Love and You Shall Live Christian Soteriology in the Light of Interreligious Dialogue and the Biblical Notion of Agape - Paperback

by Leandro Fontana (Author)

This book rethinks the soteriological premises of the Christian discourse on interreligious dialogue and makes an effort to overcome the conventional typology 'exclusivism-inclusivism-pluralism.' From a hermeneutic perspective, the author sets out to find the answer to this predicament in Jesus' life, message, and practice, given the normative character that these possess for Christianity. Moreover, a number of critical studies of biblical texts, such as the parable of the Good Samaritan, have suggested that 'interreligious' conflicts were a serious challenge to be faced in early Christianity as well. By building a bridge between biblical and systematic theology, and seeking consonance with the testimonies of the New Testament, the answer to the issue of religious pluralism suggested here is the eschatological-ethical principle of agape. For love is the capacity to endure difference while constantly questioning and reformulating one's own identity in the face of the other. Accordingly, the Christian category of neighbor is valued as a decisive mediation for both the definition of one's own identity and the realization of God's salvific plan. Thus, soteriology regains the central locus it occupied in Early Christianity as a means of combining God's initiative, human participation, and the growth of His Kingdom.

Author Biography

Leandro Luis Bedin Fontana is a Research Fellow and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul. He graduated in Brazil with degrees in philosophy and theology and received his doctorate in theology from the Hochschule Sankt Georgen (Germany). Leandro Luis Bedin Fontana is a Research Fellow and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). In the same institution, he did his graduate studies and holds degrees in philosophy and theology. From 2011 to 2015, he carried out a doctoral research project on Christian soteriology and interreligious dialogue at both Goethe University and Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen (Frankfurt, Germany), from which he received his doctorate degree in theology. During this time, he was a DFG scholarship holder and member of two graduate research programs: the Research Training Group "Theologie als Wissenschaft" and the International Graduate Study Program "Religion in Dialogue". Among his research interests are interreligious dialogue, soteriology, secularization, hermeneutics, and theological anthropology. Beyond his academic life, he has actively engaged in social as well as interreligious projects in countries including Brazil, Germany (2010-2015), and India (2005-2007). Leandro is married and has two daughters.