Dr Vincent Kundukulam  Deepening Inculturation Introduction              Since the Second Vatican Council the theologians spoke much about the necessity of transmitting the gospel values in the indigenous cultures. Various local Churches in Africa Asia and Latin America took initiatives to develop Christian practices proper to their cultures. This interaction of the Christian message with the local cultures gave birth not only to adapted…

Dr Vincent Kundukulam Dominus Jesus and Mission  No other Vatican document has produced so many storms in the recent past like Dominus Iesus,(DI), a Declaration prepared by the Office of the Congregation for Doctrine of Faith (CDF) and by the Pope John Paul II and published on 6 August 2000.  There ensued many discussions about DI in the form…

Dr Vincent Kundukulam Interpreting and Responding to Religious Extremism Introduction A new world order is emerging as globalization grows fast across the continents. Parochial identities based on ethnic and religious allegiances get strengthened in the nations. The indigenous religions claim more role in the process of nation building. This paves the way for unhealthy combinations of…

Dr Vincent Kundukulam  The fate and fortune of Indian Christians Since 1998, the media, both in India and abroad, reports various incidents of attacks against Christians by the Hindu communalists (word used in India for those who show extreme attachment to one’s own religion in view of making economic and political gains). Even though the Sangh–Parivar (term used to designate…

Dr Vincent Kundukulam  Religious Fundamentalism – Denial of Religion Introduction A vast amount of pain and suffering was heaped on the world by the attack on the World Trade Center on 11th September 2001. No words can be adequate to condemn this event, which was directed against the innocent civilians. This tragedy has brought back into public the discussion about…

Dr Vincent Kundukulam Hindutva Understanding of Saffronisation [Paper presented in the symposium jointly convened by Church History Association of India and the Pontifical Institute, Alwaye] 2 November 2002 Vincent Kundukulam Introduction In the first session, listening to Dr. K.N. Panikkar, I am sure that we have deepened our understanding of saffronisation, its implications, and its far-reaching consequences for…

Dr Vincent Kundukulam Conversion in the Hindutva Context Introduction The history of religions is a history of religious conversions and reconversions. Conversion from one religion to another has always been an issue of friction when it brings the individual in conflict with the family, neighbour and society. Today the issue of conversion has become very crucial…

Dr Vincent Kundukulam Reception of Inter-religious Dialogue in India To assess the reception of the Second Vatican Council by the Indian Church with regard to inter-religious dialogue is a complex exercise for many reasons. First of all, the initiatives for dialogue vary from place to place on account of different local factors. Besides, the fact of reception is…

Dr Vincent Kundukulam Religion, Violence and Civil Society  Introduction  From the genes of our animal ancestors, we humans have inherited loyalties toward our own kin and aggression toward outsiders. This was essential for the survival and development of the most viable genotypes. Today however as biological evolution has given rise to cultural evolution and as cultural…

Dr Vincent Kundukulam Unitive Pluralism: An Answer to Religious Extremism The greater danger in the religious world today is that the believers, in fear or pride, cling to their own religion and refuse to learn from the stranger. A world of strangers is a world of enemies. In a world of so many differing opinions…