World Christianity, Trajectories, Identity, and the Praxis of the Triple Dialogue in Asia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29327/2401156.19.2-25Keywords:
World Christianity, Vatican II, Asia, Triple DialogueAbstract
This essay analyzes the dynamic and creative reception of the Second Vatican Council in Asia through the lens of World Christianity. The objective is to investigate how local churches interpreted conciliar principles to forge a distinctive ecclesial identity in a continent characterized by religious plurality and the minority status of the Christian faith. The research problem lies in the tension between the Western matrix of Catholicism and the need for authentic inculturation that responds to Asian "signs of the times." The hypothesis is that reception in Asia was not passive acceptance but a "re-creation" grounded in the "triple dialogue"—with the poor, cultures, and religions. The theoretical framework is anchored in the work of Peter C. Phan and John O’Malley’s concept of "trajectories." The results point to the emergence of a "hyphenated identity" (Asian-Christian), challenging Eurocentric narratives and offering a polycentric, pneumatological model of the Church for the 21st century.
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