Christianity and the Encounter of World Religions (Modern Theology)

One of the Bampton lectures given at Columbia University in 61/2.1/A View of the Present Situation--Religions, Quasi-Religions & Their Encounters: Tillich claims religion is the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern, a concern which qualifies all other concerns as preliminary & which itself contains the answer to the question of life's meaning. Given this definition, secularism, nationalism, communism & capitalism are seen as quasi-religions. The dramatic character of the present encounter of the world religions is produced by the attack of quasi-religions on religions proper.2/Xian Principles of Judging Non-Xian Religions: It's natural that Xians affirm the fundamental assertion of Xianity that Jesus is the Christ & reject what denies this assertion. Tillich examines the history of Xianity's rejection & its tolerance of other religions. He concludes that Protestantism has the most intimate relation with liberal-humanist quasi-religion.3/A Xian-Buddhist Conversation: Tillich compares & contrasts the encounter of Xianity with Buddhism, one of the most competitive proper religions. Points of convergence & divergence are shown & the whole is summed up in two contrasting symbols, Kingdom of God & Nirvana.4/Xianity Judging Itself in the Light of its Encounter with the World Religions: How can a community of democratic nations be created w/out the religions out of which liberal democracy in the Western world originally arose? A mixture of religions destroys in each of them the concreteness which gives it its dynamic power. The victory of one religion would impose a particular religious answer on all other particular answers. But the question of life's ultimate meaning cannot be silenced. Religion cannot come to an end. A particular religion will be lasting to the degree in which it negates itself as a religion. Xianity will be a bearer of the religious answer only so long as it breaks thru its own particularity.