The thesis considers the career of the Student Christian Movement (SCM) which was founded in 1892 to promote missions and to recruit students for missionary work. As it grew, the SCM extended its operations to the founding and servicing of Christian Unions in colleges and progressively abandoned its evangelical roots and come to play a major part in the development of liberalism and ecumenism. In the nineteen sixties it became more radical than liberal and developed an interest in Marxism and alternative life styles. The career of the conservative evangelical Inter-Varsity Fellowship (IVF), formed as a result of a number of schisms from SCM, is also charted. These two movement organisations are considered in the light of ideas derived from the sociology of social movements. In the Introduction a brief critical account of various dominant theories of social movement origination is presented and elements of an alternative, voluntaristic, and essentially processual account are advanced. The careers of SCM and IVF are used to suggest correctives to a number of theoretical insights that have been developed on the basis of an exaggeration of the division between stable society and social movement. Particular topics dealt with include the growth and spread of social movements, goal transformation, schism and decline. It is argued that the rapid rise of SCM can be understood as resulting from (a) the existence of a wealthy milieu which accepted the movement as legitimate and (b) the SCM's attitude towards its own purpose and ideology which was open and inclusive. This denominationalism allowed the SCM to utilise the resources of the milieu and to recruit rapidly. It also laid the foundation for an erosion of purpose and identity. Many of the problems that promoted the decline of the SCM were caused by the particular nature of its constituency, recruiting as it did among students and experiencing therefore a high membership turnover, but a full understanding of the contrast between the decline of SCM and the stability of lVF requires consideration of the ideologies that informed the two organisations. For this reason the final chapter is concerned with the reasons for the precariousness of liberal protestantism and the strength of conservative evangelicalism.

陳美玲. / 論文(神學碩士)--香港中文大學, 1998. / 參考文獻: leaves 96-100. / 中英文摘要. / Chen Meiling. / Chapter 1. --- 導言 --- p.1 / Chapter 2. --- 希克的宗教多元主義如何理解基督宗教 --- p.10 / Chapter 2.1 --- 救贖與宗教傳統 --- p.13 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- "希克對""宗教""的理解" --- p.13 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- 宗教經驗與意義 --- p.20 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- 基督宗教與其他宗教傳統 --- p.24 / Chapter 2.2 --- "希克的提案一一 ""哥白尼式神學""" --- p.26 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- """上帝中心""的基督宗教" --- p.26 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- "不可言喻的""實在""" --- p.32 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- "希克的""神話""基督論" --- p.36 / Chapter 3. --- 一元拯救論結構的宗教多元主義假說 --- p.44 / Chapter 3.1 --- 方法論上的問題 --- p.44 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- 基本論題 --- p.45 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- 沒有內容的認信一一進退兩難 --- p.50 / Chapter 3.2 --- ´ؤ元救贖終局與多元救贖終局 --- p.54 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- 只有一種終局的多元論 --- p.54 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- 希克救贖觀的兼容取向 --- p.59 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- 基督中心與上帝中心 --- p.63 / Chapter 4. --- 基督宗教拯救論的多元性 --- p.68 / Chapter 4.1 --- 初期基督教會對拯救論的理解 --- p.69 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- 基督爲照明者 --- p.71 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- 勝利者基督與回歸於一 --- p.74 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- 基督賜予不朽與神化 --- p.77 / Chapter 4.1.4 --- 基督爲我們的犧牲 --- p.81 / Chapter 4.2 --- 在多元實況下維持基督信仰的意義 --- p.86 / Chapter 5. --- 結語 --- p.91 / 參考書目 --- p.96 / 譯名對照表 --- p.101

