Abstract:
This article discusses the issue of plurality in world Christianity. Considering two
contemporary contexts, South Korea and Southern Africa, this article claims that the
interreligious pluralities as evidenced in much of contemporary Christianity are to
be understood in continuity with some of the foundational experiences of the early
church, especially in the city of Antioch. This plurality, which can also be described
as hybridity, acquires intercultural theological significance when understood as inner
interreligious dialogue. This is further described as a mostly subconscious process by
which contemporary Christians continue to engage with their pre-Christian traditions.
From a phenomenological point of view this process is demonstrable in Christian
history. Theologically speaking it has the potential to debunk myths of Christian
‘purity’ and to expose fundamentalists’ assertions of their own ‘orthodoxy’ as
tantamount to wishful thinking. Finally, this article makes the case that this process
of inner interreligious dialogue, when brought to the surface may positively enhance
the quality of real outward dialogue with representatives of other faiths or systems
of belief and value.