Podcast appearances and mentions of John J Thatamanil

Sunday, February 23, 2025Rev. Dr. John J Thatamanil 

This week I was very excited to be in conversation with Dr. John J. Thatamanil. In this conversation we discuss Dr. Thatamanil's book "Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity". Thatamanil builds a compelling case for Religious Pluralism that is deeply shaped by humility, hospitality, and mutual transformation. Christians do not have a monopoly on encounters with the Divine or Ultimate Reality and other Religious Traditions do in fact have access to both Truth and transformation. It is more than time that we stop just learning ABOUT other religious traditions, and start learning FROM them. Thatamanil demonstrates that religious diversity should be seen as a promise and not a problem and proposes a theology of religious diversity that opens the door to robust interreligious learning and transformation through encountering the other. Enjoy! RESOURCES: Dr. John J. Thatamanil Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity (Book) Theology Beer Camp 2024 (Use code RETHINKINGBAGGINS for $25 off) Join the Patreon for Bonus Content & Add-Free listening *A Special thanks to Josh Gilbert for managing the podcast, to Marty Fredrick for producing the podcast, and Dan Koch for providing the music for the podcast. Love you guys.* Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John J. Thatamanil is Associate Professor of Theology and World Religions at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He is the author of The Immanent Divine: God, Creation, and the Human Predicament. An East-West Conversation and, most recently, Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity (Fordham, 2020). Presently, he is working on a book entitled, Desiring Truth: The Quest for Interreligious Wisdom. He is a past President of the North American Paul Tillich Society and the current Chair of the AAR's Theological Education Committee. He teaches a wide variety of courses including, “Hindu Religious Thought and Practice,” “Buddhist-Christian Dialogue,” and “Paul Tillich as Public Theologian,” “Process Theology,” “Double Belonging: On Multiple Religious Participation.” Thatamanil is an Anglican/Episcopalian—a recently ordained Deacon in the Anglican Church of Canada—who also reads and practices in traditions of Hindu and Buddhist nondualism. In this episode, we discuss: The de-religionization of religion. John's cultural dislocation and how it informed his approach to theology. Truth and desire. What does it mean to have a multi-religious identity? The difference between salad bar spirituality and multi-religious identity.  3 kinds of religious wonder. The multi-religious theologian as the embodiment of the hospitality of receiving. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We revisit our 2012 interview with Union Theological Seminary professor John Thatamanil.Theologian and professor John J. Thatamanil discusses the growing field of "religious pluralism" - where the boundaries of "religion" are loosened and faith traditions are encouraged to mix and blend.  While a controversial concept to some, Thatamanil insists that theologies of religious pluralism are simply exploring the reality of religious mixture that has always been happening, whether we admit it or not.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices