Departments
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Week of 30 October 1998 |
Vol. II, No. 12 |
Feature Article
Ecology and Confucianism
In creative burst, STH prof publishes three books on religions' interaction
by J. Nicole Long
"There will be no peace in the world until there is peace among the religions," says John Berthrong, paraphrasing the German theolgian Hans Kung.
This year, in a period of about seven months, Berthrong, School of Theology associate dean and director of the Institute for Dialogue Among Religious Traditions, published three books on interreligious dialogue, a field within comparative philosophy and theology. The goal of such dialogue is to create an informed understanding among people of different religions and cultures. Berthrong's teaching and research interests include, as well as interfaith dialogue, Chinese religion and philosophy, and comparative theology and philosophy. In addition to his books, he has published scores of articles on these subjects. "I think I might have set a publishing record in our department," he says, grinning playfully.
"All three of these books continue the quest that started in 1964," says Berthrong. Then a 19-year-old college sophomore, Berthrong left his home in Oklahoma and traveled to Hong Kong. His father, a professor of American history, had been invited to teach overseas and asked his son to join him. "I couldn't have phrased it this way in '64," he says, "but in the process of writing these books, I realized the quest is to find out how to think critically and reflectively about modern global problems and about how ancient cultures, religions, and philosophies interact with them."
Transformations of the Confucian Way (Westview Press,
March 1998) tells the story of the Confucian tradition's
intellectual development. By focusing on the people who
teach its tradition, Berthrong relates the history. He
starts at its beginnings -- with Confucius and the early
Chinese masters -- and includes modern Confucian
representatives, such as Tu Weiming and Okada Takehiko.
Treating Confucianism as a living set of traditions,
Berthrong considers modern developments in Confucianism, not
only in China, but also in Korea and Japan, along with its
classical eras. John Berthrong
With Mary Evelyn Tucker, professor of
religious studies at Bucknell University, Berthrong coedited
Confucianism and Ecology: The Interrelation of Heaven,
Earth, and Humans (Harvard University Press, June 1998). The
book, one in a series on religion and ecology established by
Harvard's Center for the Study of World Religions, is
composed of scholarly papers from a major conference held in
1996, the first attempt to look at ecology and the Confucian
tradition of East Asia simultaneously.
Grave prognosis
"The papers were generated by a conviction that humankind is
facing a grave ecological crisis and that the religions need
to work together," Berthrong says. "In order to do so,
scholars need to explore the way the Confucian tradition has
lived with nature during its 2,600-year history in East
Asia, and now in the wider world of the Confucian Diaspora."
In his writing, teaching, and direct interaction with religious groups, Berthrong considers the philosophy, practice, and beliefs of a people. He is then able to present his understanding of their theologies, suggest why conflicts exist, and propose solutions to their problems.
"The most valuable thing he has taught me," says Greg Farr (STH'91, GRS'00), a doctoral candidate in the GRS division of religious and theological studies "is to thoroughly understand another person's point of view. His methodology is in his teaching: he has a mastery of theological thought and is able to synthesize and communicate his understanding no matter what level I'm on. I have a background in philosophy primarily, so theological frameworks are something I've had to learn. He is able to identify the correct corresponding Western concepts to illuminate Eastern thought in his seminars."
Making the twain meet
Berthrong's third book, Concerning Creativity: A Comparison
of Chu Hsi, Whitehead, and Neville (State University of New
York Press, September 1998), is an extension of his interest
in Confucian-Christian dialogue. "It is the most technical
of the works and will probably be of interest only to
advanced students and scholars of religion and philosophy,"
he says. Farr observes that Concerning Creativity is holding
its own among scholars, and that Berthrong provides a whole
new theological angle. He examines tough questions in
Western philosophy, applying the insights of Chu Hsi to them
and allowing the Western problem to be illuminated by
Eastern thought.
Berthrong's strengths are not only intellectual, according to Farr. His personality contributes to his ability to communicate his ideas and to teach. "He's so bubbly -- he has this way of making me at ease, and then he teaches me. Many scholars are not so forthcoming with what they believe. While he is committed to a thorough method and to discipline, Dean Berthrong is gifted at cutting through formalities."
Although this year's books reflect Berthrong's serious scholarship, next year he will publish Divine Deli (Orbis Books), a book about how religion is transforming in people's lives, meant for a popular audience. Berthrong says he had a lot of fun working with the metaphor of food and how it reflects the intermingling of religious influences. "I've studied Anglicanism to Zoroastrianism," Berthrong says. "The question is, how do our traditions coexist with science and technology in a modern industrial world? Nowadays it's not unusual for a confirmed Catholic, for example, also to attend yoga three times a week and undergo acupuncture for her migraines -- it's like that isn't it? A divine delicatessen."