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In A Christian-Muslim Comparative Theology of Saints: The Community of God’s Friends, Hans A. Harmakaputra focuses on a question that emerges from today’s multi-faith context: “Is it possible for Christians to recognize non-Christians as saints?” To answer affirmatively, he offers a Christian perspective on an inclusive theology of saints through the lens of comparative theology that is based on the thought of Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim theologians: Karl Rahner, Jean-Luc Marion, Elizabeth Johnson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Tillich, and Ibn Arabī’. As a result of this interreligious comparison, three theological constructs emerge: (1) saints as manifestations and revealers of God’s self-communication, (2) the hiddenness of saints, and (3) saints as companions.
These theological constructs redefine and reconfigure Christian understanding of saints on one hand, and on the other hand provide theological reasoning to include non-Christians in the Christian notion of the communion of saints.
These theological constructs redefine and reconfigure Christian understanding of saints on one hand, and on the other hand provide theological reasoning to include non-Christians in the Christian notion of the communion of saints.
Price: $71.00
Pages: 258
Publisher: Brill
Imprint: Brill
Series: Currents of Encounter
Publication Date:
15 September 2022
ISBN: 9789004510524
Format: Paperback
“The Community of God’s Friends is an intriguing book not least because of its stated goals, chief among which is an attempt to “enrich” Christian understanding regarding the “communion of saints” by exploring ideas from “across” the religious and denominational divide, but also for its organic style of unpacking the issues involved. Harmakaputra is firmly grounded in the Protestant tradition and here he masterfully facilitates a
conversation between perspectives from his own tradition and those from the Roman Catholic and Muslim traditions. By applying the comparative theology lens, the author is able to expand the scope of discourse to include interdisciplinary considerations. In other words, it will be useful for the specialist in religious studies and yet it also off ers ideas for engaging in interfaith dialogue for the general reader.”
– Irfan A. Omar, Associate Professor Theology, Marquette University
"Dr. Harmakaputra’s work of comparative theology offers an inclusive theology of saints grounded in the thought of Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim theologians. His scholarship is truly impressive, displaying a great familiarity with and a masterful grasp of Catholic and Protestant theology of sainthood and Islamic theology of prophethood, especially in the Sunni and Sufi traditions. I strongly recommend this book for courses on interreligious dialogue and to those interested in a comparative understanding of Christian and Muslim concepts of sainthood and prophethood." – Peter C. Phan, The Igancio Ellacuria, S.J. Chair of Catholic Social Thought, Georgetown University
"The inclusive theology of saints developed by Hans Harmakaputra with the help of Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim sources is comparative theology at its best: it offers an impressive solution for an important problem of contemporary systematic theology with considerable practical effects, it offers a convincing and understandable way of reception of non-Christian sources, and it develops a thought-provoking, stimulating systematic idea in a wide ecumenical horizon.“ – Klaus Von Stosch, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Bonn.
"Dr. Harmakaputra’s work of comparative theology offers an inclusive theology of saints grounded in the thought of Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim theologians. His scholarship is truly impressive, displaying a great familiarity with and a masterful grasp of Catholic and Protestant theology of sainthood and Islamic theology of prophethood, especially in the Sunni and Sufi traditions. I strongly recommend this book for courses on interreligious dialogue and to those interested in a comparative understanding of Christian and Muslim concepts of sainthood and prophethood." – Peter C. Phan, The Igancio Ellacuria, S.J. Chair of Catholic Social Thought, Georgetown University
"The inclusive theology of saints developed by Hans Harmakaputra with the help of Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim sources is comparative theology at its best: it offers an impressive solution for an important problem of contemporary systematic theology with considerable practical effects, it offers a convincing and understandable way of reception of non-Christian sources, and it develops a thought-provoking, stimulating systematic idea in a wide ecumenical horizon.“ – Klaus Von Stosch, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Bonn.
Hans A. Harmakaputra, Ph.D. (2020), Boston College, is Visiting Assistant Professor in Comparative Theology and Muslim-Christian Relations at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, Connecticut, USA. He has published articles and book chapters, including a chapter in the book Georgetown Companion to Interreligious Studies (Georgetown University Press, 2022). Starting in Fall 2022, he will join Augustana University, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as Assistant Professor of Religion.