Intercultural hermeneutics : intercultural theology / Henning Wrogemann ; translated by Karl E. Bohmer. [print]

Part I Intercultural Theology: What Does This Mean?

1 The Gospel of Life in the Midst of Cultures: An African Case Study

2 Intercultural Theology: A Primer

Part II Intercultural Hermeneutics and the Concept of Culture

3 Intercultural Hermeneutics: Introduction

4 The History of Hermeneutics in the West and Interculturality: An Overview

5 Globalization and Interculturality: Is "Foreignness" Dying Out?

6 Is Interculturation Permissible? Concerning Symbolic Forms and Their Use

7 On Scientific Discourses and Power: What Is Culture?

8 Cultural Semiotics, Discourse Theory, and Intercultural Hermeneutics

Part III On the Plurality of Contextual Theologies: The Example of Africa

9 Contextual Theologies Worldwide: Some Preliminary Remarks

10 The Development of Contextual Theologies in Africa: An Overview

11 African Theologies: Jesus Christ as (Proto-)Ancestor, Master of Initiation, and Healer

12 Jesus Christ and an Africa Women's Theology

13 The Contextual Theologies of African Evangelical Theologians

14 African Theologians and the Reality of the Congregation

15 On the Contextuality of Contextual Theologies: An Interim Appraisal

Part IV Christian Missions and Foreign Cultures: Historical Perspectives

16 The Replacement Model and Covert Resistance in the New World

17 The Indifference Model: The Example of the Herrnhuter Mission

18 The Ennoblement Model

19 The Indigenization Model: The Exampleof Bruno Gutmann

20 The Appropriation Model: The Example of "Intuitive" Inculturations

Part V Theology and Interculturality: Systematic Perspectives

21 Inculturation

22 Syncretism What Is That?

23 The "Postcolonial Turn"--and Then What? On the Newer Terminology

24 So Much for Ecumenism! Appreciating Christianity as a Global Formation

25 Contexts: Contextual Theologies and Their Cultural Impregnation

26 Theology and Interculturality: Walking the Path Together

How Pastor Mastai Drives Out Evil Spirits in His Congregation in Dar es Salaam -- An Observer Asks Critical Questions from a European Perspective -- How Pastor Mastai Experiences Germany: Reciprocal Questions from an African Perspective -- On the Relevance of the Subject of Intercultural Theology/Mission Studies.

Intercultural Theology: Theological Conceptions from the Third World? -- Intercultural Theology: Ecumenism in Full, Please, Not Just in Part! -- Intercultural Theology: A New Technical Term, Its Potential, and Its Limitations -- Intercultural Theology or Mission Studies? -- The Objective and Basic Layout of This Book.

Hermeneutics and the Theory of Signs (Semiotics) -- How Are Semiotic Codes "Discovered"? -- Diagnostic and Investigative Reading -- What Does It Mean to "Understand"? A Primer.

From the Early Church to the Philosophy of the Enlightenment -- Analogical Hermeneutics: The Example of Ernst Troeltsch -- Existential Hermeneutics: The Example of Rudolf Bultmann -- Effective-Historical Hermeneutics: The Example of Hans-Georg Gadamer -- Cultural-Semiotic Hermeneutics: The Example of Clifford Geertz -- Ideology-Critical Cultural Hermeneutics: Roland Barthes, the Comaroffs, and Erving Goffman.

What is the "Locus" of Foreignness? -- The Construction of Stereotypes and an "Intentional" Foreignness -- Drawing Up Interculutral Borders: An Example from the Colonial Period -- European Civilization and the Islamic World: The Batlle for Rationality -- The British Empire and "Indirect Rule" in India: The Power of Science -- Foreignness, Intercultural Hermeneutics, and Discourse Theory.

The Example of Christian Ashrams in India -- Religious Symbols and Their Interreligious Application -- My Symbol, Your Symbol: The Dispute About the Legitimacy of Inculturation -- The Use of Religious Symbols by the Media in the Discourse on Identity and Exclusion -- Which Culture? The Criticism of Christian Ashrams by Dalit Christians -- Jesus as a Master of Meditation, or as a Dalit? Arvind Nirmal.

The Diffusionist Concept of Culture: A Common Origin? -- The Functionalist Concept of Culture: Similar Structures? -- The Evolutionary Concept of Culture: A Universal Process? -- The Relativistic Concept of Culture: Separate Entities? -- The Semiotic Concept of Culture: Culture as a Text? -- The Discourse-Theoretical Concept of Culture: Culture as a Field of Discourse? -- Concepts of Culture and an Intercultural Hermeneutics.

"Clothes Make the Man": The Issue of Clothing from the Perspective of Cultural Semiotics -- The Communication of Space (Proxemics): Life on the Mission Stations as a Sign System -- Ethnic Identity as a Construct and Language Issue: The Example of the Ewe -- Colonial Indirect Rule and Ethnic Identity: The Example of the Fulani -- European Assertions of Identity: The Example of Colonial Exhibitions -- Intercultural Hermeneutics from the Perspective of Discourse Theory and Cultural Semiotics.

Contextual (Academic) Theologies and EATWOT -- Contextual Theologies in Asia -- Contextual Theologies in Latin America -- Contextual Theologies in Africa.

