Third World Dyrness on Global Theology From

Third World Dyrness

Dyrness on Global Theology from an Evangelical Perspective

The world is comprised of infinite spiritual and religious stripes. These connect to culture, context and history, and in doing so, have created infinite permutations of observance and worship. This would on one level appear to be the driving premise of the text by William A. Dyrness (1990), entitled Learning About Theology From the Third World. Indeed, the Dyrness text initiates its discussion with the assumption that the great and diverse body of humanity has consequently produced a great and diverse body of theological notions. However, upon closer inspection, the reader finds that the Dyrness text is guided by a decidedly unilateral notion of theology which perceives many non-western ideologies as inherently subordinate to a centering Christian worldview. This impacts the critical reaction to the text expressed hereafter.

Purpose:

The author makes clear from the outset that his text will offer no peering insight or complex revelations on the subject of world theology but will instead attempt to shed surface light on the diversity of religious traditions guiding Christian practice throughout the global community. Dyrness indicates that his "fundamental motivation for writing the book, is that a simple -- even oversimplified -- idea of what is going on in other parts of the world is infinitely better than no idea at all. For it is not hard to show that Western Christians ordinarily have only the vaguest idea of what their counterparts in other parts of the world are thinking." (p. vii) This underscores a text whose basic purpose is to appeal only to Western Christian readers, and among them, only to those who desire the most limited available knowledge of religious practice outside of the traditions familiar to them.

Basic Argument:

The basic argumentation that drives the text is that there is value which is often overlooked by Western Christians in the specific modes of practice employed in parts of the developing sphere. Here, discussions on Asia, Africa and Latin America serve as case examples for how different geographical and sociological contexts have led to different ways of interpreting the imperatives of Christianity. This is underscored also by the evangelical argument that Christianity is the one true faith, a point of assertion that leads to many of the texts more problematic conceits. According to Dyrness, "for our purposes an evangelical will be defined as one who holds that the truth of God's revelation given in Scripture is transcultural and therefore the final authority in theology." (p. 17) This point-of-view is essential to understanding the argument at the heart of this text.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

The primary strength of this text is one which must be contextualized in order to be observed. Within the scope of the limited audience for which the author has conceived this book, there is strength in the notion that respect is due to the variances of cultural and ethnic uses of Christianity. Certainly, the text presupposes to desire a sort of universal acceptance that is progressive relative to the sometimes racialist and bigoted impulses that have invaded western churches over history. Here, Dyrness points out that "Paul writes in Ephesians 4 that we are all -- Africans, Latin Americans, Asians, Americans -- reaching maturity in Christ together." (p. 17)

This calls for an ethnic tolerance that is refreshing and consistent with the author's claimed ambitions. Less consistent with this ambition though is the fact that the author inherently perceives global theology as a function of advancing Christian ideals. Where it acknowledges the primacy of Hinduism and Buddhism in Asia, for instance, it largely characterizes these as philosophies that have contributed to the distinct way of Christian worship in Asia. Even as the text presents itself as an examination of 'learning about theology from the Third World,' its evangelical underpinning explicitly argue that Western interpretations of Christianity are the primary mold, almost recommending a coopting of global traditions its Christology chapter. This is not to criticize the text for its inherently evangelical perspective so much as to question the consistency of this perspective with the expressed intent of engaging in transcultural discourse.