Amos Yong, _Hospitality and the Other: Pentecost, Christian Practices and the Neighbor_

I have long been a fan of the work of Amos Yong, who is fast becoming the preeminent global Pentecostal scholar. Hospitality and the Other is a book that will further enhance his reputation, taking him beyond the category of “Pentecostal” academic, and placing him as one of the foremost Christian contributors to theologies of inter-religious encounter.

In light of this ‘high praise’, I should confess to having felt a certain degree of surprise and even scepticism when this book first landed on my desk. Yong had previously published two books specifically addressing the topic - Discerning the Spirit(s): A Pentecostal-Charismatic Contribution to Christian Theology of Religions (JPT SS, Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 200) and Beyond the Impasse: Toward a Pneumatological Theology of Religions (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003) - and had written numerous journal articles and book chapters covering seemingly similar ground. But my initial concern that this new book might simply restate previously published ideas proved unfounded. What I discovered, as I worked my way with increasing excitement through Hospitality and the Other, was that Yong’s thinking about the logic of inter-religious engagement has taken a new direction. This is not to suggest he contradicts his previous work, but it is to highlight that Yong has set out a complementary argument, one that is compelling and that should challenge Christians (even those of a more conservative persuasion) to rethink their predominately hostile attitude to people of other faiths.

The book is set in the context of a postmodern, pluralistic and multi-religious global society, one that is in urgent need of religious harmony. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks notes:

Religion can be a source of discord. It can also be a form of conflict resolution. We are familiar with the former; the second is far too little tried. Yet it is here, if anywhere, that hope must lie if we are to create a human solidarity strong enough to bear the strains that lie ahead. The great faiths must now become an active force for peace and for the justice and compassion on which peace ultimately depends. That will require great courage, and perhaps something more than courage: a candid admission that, more than at any time in the past, we need to search – each faith in its own way – for a way of living with, and acknowledging the integrity of, those who are not of our faith. Can we make space for difference? Can we hear the voice of God in a language, a sensibility, a culture not our own? Can we see the presence of God in the face of a stranger? Religion is no longer marginal to international politics. After a long period of eclipse, it has reemerged with immense and sometimes destructive force.¹

The need for inter-religious peace is increasingly obvious, but the way to go about achieving that peace is not as clear, especially since the particularity of religious faith tends to work against the possibility of making space for difference. Sack’s suggestion, ‘that each faith in its own way’ needs to find a way of engaging positively with those of another faith, is precisely what has been missing in too much of the literature framing inter-religious dialogue. In contrast Yong, while locating his work in the context of multi-religious pluralism, develops an argument for inter-religious practices that is explicitly Christian. Indeed, his book builds toward the conclusion that it is the gracious hospitality of God, exemplified in Jesus Christ, that frames the mission of the Church, a mission that includes inter-religious practices. As Yong notes:

For Christians, Jesus Christ is not only the paradigmatic host representing and offering the redemptive hospitality of God, but he does so as the exemplary guest who went out in the far {text:soft-page-break} country…. Christian life enacts the hospitality of God precisely through our embodying, paradoxically, both the exclusively christomorphic shape of the ecclesia, on the one hand, and, on the other, the inclusively incarnational koinonia of God at work in aliens in a strange land (p.126).

He goes on to spell out the way in which this mission is framed by the Spirit of hospitality, connecting this book to his earlier published arguments for a pneumatological framing of inter-religious engagement. Inter-religious encounter, therefore, is located in the very Trinitarian nature of God. That is to say, it is the unmeasurable hospitality of the grace of God, expressed in the life and ministry of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, that demands that the witness of the church is embodied in hospitable practices – as we live both as conduits of hospitality and, at one and the same time, as aliens and strangers in a foreign land. We should therefore be, according to Yong, both givers and receivers of hospitable welcome.

As I have already suggested, this book is not narrowly Pentecostal, although Pentecostals will recognise Yong’s pneumatological orientation, as well as his emphasis on praxis – on the practical nature of theological reflection. This emphasis on “inter-religious practices” lies at the heart of the book. This is apparent right from the start, as his first chapter provides a series of case studies highlighting examples of Christian encounter with other faiths, vividly illustrating the ways in which Christian practices are having both positive and negative effects, i.e. generating instances of peace and harmony and, at the same time, inter-religious violence. In his second chapter, he establishes the method that will underpin his argument, demonstrating the inter-relationship between beliefs and practices, and setting out an understanding of theology as ‘dramatic performance’ or, more particularly, ‘pneumatological performance’. With this in place, his third chapter is devoted to an analysis of traditional Christian approaches to other religions, assessing exclusivist, inclusivist and pluralistic theologies primarily on the basis of their impact upon Christian practices. Of particular concern is the seeming paradox between the evangelistic priority of exclusivists, the dialogical but potentially imperialistic attitude of inclusivists, and the exploratory, open and potentially syncretistic practices of pluralists. Indeed, while he recognises that the three traditional approaches to inter-religious encounter are theologically and theoretically incompatible, he asks whether it may be possible to redeem the positive dimensions of the inter-religious practices of the three dominant positions, critically assessing the claims of each. (p.98)

As already noted, he finds this point of connection in a theology of performative hospitality, which he sets out in chapter 4. Since such a theology is derived from the unique revelation of the triune God through Jesus in the power of the Spirit, it encourages diverse practices, which Yong explores in chapter 5. This includes practices of evangelism – the priority of inviting others to experience the redemptive hospitality of God through the salvific work of Jesus. It also includes a willingness to be hosted by others – to open ourselves to “the risk of our being vulnerable to and with them.” This is not a syncretistic conversion of Christians to other faiths, since it is driven by the good news of the Kingdom proclaimed by Jesus. It is, nevertheless, an openness to the move of the Spirit in and through others, and a spiritual discernment that looks for opportunities to mediate peace and justice and confront the evil of violence – especially violence generated by religion.

No doubt, this all sounds terribly idealistic, yet Yong is not unaware of the challenges of hospitality, which he describes as an “eschatological ideal.” Such ideals need to be adjudicated in the reality of the historical situation, a fact that reminds us of the need for spiritual discernment. Yong’s final chapter is thus a very practical one, reflecting not only on inter-religious practices that work toward justice in society (p.143-146), but also on the important and challenging question of interfaith prayer (p148-150), an activity that needs careful delineation if it is not to become either idolatrous or vacuous.

To conclude, this is an important text, one that I hope is widely read. It is not an easy book, but neither is it unapproachable. Indeed, it is a well-written and logical book that should be accessible to people from diverse backgrounds. Scholars will learn much from Yong’s arguments, but students and thoughtful lay Christians will also be inspired and challenged by this book. I commend it wholeheartedly.

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