The Example of Nigeria: Michiganssion Churches, AICs, the Pentecostal Movement -- Between Inculturatoin and Jesus Super Power: The Example of Aladura -- Transnational Networks: The Example of the Church of God Mission International -- Contextual Theologies: Male and Female Voices -- Evangelical Theologies and Incultration in Africa.

Jesus Christ as a (Proto-)Ancestor: Benezet Bujo -- Discussion and Critical Questions -- Jesus Christ as a Master of Initiation: Titianma Anselme Sanon -- The Church as a Facilitator of Inculturation?.

The Role of Women in African Tribal Cultures -- The Lifeworlds of African Women and Theology -- Jesus Christ as the Companion of Women: Merci Amba Oduyoye -- Feminist Theology Between Locality and Globality.

Contextual Evangelical "Prescription Theology": Tite Tienou -- The Congregation as Sitz im Leben -- The Hermeneutical Implications of Tienou's Approach: Some Queries -- Three Possible Points of Criticism from a Hermeneutical Perspective.

Names for Christ in Buhaya, Anyilamba, Iraqw, and Maasai Congregations -- Metaphors for Christ, Titles of Christ, and Social Structures -- Challenges Posed by Cultural Change -- Internationalization and Modern Life.

Stabilization: Jesus Christa s Proto-Ancestor and Master of Initiation -- Dynamization: How African Women Theologians Portray Jesus Christ -- Local Elites and Global Discourses -- Conclusion.

Missions in the New World -- Various Attempts at Implementation: Some Examples -- Theological Rationales for International Human Rights Issues -- Conquest and Covert Resistance: A Second Glance.

Zinzendorf's Theology of Mission -- The Mission Method of the Moravians -- Aspects of a Theology of Religion -- Further Developments and the Relationship Between Gospel and Culture(s).

Models of Cultural Mission -- An Attempt at Implementing the Model: The East Asia Mission -- The Christian Gospel and the Progressive Development of Cultures -- The Gospel as a Culture-Shaping Force: How Other Cultures Are Perceived.

Civilization Versus Primordial Ties -- Adopting Tribal Cultural Traditions into the Framework of Creation Theology -- Do Religions and Cultures Die Out? A Provisional Appraisal.

A Theoretical Model: Leonardo Boff -- Intuitive Inculturation: The Example of the Shembe Church (NBC) -- Isaiah Shembe: The "Umbrella Thorn Tree from Zululand" -- Intuitive Inculturation: The Example of RCCG in Nigeria -- Visions, Dreams, Mission, and Management.

Some Remarks on the Terminology -- Inculturation in the Matrix of Several Determining Factors -- Inculturated Understandings of Inculturation? Searching for Traces -- Inculturality as a Transreligious Event: Francis D'Sa (India) -- Inculturation and Tribal Cultures: Terese Okure (Nigeria) -- Inculturation: A Multidimensional Phenomenon.

Driving Out Demons: Exorcisms as "Spiritual Warfare" in the United States -- Theological Concepts of Syncreticism -- Warding off Danger: Christian Purification Rites in Central Africa -- Syncretism from the Descriptive Perspective of Religious Studies -- Beyond Syncretism, or What Actually Defines Identity?

The Development of Postcolonial Theory -- Multiculturality or Interculturality? -- Hybridity, Melange, or Creolization? -- Transculturation or Transculturality? -- Intercultural Theology or Transcultural Theology?.

The World Council of Churches -- The Pentecostal Movement and Pentecostal Churches as a Transcontinental Phenomenon -- African Initiated Churches and the Search for Ecumenical Partnerships -- Mergers Between Evangelicals and Fundamentalists -- The One Christianity? What Form Should Ecumenical Partnerships Take? -- Toward an Ecumenical Appreciation of Plurality: Maintaining Contact from a Distance.

Justice and Development -- Healing, Reconciliation, Gender, Ecology -- Churches in Cultures and Contexts: Yearning for the Kingdom of God -- Liberation, Theology of Reconstruction, Sustainability.

The One Gospel amid a Plurality of Christianities? Identity -- Jesus Christ: The Incarnation of the Crucified One: Christology -- The Holy Spirit and Unholy Spirits: Pneumatology -- Faith Communities as Force Fields: Ecclesiology -- Plurality Between Appreciation and Stylization: Society -- Intercultural Theology/Mission Studies: Fields of Learning.

Christianity is not only a global but also an intercultural phenomenon. The diversity of world Christianity is evident not merely outside our borders but even within our own neighborhoods. Over the past half century theologians and missiologists have addressed this reality by developing local and contextual theologies and by exploring issues like contextualization, inculturation, and translation. In recent years these various trajectories have coalesced into a new field called intercultural theology. Bringing together missiology, religious studies, social science research, and Christian theology, the field of intercultural theology is a fresh attempt to rethink the discipline of theology in light of the diversity and pluriformity of Christianity today. Henning Wrogemann, one of the leading missiologists and scholars of religion in Europe, has written the most comprehensive textbook on the subject of Christianity and culture today. In three volumes his Intercultural Theology provides an exhaustive account of the history, theory, and practice of Christian mission. Volume one introduces the concepts of culture and context, volume two surveys theologies of mission both past and present, and volume three explores theologies of religion and interreligious relationships. --

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