Toward an Asian contextual theology: A critical study of Kosuke Koyama's theology and ethics

This study is promoted as a search for the Asian theological methodologies in the global context. It envisages that, through converging Asian people's socio-historical experience and their cultural religious heritages, Asian theology could contribute to expanding the horizon of the contemporary theological discourse.; Christian theology in Asia is regarded as a representative phenomenon of the cultural encounter between East and West. This study takes up Koyama as an example of Asian theologians, because his personal career and works span both Eastern and Western worlds. His theological endeavor is designated as Asian-global theology and critically discussed in light of Asian contextual theology.; A biographical research method is employed to illuminate his epistemological transition from a Westernized Japanese Christian to an Asian theologian. This study aims to prove the inner-connectedness among Asian theologies through investigating Asian roots of Koyama's theology, such as Asian ecumenical theology, interfaith dialogue in multi-religious situations, Asian resources, minjung theology, and the Japanese theological tradition.; Christian dialogue with Buddhism is one of the most important issues of contemporary theology which voices response to both the global phenomenon and the locality of the Asian context. Reviewing Koyama's interpretation of Buddhism in accordance with John B. Cobb, Jr.'s method of dialogue, the difference between Eastern and Western perspectives regarding inter-faith dialogue is traced.; Storytelling, contrasting, and inculturation for contextualization are suggested as Koyama's major theological methods. Koyama's hermeneutical principle of culture is categorized as ‘Christ-beyond-culture’ in light of Richard Niebuhr's typology of the relationship between Christ and culture.; The whole scale of Koyama's thought is organized under the rubrics of theology and ethics. The Christocentric theology of the cross is the seedbed of Koyama's thought. He draws the universality and validity of the Christian message in the multireligious Asian context from the crucifixion. The particularity of his vision for global theology and ethics lies in the interpretation of the cross in term of self-denial. Finally, both contribution and weakness of the global vision of Koyama are examined, and the methodological vision of Asian contextual theology in the global context is suggested.