Religious Diversity and the American Experience: A Theological Approach

This book surveys the 8 basic approaches to religious pluralism, ranging from exclusivism (evangelical right) through classic inclusivism (Rahner), revised inclusivism (DuPuis), particularism (Paul Griffith), radical diversity (S. Mark Heim), pluralism (Knitter), comparative theologies (Frank Clooney), and dual belonging (Raimundo Panikkar). The unique contribution of this book is the ability to situate the issue of pluralism in the cultural site in the US (here relying on "thick" cultural analyses of Robert Wuthnow, Vincent Miller, and others) and in the religious site of Roman Catholicism (as offering mainstream Christian responses to religious diversity).

Table of Contents:
1. Siting Theology 2. Surveying the Construction Site: The Cultural Terrain 3. A Building Code for a Theology of Religious Diversity 4. Classic Inclusivism: Does God Go Incognito? 5. Cintemporary Inclusivism: Does God Give and Gather the Traditions? 6. From Plralism to Mutuality: Does God Cherish All the Faith Traditions: 7.Is Religious Diversity a Problem to Be Solved: Not Particularly 8/ Many Salvations: Does God Offere Humanity Many Destinies? 9. The Practice of Comparative Theology: Should Dialogue Come before Theory? 10. Multiple Religious Belonging: Can a Christian Belong to Other Traditions, Too? 11. Theologies of Religious Diversity: A "Site Specific" Evaluation

About the Author :
Terrence W. Tilley is Professor Emeritus at Fordham University, USA, having been Department Chair for Theology. Prior to that, he was Professor and Department Chair of Religious Studies at University of Dayton, USA. He has also taught at Florida State University, USA. He is the author or editor of 13 previous books including Religious Diversity and the American Experience (Continuum, 2007) and The Karamazov Case (T&T Clark, 2023). Additionally, his book Inventing Catholic Tradition (2007) took First Place in Theology from the Catholic Press Association. He is a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the Society for Philosophy of Religion and the College Theology Society.

Review :
"Excellent range of discussion ... much can be learnt from it."Theology, 1st July 2010 "That the authors achieve their rather ambitious objectives overall in an accessible, cogent manner is admirable, especially given both the scope of their project and its multiple authorship...Religious Diversity and the American Experience is recommended as a timely foundational text in undergraduate theology courses that focus on, for example, theology and society, religion in America, theological anthropology, cultural analyses of religious experience, and the church in the modern world." - Scott D. Geis, American Catholic Studies, Summer 2008 "The resolutely local and practical orientation of the volume, as well as its effective and accessible survey, commend it for a broad readership...neither the facts of religious diversity nor the specific texture of the American situation lend themselves to straightforward, coherent assessments. So Tilley and his students offer a more authentic response: a complex, even messy conversation, beginning in their 2006 seminar, culminating in this 2007 book, and intended to continue in other U.S. classrooms. Were I teaching in the U.S., I would seriously consider using this text to facilitate precisely such messy conversations." -Reid B. Locklin, Catholic Books Review, 2009  "This book is an extremely helpful guide through the thickets of one of the most controverted areas in theology today: the meaning of Christ in the face of other religious traditions. It judiciously weighs the pros and cons of the major positions on the topic. That it situates its responses so lucidly within the U.S. context makes it doubly valuable."  —Robert Schreiter, Catholic Theological Union, Chicagov