As we are busy saying goodbye to an era of groundbreaking theologians, it is worth remembering the contributions of another pioneer in Christian theology—Peter Phan. He is one of a few first-generation Asian American theologians who have continued to develop creative and precise theological works in the fields of Asian American theology, theology of migration, and interreligious dialogue. Theology Without Borders: Essays in Honor of Peter C. Phan is aimed at this end, serving as a great resource to introduce the legacy of Phan in the many areas of Christian theology he addressed in his writings.
The book is a collection of seventeen theological reflections from an international symposium, held at Georgetown University in 2017, to discuss Phan’s influence and legacy. To show the huge influence of Phan on many theological discourses, the volume consists of four parts: 1) world Christianity and migration, 2) religious pluralism, 3) eschatology, and 4) the legacy of Peter Phan. Though the promise of the volume was that the essays highlight the legacy of Peter Phan, the essays seem to be loosely connected to each other, and some seemed loosely connected to Peter Phan’s work.
The first part begins with an essay by Dale Irvin that reminds us how Phan’s personal experience of being a refugee formed his theology. Anh Tran explores how Phan developed Asian American theology from the Catholic perspective. Jonathan Tan talks about the concepts of memory and imagination and how these concepts illuminate the Phan’s theological project. Gemman Tulud Cruz builds his theology of migration by using Phan’s image of Deus Migrator (the God who migrates with people). And Cristina Lledo Gomez deals with the tragedy of domestic abuse in the migration process today.
The second part of the book examines Christian identity and religious pluralism, which was another core topic of Phan’s theology. John Malley reminds us that interreligious awareness has a long history in the Catholic tradition. William Loewe constructs an interreligious Christology by stressing the importance of Pneumatology in the Catholic dogmatic tradition. Chester Gillis investigates interreligious relations in the US and the Catholic tradition today. Brian Flanagan examines the methodology of contextual theology and connects Phan’s ecclesiology with Pope Francis’ call to self-emptying service to the world. Stephanie Wong presents the sociological models of religious ecology in the context of Catholics in China.
In the third part, the authors explore Christian eschatology, which was one of Phan’s main areas of study. Alan Mitchell explores the concept of migration in the Epistle to the Hebrews to connect migration and eschatology, highlighting the virtues of hope and love of the stranger in Hebrews. Brian Doyle examines the debates between Gilbert Greshake and Joseph Ratzinger about waiting time and purgatory to expand Phan’s discussion of eschatology from an interreligious perspective. Keith Ward investigates the history of Christian expansionism and argues that interreligious exchange is necessary for Christian salvation. He further explains how Phan’s interreligious dialogue can be helpful to overcome Christian expansionism ..
The fourth and final part focuses on Phan’s legacy. Debora Tonelli highlights Phan’s decentralizing theological impulse , reflecting the post-Vatican II context. Charles Curren details how Phan’s account of interreligious dialogue generated controversy with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. John Broelli points out that Pope Francis’ concern for interreligious dialogue is in large part owed to Phan’s works on the topic. And Leo Lefebure examines Phan’s legacy as a pioneer of the theology of migration, particularly in his use of his own immigration experience.
Although the essays in the book do not show one common related theme or topic, the essays build constructive and creative theologies based on Phan’s insights. Instead of providing a summary of Phan’s theology, the authors connect Phan’s theological insights with their own theological interests. In the case of Brian Flanagan and John Broelli’s essays, for example, the authors explain how the current pope and Catholic theology in general could go further in advancing a more vibrant contextual theology and a richer interreligious dialogue with the help of Phan’s legacy. Other essays stand in Phan’s legacy by turning a theological eye to topics close to their own hearts. Lledo in discussing domestic violence, Wong in discussing the political ecosystem in China, and Mitchell in discussing the concept of migration in the Epistle to the Hebrews, all bring totally new topics to bear. As a result, the collection of the essays successfully develops Christian theology beyond Phan’s writings, while demonstrating the huge impact of Phan’s work on Christian theology.
Although the essay collection effectively conveys Phan’s vast influence on world Christianity, religious pluralism, and eschatology, the book leaves something to be desired because the bulk of the essays evaluate Phan’s work from the Roman Catholic perspective. Other than two (Keith Ward and Dale Irvin), all the contributors work for Roman Catholic institutions; much of their writings evaluate Phan’s theology from the Catholic perspective. Although Peter Phan is himself a Roman Catholic priest, the influence of Phan’s theology goes beyond Catholic theology. It is noteworthy that his main theological dialogue partners in his three doctoral dissertations not only included Catholic theologians like Karl Rahner, but also the Protestant theologian Paul Tillich and the Russian Orthodox theologian Paul Evdokimov. In this respect, the book would present a more accurate and vibrant sense of Phan’s impact if it included more theological perspectives from Protestants or Asian theologians outside of the Catholic tradition.
Nevertheless, Theology Without Borders is worthy of a huge reception. Overall, the book offers a thoughtful, broad, and vivid picture of Phan’s legacy in Christian theology. This book will be a great asset for researchers working on world Christianity, ecclesiology, eschatology, Asian theology, and religious pluralism. I highly recommend this book for the theologians who are indebted to Phan’s legacy.
Heejun Yang is a United Methodist pastor in the North Carolina Conference and an adjunct professor at Greensboro College.
Heejun Yang
Date Of Review:
June 28, 2023