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Watson, Hubert Manohar, Towards a Relevant Christology in India Today: An Appraisal of the Christologies of John Hick, Jurgen Moltmann and Jon Sobrino. New York: Peter Lang, 2002. Pp. 310. $62.95.

How can a genuinely Indian Christology be articulated in the religiously pluralistic and economically challenging context of India? How do the people of India respond to Jesus' question, “Who do you say I am?” These are the main questions Watson explores in Towards a Relevant Christology in India Today, a revised version of his doctoral dissertation. Watson is currently teaching at the Karnataka Theological College in Mangalore, India.

The central task taken up in this book is to analyze different contemporary approaches to Christology from an Indian perspective. Issues discussed include: (a) Mystical dimension of Christology. Sadhu Sunder Singh and others show that the relevance of Indian Christology lies in the mystical faith rather than historical investigation of Jesus. (b) Vadantic relevance. Because Vedantic Hinduism dominates the religious and cultural fabric of India, Brahmo Bandav Upadyaya and others show how such Christology can be formulated in Hindu religious terms. (c) Plurality of religions. India is a home of many religions. Therefore, a Christology of the Christian minority in India must be open toward other religions and dialogue with others. Samartha and others show that, rather than being exclusive, their Christology needs to consider other theologies and the people of other faiths as their co-pilgrims. (d) Theology of the marginalized ethnic communities. A. P. Nirmal and others help to make sense of a Christology to the marginalized, mainly to the dalits. (e) Theology of humanization and liberation. Poverty, marginalization, enslavement, oppression, and dehumanization are major characteristics of the Indian populace.

Subsequent chapters present the Christologies of three modern theologians: John Hick, Jürgen Moltmann, and John Sobrino, who represent religious pluralism, systematic theology, and liberation theology, respectively. Hick rejects both exclusive and inclusive approaches on other religions as Christian arrogance. His main contention is that the new reality of religious pluralism has made it essential to seriously consider other religions. “There is not merely one way but a plurality of ways of salvation or liberation…there is a plurality of divine revelations, making possible a plurality of forms of saving human response.” Although Watson appreciates Hick's awareness of religious plurality, he rejects him for two reasons: first, he is not useful in relating Christology to the context of sociopolitical and economic realities of India, an act that is crucial for any Christology; and second, Hick's solution for religious pluralism, which accepts all religions as equally valid ways to the Ultimate, does not help the Christian community in India.

Watson shifts to Moltmann to achieve what Hick lacks. Moltmann is popularly known for his “theology of hope.” This hope does not rest on the distant future on the “last things”; rather, for him, the “future” empowers the present. What is impressive for Watson is Moltmann's theology of the cross, which can be a useful tool for interfaith dialogue in India, because it touches the core of Indian life: socioeconomic realities such as poverty and suffering. “The ‘cross’ can be a meeting place for people of different faiths who seek a new humanity—in a Christian language, the Kingdom of God.” In the crucified Christ, we see the future of God. The cross brings meaning to the present in the light of the inrushing future of the anticipated Kingdom. Latin American theologian John Sobrino tries to expose human realities in the Third World and articulates a theology on the basis of liberation praxis. For Watson, Sobrino's Christology from a Third World perspective is equally relevant to the Indian context. Both Moltmann and Sobrino are helpful, therefore, in searching for a relevant Christology in India, as both take theology from its ortho-doxy toward ortho-praxis.

“In order to make faith in Christ more relevant and meaningful” for India, Watson argues, “christology should be done in the Indian context using Indian culture, way of life and thought-forms. Mere import or translation of the christologies, which are done in western contexts, have only little relevance in India, because they are done in response to particular contexts. Hence, they cannot effectively respond to Indian needs.” However, in seeming contradiction of his own argument, the author selects three non-Indian Western theologians as major contributors to his work. Watson's rationale is that Westerners have contributed a great deal in articulating Christian dogmas. Although one can never underestimate the contributions of these great theologians, in view of taking up a theological task for India, it would have been more relevant if Indian theologians, who are already in the struggle of developing theology in India, were selected.

An Indian counterpart to John Hick, such as Stanley Samartha, would have enriched the author's Christological perspectives in the context of religious pluralism. Similarly, it may be difficult for an Indian reader to understand why Moltmann's theology of the Cross is more significant than that of an Indian theologian such as M. M. Thomas, to whom the author briefly refers. No doubt, Moltmann's theology of suffering could have a huge impact on the suffering masses in India of all faith orientations, but matters such as centering the cross as a common symbol for all faiths could be problematic in the pluralistic context. Instead of a symbol, one may rather consider drawing “symbols” together in dialogue for their common struggle against the oppressive structures that enslave them.

Meanwhile, regarding the use of liberation theology and its Marxist social analysis for India, the warning of theologians such as A. P. Nirmal cannot be ignored. He argues that the context of the caste system, which is the primary cause for economic hardship and exploitative structure in India, according to Marxist analysis of the society, is not an adequate option, although it is not totally irrelevant. It is also important in a book such as this to explain why one person is studied instead of the other within the same school of theology. For example, although the author made an initial description of Gutierrez and Leonardo Boff, who were also very significant in the formulation of liberation theology, why was Sobrino taken up while leaving behind those stalwarts? Similarly, the reader needs to know what role Indian theologians described in chapter three play in the author's construction of a relevant Indian Christology. Despite some remaining questions, this book is an important addition to the literature, because it enables readers to become familiar with various debates in Christology in the contemporary world.

Harsha Kumar Kotian

Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago


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