World Theology

World theology can refer either to the convergence of theological ideas from different religious traditions around the world or to the way theological speculation within a single tradition has changed to respond to the globalization of culture and the global diasporas of religious communities. Wilfred Cantell Smith, in Towards a World Theology, has explored the former kind of thinking, the way theological ideas in different religious traditions have much in common and interact in pluralistic settings. This entry will focus on the latter—the way in which theology in one tradition, Christianity, has adapted to its global context.

The contours of a Christian world theology can be identified by the common concerns shared by theologians working in different regions of the world. Globalization, international migration, capitalism, and ...