A comprehensive series of essays exploring Peter C. Phan’s groundbreaking work to widen Christian theology beyond the Western world
Peter C. Phan’s wide-ranging contributions to theology and his pioneering work on religious pluralism, migration, and Christian identity have made a global impact on the field.
The essays in Theology without Borders offer a variety of perspectives across Phan’s fundamental work in eschatology, world christianity, interreligious dialogue, and much more. Together, these essays offer a comprehensive assessment of Phan’s groundbreaking work across a range of theological fields. Included in the conversation are discussions of world Christianity and migration, Christian identity and religious pluralism, Christian theology in Asia, Asian American theology, eschatology, and Phan’s lasting legacy.
Theology without Borders provides a welcome overview for anyone interested in the career of Peter C. Phan, his body of work, and its influence.
Table of Contents
Foreword, by Thomas Banchoff
Introduction: Celebration and a Memorial
Leo D. Lefebure
Part I: World Christianity and Migration
1. Peter C. Phan and the Reconstruction of World Christianity
Dale T. Irvin
2. Being Church among Asians: Perspective and Insights of the Asian Theology of the FABC
Anh Q. Tran, SJ
3. Between “Memory and Imagination”: Reimagining World Christianity without Borders
Jonathan Y. Tan
4. Christian Resilience and Vulnerable Migrants
Gemma Tulud Cruz
5. Wives Submitting to Husbands: Domestic Violence, Women, and the Christian Faith
Cristina Lledo Gomez
Part II: Christian Identity and Religious Pluralism
6. Dialogue and Reconciliation in the Renaissance and in Vatican II
John W. O’Malley, SJ
7. Interfaith Christology? Some Dogmatic Prolegomena
William P. Loewe
8. Interreligious Marriage as a Way of Being Religious Interreligiously
Chester Gillis
9. Peter Phan and Ecclesiology Beyond Borders
Brian P. Flanagan
10. Dialogue in a Multireligious and Political Ecosystem: Understanding Catholic Relations with Other Religions in Mainland China
Stephanie M. Wong
Part III: Eschatology
11. Migration and Eschatology in the Epistle to the Hebrews
Alan C. Mitchell
12. Waiting Outside Time? The Intermediate State
Brian M. Doyle
13. Eschatology: Peter Phan and Christian Expansivism
Keith Ward
Part IV: The Legacy of Peter C. Phan
14. Decentralizing Theology: The Second Vatican Council and Peter Phan
Debora Tonelli
15. Peter Phan and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Charles E. Curran
16. Being Honestly Pluralistically Religious
John Borelli
17. Counting the Uncountable: The Contributions of Peter C. Phan
Leo D. Lefebure
Epilogue, by Peter C. Phan
Appendix: Curriculum Vitae of Peter C. Phan
Contributors
Reviews
"Borders are erected to keep things out and to protect that which is within. Borders can also be limiting and isolating. Christian thought and practice can stagnate under such conditions. This book aims to offer a corrective, taking lead from the life and work of Peter Phan, imagining ways of self-conscious theologizing across borders, and bringing about a Christianity far richer for it."—Alexander Chow, Centre for the Study of World Christianity, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh
"Peter C. Phan has through his publications, mentorship, collegiality, and collaboration left an indelible mark on the field of theology and on the lives of countless religious believers and seekers. This collection offers a valuable introduction to his writings and a fitting tribute to his accomplishments."—Bradford E. Hinze, Karl Rahner SJ Professor of Theology, Fordham University
"[Theology without Borders] is a great read. Academics might use it to broaden their own syllabi, students will be introduced to areas that are likely unfamiliar to them. The random curious reader will have no trouble enjoying the contents."—Catholic Books Review
Contributors
Thomas Banchoff, John Borelli, Gemma Tulud Cruz, Charles E. Curran, Brian M. Doyle, Brian P. Flanagan, Chester Gillis, Cristina Lledo Gomez, Dale T. Irvin, Leo D. Lefebure, William P. Loewe, Alan C. Mitchell, John W. O’Malley, Peter C. Phan, Jonathan Y. Tan, Debora Tonelli, Anh Q. Tran, SJ, Keith Ward, Stephanie M. Wong
About the Author
Leo D. Lefebure holds the Matteo Ricci, SJ, Chair of Theology at Georgetown University. He is the author of the award-winning Transforming Interreligious Relations: Catholic Responses to Religious Pluralism in the United States. His other award-winning books include Revelation, the Religions, and Violence; True and Holy: Christian Scripture and Other Religions; and The Path of Wisdom: A Christian Commentary on the Dhammapada, coauthored with Peter Feldmeier. Lefebure is the president of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies, a research fellow of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a trustee emeritus of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions.
Peter C. Phan teaches at Georgetown University, where he currently holds the Ignacio Ellacuría, SJ, Chair of Catholic Social Thought. He has earned three doctorates and received four honorary doctorates. He is the first non-Anglo to be elected president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and of the American Theological Society. In 2020 he was given the John Courtney Murray Award, the highest honor of the Catholic Theological Society of America, in recognition for outstanding and distinguished achievement in theology. He is the author or editor of more than thirty-five books. His work has been translated into twelve languages.
