding to the Challenges of Asia. A New Evangelization,” par. 5.

7 Felix Wilfred, “UCAN Interview—FABC Theologian speaks on Theology of Harmony in Asia,” July 20 1988, https://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/1988/07/20/ucan-interview-fabc-theologian-speaks-on-theology-of-harmony-in-asia&post_id=1459, last consulted February 26, 2016.

8 Tenth FABC Plenary Assembly, “FABC at Forty Years,” par. 5.

9 Raimon , Myth, Faith and Hermeneutics, New York, Paulist Press, 1979,p. 243.

10 Michael Amaladoss, “Identity and Harmony,” in Robert J. Schreiter (ed), Mission in the Third Millennium, Maryknoll, NY, Orbis Press, 2001, p. 39.

11 Jose kuttianimattathil, Practice and Theology of Interreligious Dialogue, Bangalore, Kristu Jioty Publications, 1995, pp.  599-606.

12 kuttianimattathil, Practice and Theology of Interreligious Dialogue, p. 607.

13 kuttianimattathil, Practice and Theology of Interreligious Dialogue, pp.  608-609.

14 Kosuke koyama, Waterbuffalo Theology, London, SCM Press, 1974. 15.

15 Francis Gonsalves, God of Our Soil. Towards Subaltern Trinitarian Theology, Delhi, ISPCK, 2010, pp.  185 sqq.

16 Gonsalves, God of Our Soil, p. 178.

17 Michael Amaladoss, Preface to Gonsalves, God of Our Soil, p. xvi.

18 “Asian Christian Perspectives on Harmony,” FABC Papers 75 (1996), par. 3.4.

19 Michael Amaladoss, “Syncretism and Harmony,” in Michael Amaladoss, Beyond Dialogue, Bangalore, Asian Trading Corporation, 2008, p. 153.

20 FABC Papers 75, par. 3.3.2.3.

21 See Fang Chin-jung, “Jidutu kan Kongzi yu qi mendizi de guanxi [A Christian’s View on the Relationship between Confucius and His disciples],” Daofeng (Logos and Pneuma) 8 (1998), pp.  197-208.

22 See notably Margins: Site of Asian Theologies, Delhi, ISPCK, 2008.

23 Margins, pp.  126, 128, 134.

24 Final Statement BIRA VI, November 2015: “Asian Celebration of 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate,” par. 8.

25 Aloysius Pieris, “The Asian Sense in Theology,” p. 175.

26 Wilfred, Margins, p. 131.

27 See Jung Young Lee, The Trinity in Asian Perspective, Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1996.

28 See notably Heup Young kim, Christ and the Tao, Hong Kong, Christian Conference of Asia, 2003 (reprinted by Wipf & Stock, 2010).

29 Mencius, 7A4.

30 Jonathan Yun-Ka Tan, “Jesus, the Crucified and Risen Sage: Constructing a Contemporary Confucian Christology,” in Roman Malek (ed.), The Chinese Face of Jesus-Christ, vol. 3b, Nettetal, Steyler Verlag, 2007, pp.  1481-1513. In the same volume, see also Benoît Vermander, “Jesus-Christ as Seen by Chinese Catholic Theologians Today,” pp.  1421-1430.

31 See “Discovering the Face of Jesus in Asia Today: a Guide to Doing Mission in Asia,” FABC Papers 84 (1999).

32 Starting of course with C. S. Soong.

33 On theologies developed in the Chinese world including “homeland theologies,” see Matteo nicolini-Zani, “The Development of Chinese Christian Theology in the Last Decades: between Indigenization and Contextualization,” Tripod 39/155 (2009), pp.  31-54. On Sino-Christian theology, see Li Qiuling, “Historical Reflections on ‘Sino-Christian Theology,’ ” China Study Journal, Spring-Summer 2007, pp.  54-67; Yang Huilin – Daniel H. N. Yeuang (ed.), Sino-Christian Studies in China, Newcastle, Cambridge Scholars Press, 2006; Sun Xiangchen, “The Possibility of Sino-Christian Theology: from ‘Cultural Christianity’ to ‘Christian Scholars,’ ” China Study Journal, Autumn-Winter 2009, pp.  35-44.

34 See for instance Dionysius Rasquinha, “A Dalit Christian Critique of the Brahminic Ideology,” Journal of Indian Theology 8/2 (2015), pp.  23-44.

35 Wilfred, Margins, p. 121.

36 See notably FABC Papers 75, ch. 3: “Harnessing Asian Cultures and Religions.” Among other “vignettes” about Asian traditions on Harmony, this text asserts that primal religions “make no distinction between the sacred and the profane,” which certainly comes as a surprise for a reader of Durkheim… Another way of pointing out the same problem would be to say that anthropological categories should be used as rigorously as theological categories are to be.

37 Such methodological caution has not always been respected, and not only on the Western side of the dialogic attempts. For taking just an example, when it comes to early attempts at Buddhist and Christian cross-hermeneutics, see James W. Heisig – John C. Maraldo (ed.), Rude Awakenings: Zen, the Kyoto School, and the Question of Nationalism, Honolulu, University of Hawai’i Press, 1994. See also Jamie Hubbard – Paul L. Swanson (ed.), Pruning the Bodhi Tree: the Storm over Critical Buddhism, Honolulu, University of Hawai’i Press, 1997.

38 Kosuke Koyama, Mount Fuji and Mount Sinai. A Critique of Idols, Maryknoll, NY, Orbis Books, 1984, p. 244.

39 Jonathan Yun-Ka Tan, “A New Way of Being Church in Asia: the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) at the Service of Life in Pluralistic Asia,” Missiology. An International Review 31/1 (2005), pp.  91, 92.

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References

Bibliographical reference

Benoît Vermander, Speaking of Harmony in Many Tongues: The Crafting of a Pan-Asian TheologyRevue des sciences religieuses, 91/2 | 2017, 269-286.

Electronic reference

Benoît Vermander, Speaking of Harmony in Many Tongues: The Crafting of a Pan-Asian TheologyRevue des sciences religieuses [Online], 91/2 | 2017, Online since 01 January 2019, connection on 29 March 2024. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/rsr/3969; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/rsr.3969

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About the author

Benoît Vermander

S.J. School of Philosophy Fudan University Shanghai

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The text only may be used under licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. All other elements (illustrations, imported files) are “All rights reserved”, unless otherwise stated.

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