Theological Reflections at the Boundaries

The interdependence of boundary questions and the experience of cognitive dissonance reveal that knowledge in all fields of inquiry is always incomplete and tentative. The issues are particularly acute for Christian theological reflection. Ingram illustrates the importance of boundary questions and cognitive dissonance as a means of creatively transforming contemporary Christian theological reflection through dialogue with the natural sciences and the world's religions, particularly Buddhism, filtered through the lenses of Whiteheadian process philosophy. ""In a religiously plural world, theologians have been struggling to recognize this pluralism as they do their theological work. It happens less often that historians of religion articulate their theology out of their work and their findings. In this book, directly, clearly, and boldly, Paul Ingram does so, sometimes breaking new ground in the process."" -John B. Cobb Jr Professor Emeritus Claremont School of Theology ""Paul Ingram is one of relatively few Christian systematic theologians to synthesize reflections from his work in interreligious dialogue (especially the Buddhist-Christian exchange) and from his study of the ongoing exchange between philosophically oriented natural scientists and scientifically minded Christian philosophers/theologians. The present book represents the latest stage in his thinking on these matters. As Ingram himself comments, the experience of cognitive dissonance in comparing and contrasting quite different points of view on foundational issues may be often quite unsettling, but it seems to be the only way to keep growing intellectually, morally, and spiritually."" -Joseph A. Bracken, SJ Emeritus Professor of Theology Xavier University ""In Theological Reflections at the Boundaries, Paul Ingram challenges his readers to ask of themselves, 'Who do you say that I am?' in relation to the questions of Christian identity in a global society of religious pluralism, in a world increasingly defined by science and technology, and in a deep manner in terms of what it really means to be a human being. Most of all, though, he does this by asking himself this question, and by so doing, shares his journey and points the way."" -Mark Unno Associate Professor of East Asian Religions University of Oregon Paul O. Ingram is Professor Emeritus of Religion at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. He is the author of Wrestling with God (Cascade Books, 2006) and The Process of Buddhist-Christian Dialogue (Cascade Books, 2009).