"A fresh 'begirining has been made. Let' us work together for a creative theological community in Asia!" With these words and with this call the consultation on"Doing Theology'with Cultures in ASia''. ,that inaugurated the Programme for Theology and Cultlires inAsia, heldat'KansaiSeminar House in Kyoto, July 7-11, concluded its week-long meeting. The' consultation was not just another ecumenical gathering; it was an intense theological interaction focused on doing Christian theology with cultural heritages of Asia. It was not merely' one,more.'international meeting; it.'wasan~n~depth .sean:h for the ways in which Christians iil Asia should be engaged ind()ing' Christian theology in the part of the world largely alien to' "Christian culture". Nor was it meant to be a theological conference preoccupied with concepts, ideas, and norms; it was engaged in c,reative. living theology for today and tomorrow in AS,ia. And it anticipated theological interacting between Asia and the rest of theyvorld, not in terms defined and shaped by theology in the West but with the fruits of theological 'labour done in Asia.
This inaugural consultation recognised the creative theology d'one in the past, seeking to be rooted in Asian soil, but strongly felt the need for fresh beginnings for the future. Just as the political history of most countries in Asia, Christian theology had had a long colonial history. It has seldom become "flesh", that is, it has not penetrated below the surface of the histories, cultures and daily lives of women, men and children in Asia. It has ' often slavishly followed theologies brought to the shores of Asia by evangelists, missionaries and teachers from the West. Often it has been an imitation theology, translation theology, "discarnate" theology. Thinking Christians in Asia have been for sonie time acutely aware of this, embarrassed by it, agonizing over it. Changes have to be made. Breakthroughs have to be found. And ways must be designed for theology to wrestle with what Jesus means for Asian peoples, with what God has been doing in the countries of Asia with rich human and cultural resources. This is a fresh beginning in Christian theology, theology not dictated by western theology, but by what has been disclosed and yet to be disclosed in the Bible, by lived and living experiences of peoples and nations of Asia. ,
The main question is how to bring about this fundamental theological reorientation. In struggling with this question, the consultation proved to be a real turning-point for the development of Christian theology in Asia. The key to the question of how, the consultation concluded, was to be found in the "resources in Asia" - resources related to the lives of people, resources from cultures, religions, histories, in short, resources that reveal the struggles and aspirations of peoples and nations of Asia throughout the centuries. Such resources, abundant and varied, deeply rooted in Asian humanity, hold the key to cre3:tive living theology in Asia. To affirm these resources as integral parts not only of Asians but of Asian Christians is the beginning of Christian theology in Asia. Wrestling with these resources of our own biblically and theologically in critical ways must be centr~l to theological efforts today and in the coming days in Asia.
It is to fa:cilitak this doing of Christian theology with resources in Asia that the consultation gave birth to "THE PROGRAMME FOR THEOLOGY AND CULtuRES IN ASIA (PTCA)".lt established four basic thrusts for PICA in the coming years:
1. to help equip younger theologians and church leaders, women and men, lay and clergy, in a theological reorientation for their various ministries.
2. to recover our own cultural and spiritual resources in Asian countries and make these available for the doing of living theology in Asia.
3. to promote creative, indigenous theological writing within the concrete experiences and heritages of Asia area.
4. to facilitate active theological interactions within Asia and between Asia and other parts of the world.
To put these four basic thrusts into practice, the consultation also affirmed steps to be taken and actions to be followed such as: strengthening the network of theological efforts and partnership, stimulating imagination for new patterns and methods for doing theology locally, facilitating the emergency of theology from women's perspectives, bringing about theological expressions from minority groups, and discerning and drawing insights and aspirations from people in struggle. And of course annual seminar-workshops that began in 1983 will be continued, focusing on such areas of concern as symbols and images in Asian cultures, spiritual life, contextual preaching, the Bible and its authority, and so on.
The inaugural consultation thus marked a very significant signpost in the development of Christian theology in Asia. It also foresees genuine theological interactions within Asia, between south and north and between east and west. It was a consultation built on the intensive work of the preceding years, directed to urgent tasks of today and prepared to launch into the future with plans to be implemented. Contributing to the vision, direction and actions of the consultation were some fifty participants, mostly from Asia along with some from Africa, Europe and North America. Their enthusiasm, wisdom and commitment made it possible for PTCA to become a reality and for a new theological era in Asia to begin. .
The PTCA thus inaugurated at Kansai Seminar House will be a mobile programme reaching out to strategic places in Asia to carry out its plans and offer its services. It has already received strong support from some ecumenical bodies and partners. Directly involved in PTCA at this stage are the South East Asia Graduate School of Theology, the School of Theology, Doshisha University, in Kyoto, and the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. PTCA is also· made possible by the cooperation of the Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA), the Korean Association of Accredited Theological Schools (KAATS), Kansai Seminar House (Nippon Christian Academy) and Council for Mission Ecumenical Cooperation (NZ). Working relationships are being established with the Christian Conference of Asia, the Northeast Asia Association of Theological Schoois, the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of the Serampore College (India) and the AssoCiation of Christian Institutes of Social Concern in Asia !ACISCA). PI'CA also wishes to be related to the countries and churches in £he Pacific and other regions.
In inaugurating the Programme for Theology and Cultures· in Asia, the consultation expressed its commitment to "concentrated joint efforts for the formation of living theology and to the growth of a creative theological community in Asia" and beyond Asia.
Choan-seng Song
Professor of Theology
Pacific School . of Theology and
The South East Asia Graduate School,
Dean, Programme for Theology and . Cultures in Asia
July 15, 1987
