EDITORS NOTES

Finally the first issue under Vol. XII is now in your hands. We apologise to all our subscribers that we could not even inform in time why the CTC Bulletins could not be produced regularly. The Executive Secretary for Theological Concerns left to take up another job when his term ended in March 93. The appointed successor could not join due to pressing demands in his home country, and finally I have been asked to hold additional charges. In the mean time the subscribers list and some of the articles already collected had gone hiding. They have now been found. We hope that at least one more issue will come out. Thinking realistically probably we could most certainly aim at two issues per year only until such time there is a full time person handling Theological Concerns.

Reading the signs of the times two rather paradoxical issues seem to demand on going theological reflection. First the engaging reality of plurality in Asia. If we are to seek a true human community how can that task be addressed in the midst of plurality with many ramifications. On the other hand, however the question of irreconcilable polarities also need immediate theological attention. A statement highlighting this is given below.

The Asia Mission Conference addressed the first concern. Some of the articles, though not coming out of the conference reflect that concern. Later in August there is to be a small workshop to think about the need for a new vision of God. Probably our next issue can publish some of the papers to be presented. But there needs to be a much wider discussion of this concern. May we therefore invite contributions from our readers especially from within Asia.

Through a New Vision of God
Towards the New Humanity in
Christ
A Proposition

During the second half of this century there has arisen a few significant contextual theol�ogies in Asia. The most well known among them being Minjung Theology in Korea, the Theology of the Crown of Thorns of the Burakumin of Japan, Dalit Theology in India and Theologies of the indegenous peoples of Aotearoa and Australia. These contextual theologies and the world wide echoes of the rising consciousness of women seem to have a common starting point for theology. This common starting point lead them towards a different vision of God, i.e. different from the most commonly held images of God. Their vision of God seems to differ from the vision of God projected by the Liberation Theology of Latin America as well as from the vision commonly held by Churches in Asia imposed by the West.

The Minjung, the Dalits, the indigenous peoples, the Buraku and the women under the yoke of patriarchy do not know a triumphalist God who leads them to victory. They do not believe in God because of the hope of redressal in heaven either. Nor do they seem to be resigned to their experience of humiliating oppression and marginalisation as God willed and therefore should put up with it passively without protest and without struggle. They know and affirm God as a fellow sufferer and enabler (Immanuel).

Consequently Jesus the Human One (Son of Man) is seen as the One who gives concrete expression to this eternal reality of God as Immanuel in the sufferings and struggles of the people. Jesus' cry of dereliction from the Cross (Mk 15:34) is but the echo of all those who suffer in human history..... Thus Jesus also voices the forgiveness of the people and becomes a true reconcilor (Lk 23:34; 24:46-48). i.e. Jesus mediates the forgiveness of the oppressed as well as that of God.

The Holy Spirit as the Spirit of God Imman�uel and as the true substitute of Jesus the Human One (i) inspires righteous indignation (ii) enables proper discernment (iii) articulates the New Logos of God's Justice (iv) constantly groans together with all those who long for God's Vindication.

Here is a completely new but very consistent understanding of the Trinitarian God. This understanding is sustainable from the Bible and from the over abundant evidence from the histories of oppressed people.

Sadly, however, the traditional image of a transcendent arbitrary God who elects some for salvation and condemns many in hell, who pampers the elect with wealth and prosperity but curses the "unbelievers" with poverty and misery, who is the One who appoints even the tyrants and dictators, who orders the natural calamities and all accidents..... is the lingering image of God in the Church in Asia today. This image helps the dominant and the powerful to legitimise all forms of cultural oppression, social stratification, capitalist exploitation and indiscriminate plundering of creation.

It is obvious then that the two images of God are incompatible. And, if incompatible we could not say that both belong to the desirable plurality of perceiving God.

God who is love and just is mediated to us through the suffering and struggling people of Asia. If this is true, then we need a carefully thought out programme to help our people to be in partnership with God and with God's agents of mediating the chal�lenges of the New Humanity in Christ.