Building the Church in pluricultural Asia

AA.VV. “Inculturation” VII 19891, p. X-174 The present volume publishes some of the papers of the Jerusalem Symposium which have more directly to do with inculturation in Asia. The first, by Robert Hardawiryana, presents a little “summa” on inculturation in the pluricultural situation of Asia. The second one, by Arul M. Varaprasadam, is a presentation of the growing of the Church in the ethnic, religious and cultural pluralism of India. The third study, by Kees Bertens and the fourth, by J. B. Banawiratma, deal with inculturation in Indonesia. The sixth, by Maria Elena Chiong-Xavier, is an anthropological study on the cultural change provoked by the preaching of the Gospel in the Philippines. The seventh, by Peter Knecht, highlights the problem of ancestors’ worship in the Japanese religious and cultural consciousness. The last study, by Jospeh Dinh Duc Dao, deals with Zen meditation and inculturation in the Asian context. Robert Hardawiryana had his theological training n Holland and Rome and has been teaching theology in Yogyakarta since 1961, at what is at present the Theological Faculty “Vedabhakti”. He also teaches at the Higher catechetical Institute “Pradnyawidya”. He is consultor of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference and of the FABC. Aril M. Varaprasadam is an Indian Jesuit, former provincial of Madurai Province. He has a Master’s from the Loyola University of Chicago. Was a member of the Inculturation Commission which worked out an outline for Jesuit training attuned to the Indian context. Kees Bertens is Director of Atma Jaya Center for Philosophy and Ethics at Atma Jaya Catholic University, Jakarta, Indonesia. Joannes B. Banawiratma, born in Java in 1946, made his studies in Indonesia and at Innsbruck University. He teaches theology at Vedabhakty faculty in Yogyakarta, and is member of the Commission for ecumenism and Dialogue of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference. Maria Elena Chong-Javier teaches at De La Salle University in Manila. She has done extensive anthropological research in various parts of the Philippines and is the author of several studies on anthropology. Peter Knecht, born in Switzerland, 1937. Member of Divine Word Missionaries (SVD). Studied Philosphy in St. Gabriel, Mödling (Austria), and Theology at the Gregoriana, Rome. In Japan since 1966. Did doctoral studies in cultural anthropology at the University of Tokyo. Teaches Anthropology of Religion at Nanzan University, Nagoya, since 1978. Joseph Dinh Duc Dao is a Vietnamese priest. He was Vice-Director of the International Center of Missionary Animation and teaches in the Missiology Faculty of the Pontifical Urban University (Rome).