| Contemporary Asia is a continent blessed by vibrant communities with their diverse cultures, religions and philosophies. While Asia is home to two-thirds of the world's population, it remains, despite five centuries of Christian missionary activity, the continent with the smallest Christian population. This dissertation seeks to analyze the approaches of John Paul II and the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) on the question of "mission to the nations" (missio ad gentes) in Asia, focusing on the significance of their convergences, and the implications of their divergences.; Chapter 1 outlines the status quaestionis on the issue of "missio ad gentes" in Asia. Chapter 2 examines the key elements of John Paul II's approach to missio ad gentes, showing that while John Paul II is supportive of life witness and dialogue as forms of Christian mission in Asia, he nevertheless emphasizes the necessity for an explicit, verbal proclamation of the unicity and uniqueness of Jesus Christ for salvation. Chapter 3 presents the principal aspects of the FABC's approach to the Christian mission in Asia. While the FABC concurs with John Paul II that mission finds its greatest urgency in Asia and that dialogue does not preclude the need for the proclamation of the Gospel, it has consistently advocated that Christian mission in Asia is best carried out through a threefold dialogue with the religions, cultures, and the poor of Asia. Chapter 4 brings Pope John Paul II and the FABC together to engage in a dialogue on the why and how of doing mission in Asia. Chapter 5 explores the implications of both John Paul II's and the FABC's missiological approaches for meeting the challenges of doing mission in Asia. It suggests that while John Paul II's approach to mission is one of missio ad gentes (mission to the nations), the FABC's approach is best described as missio inter gentes (mission among the nations), a difference which arises primarily because of their divergent responses toward religious pluralism in Asia. It concludes that the reality of Christian mission in Asia demands a juxtaposition of both "missio ad gentes" and "missio inter gentes."... |
