Date of Award

11-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2021.

Degree Name

Doctor of Sacred Theology (STD)

Director

George E. Griener, S.J.

Abstract

The work to relate theology and the findings of modern science, a long-standing one among western scholars, has been, for historical and cultural reasons, largely absent within the context of Asia. Asian theologians engaged in this field appear to do so by employing the perspective of their North American and European colleagues but without contextualizing it within an Asian context, which has been shaped by deeply rooted Asian philosophical foundations and religious traditions.

This dissertation offers a strategy to contextualize the insights of science within the Sinic context of Southeast Asia by appealing to the methodology of a Jesuit priest, philosopher, and astronomer, William Stoeger, S.J (1943–2014). Stoeger’s orientation is suited for and can appeal to the sensibilities of Southeast Asian Christians. Though he operates within a Western philosophical framework, Stoeger’s integral approach is characterized by a focus on the human person’s quest for meaning and understanding of both the tangible realities of this world and the divine mystery immanently present in creation. Appropriating aspects of Stoeger’s work can help locate and initiate Asian Christians into the dialogue between theology and science on their own terms. This approach could enrich and deepen local theological expressions of divine action and realities while remaining rooted in the cherished cultural value of “harmony,” which pervades much of Southeast Asia. As the world Christian Community struggles to find a more integrated ecological awareness, an Asian theology-science dialogue in the context of harmony could have significance for the whole Church.

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