現今大多數神學家都接受宗教多元化不只是一種事實(de facto)，而且是一種原則(de iure) ，因此教會必須努力促進自身與其他信仰的和諧關係。榮休教宗本篤十六世、即天主教信理部前部長約瑟夫．拉辛格，除致力帶領教會加深理解宣揚福音的使命，也嘗試建立天主教與別的基督信仰群體、其他宗教傳統及俗世社會的良好關係。本文透過考察拉辛格的作品，指出他在基督宗教與其他宗教關係的教導，是源於西方哲學及神學思想的正統規範，這令他對採取相異的哲學或神學框架去思考這問題的神學家，予以存疑和批判。 / 通過批判拉辛格神學思想的歐洲中心主義，本文希望能突顯出源自非歐洲處境的神學論述的重要性，尤其亞洲教會中在對教理的理解和牧養實踐之間的鴻溝，而亞洲神學家又如何在西方思想主導下竭力發聲。本文雖然贊同拉辛格就許多現今社會問題的分析，如世俗化的擴張及歐洲的信仰危機；但本文旨在聚焦於亞洲的宗教多元化的現況，而這現狀促使亞洲的教會，不論在神學建構及牧養實踐上，都需要採取迥然不同的策略。 / Religious pluralism is now accepted by many theologians as not simply a fact of life (de facto) but in principle (de iure), and therefore efforts must be undertaken by the church to promote harmonious relationship with other faiths. As the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and as former supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church, Joseph Ratzinger has shaped and guided the church’s understanding of its mission to proclaim the Good News as well as to forge good relationship with non-Catholic Christian communities, other religious traditions and with the secular world at large. By examining the works of Ratzinger, this dissertation reveals that his teaching on Christianity’s relationship with other religions assumes the normative status of Western philosophical and theological thought. This privileging of Western thought makes him critical and suspicious of theologians operating from a different philosophical or theological framework. Through a critique of Ratzinger’s theology I hope to draw attention to the importance of theological discourses originating from non-European contexts. Among other things, this work also serves to highlight the gap between a dogmatic understanding of the faith and the pastoral realities of the Asian church, as well as the difficulties faced by Asian theologians trying to make their voices heard in a church still dominated by Western thinking. While I concur with much of Ratzinger’s analysis of the problems in our society such as the aggressive secularism and crisis of faith in Europe I prefer to draw attention to the realities of religious pluralism in Asia which require the church to adopt a different approach in its theological formulations and pastoral practices. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Mong, Ih-Ren Ambrose. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstracts also in Chinese.

Esta tese desenvolve o conceito de butinagem religiosa, a fim de entender como a mobilidade religiosa e a pluralização ocorrem no Brasil, especialmente no campo mediúnico já que até agora as explicações para o sincretismo não explicam satisfatoriamente como isso ocorre. Examinando como praticantes religiosos praticarm ao longo da história e da cultura eu identifico um tipo de experiência que escapa à estrutura estabelecida, tradição e cultura. Isso esclarece os processos sincréticos. Os dados foram coletados a partir de observação participante, entrevistas, jornais e biografias. Eu construo o conceito de butinagem religiosa a partir de uma metáfora das religiões ayahuasqueiras. O praticante religioso comparado a um beija-flor butina de uma denominação religiosa a outra produzindo sincretismo. Esta tese de doutorado é de alguma forma uma continuação da minha tese de mestrado intitulada "Entre a rosa e o beija-flor: um estudo antropológico de trajetórias na União do Vegetal (UDV) e no Santo Daime". / This thesis develops the concept of religious butinage in order to understand what form of religious mobility and pluralization occur in Brazil, especially in the mediumistic field, since so far the explanations for syncretism do not satisfactorily explain as it occurs. By examining how religious practitioners practice throughout history and culture I identify some kind of experience that escapes the established structure, tradition and culture. It clarifies the syncretic processes. Data have been collected from participant observation, interviews, newspapers, and biographies. I build up the concept of religious butinage by a metaphor from ayahuasca religions. The religious practitioner compared with a hummingbird makes butinage from a religious denomination to another producing syncretism. This doctoral thesis is in some way a continuation of my master's thesis entitled: “Between the rose and the hummingbird: An anthropological study of trajectories in the União do Vegetal (UDV) and the Santo Daime”.

In August of 2013 the U.S. State Department launched the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives with the objective to foster and promote religious engagements in foreign diplomacy. The language used by the architects and proponents of the initiative suggests that even though religion can be a source of great conflict, religion is also a powerful force for good capable of mitigating conflict and fostering progress. The present optimistic belief of American foreign diplomats that religious engagement will foster beneficial partnerships capable of advancing U.S. foreign interests has led scholars to pose the question, "what will the U.S. engage when it engages religion?" This thesis argues that the language used in the promotion of faith-based initiatives exhibits a commitment to a humanistic theology of religious pluralism. Further, this thesis explains that a humanistic theology of religious pluralism limits religious engagement. In other words, the OFBCI will engage with religious groups only in so far as they fit their definition of religion.

