Christ as a Divine Peace-Giver: Toward a Contextual Christology for Effective Evangelization in Laos
Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis - SCU Access Only
Publisher
Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2026
Degree Name
Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL)
Director
Anh Q. Tran, SJ
Abstract
This thesis explores how Jesus Christ may be presented in a manner that remains faithful to Christian tradition while becoming intelligible within the Lao religious world, a context shaped by the intricate interweaving of Theravada Buddhism and indigenous spirit beliefs. It argues that Christ can be meaningfully proclaimed only when his identity is expressed through a Christological image grounded in Lao cultural and spiritual experience-Christ as the Divine Giver of Peace. By engaging the Lao people's existential concerns and symbolic universe, this approach enables Jesus to be encountered not as a foreign or unfamiliar figure but as the One who fulfills, reorients, and ultimately transforms their deepest aspirations for harmony, protection, and well-being. In doing so, the thesis advances a contextual theological methodology that offers concrete guidance for pastoral ministry and evangelization in Laos.
Recommended Citation
Vu, Chi Kien, "Christ as a Divine Peace-Giver: Toward a Contextual Christology for Effective Evangelization in Laos" (2026). Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations. 183.
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/jst_dissertations/183