Modern societies are for the most part pluralistic in their compositions and world views. As such, we are given a variety of possibilities to embrace in our everyday lives and social interactions. The plethora of religious choice is a prime example of societal pluralism. John Hick is an eminent proponent of religious pluralism. His adoption of the religious pluralist stance arises from his experience and observations of various religions and their practices wherein he has noted similarities in the development of moral individuals in spite of vastly different and exclusive truth claims made by their religious systems. Hick, in a huge leap of faith, believes these similarities among such great differences must indicate a unitary source of revelation from a Transcendent Ultimate Reality to humankind sometime during the great Axial Age of human development more than two thousand years ago.<p> Religious pluralism, in its Hickean formulation, is a call for individuals to not only abandon their religions claims to exclusive truth about the Transcendent Ultimate Reality but also to reduce religious dogmas to their essential elements and modify them in order to preclude contradictory assertions that would exclude other religious systems. The benefits would be to reduce or eliminate religious intolerance and claims to superiority; incidents of religious violence should also be expected to decrease.<p> This thesis critically examines Hicks thesis and finds that religion has a greater role to play in individual lives than Hick acknowledges. For those with weakly held religious beliefs, the call to religious pluralism may find appeal. However, for those with strongly held religious views, operating within religious structures that serve their needs and eschatological hopes, the adoption of religious pluralism of the Hickean variety may cause them to abandon something that is working well for them without replacing it with something of equal benefit. In the final analysis, I find Hicks call to embrace religious pluralism to be unpersuasive since it is not in itself a religious system; it is, rather, a philosophical system which attempts to address the epistemological challenges associated with the myriad systems of faith and belief found within the great world religions.

Modern societies are for the most part pluralistic in their compositions and world views. As such, we are given a variety of possibilities to embrace in our everyday lives and social interactions. The plethora of religious choice is a prime example of societal pluralism. John Hick is an eminent proponent of religious pluralism. His adoption of the religious pluralist stance arises from his experience and observations of various religions and their practices wherein he has noted similarities in the development of moral individuals in spite of vastly different and exclusive truth claims made by their religious systems. Hick, in a huge leap of faith, believes these similarities among such great differences must indicate a unitary source of revelation from a Transcendent Ultimate Reality to humankind sometime during the great Axial Age of human development more than two thousand years ago.<p> Religious pluralism, in its Hickean formulation, is a call for individuals to not only abandon their religions claims to exclusive truth about the Transcendent Ultimate Reality but also to reduce religious dogmas to their essential elements and modify them in order to preclude contradictory assertions that would exclude other religious systems. The benefits would be to reduce or eliminate religious intolerance and claims to superiority; incidents of religious violence should also be expected to decrease.<p> This thesis critically examines Hicks thesis and finds that religion has a greater role to play in individual lives than Hick acknowledges. For those with weakly held religious beliefs, the call to religious pluralism may find appeal. However, for those with strongly held religious views, operating within religious structures that serve their needs and eschatological hopes, the adoption of religious pluralism of the Hickean variety may cause them to abandon something that is working well for them without replacing it with something of equal benefit. In the final analysis, I find Hicks call to embrace religious pluralism to be unpersuasive since it is not in itself a religious system; it is, rather, a philosophical system which attempts to address the epistemological challenges associated with the myriad systems of faith and belief found within the great world religions.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity International University, 2000. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 236-245).

Thesis (M.A.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-137).

This thesis presents a critical analysis of the contemporary Islamic discourse of interfaith dialogue (IFD) founded on normative examinations of the Qur'an and hadith. Expanding from this baseline, theories of religious universalism and particularism are engaged as well as underlying themes of humanism, social stability, and acceptance of God's will. These are further placed along a Dove-Hawk framework to demonstrate the patterns underlying interpretations regarding the legitimacy of IFD in situations of conflict. It examines the writings and speeches of nine recent and contemporary Muslim intellectual-activists scholars. This analysis reveals a fragmented discourse, which is generally supportive of IFD, and indicates limits to the religious legitimization of IFD during Christian-Muslim hostilities.