Toward Alternative Theology - by Sara Grant R S C J (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Toward an Alternative Theology: Confessions of a Non-Dualist Christian is the spiritual and intellectual autobiography of Sara Grant, a Roman Catholic Scottish nun, who, until her death in 2000, established herself as one of the leading twentieth-century figures in Indian Christian theology and the contemplative life. In this slim volume, Grant recounts her search not only for God, but for a right understanding of God, as well as for a way of rethinking Christian teachings on the mystery of God's relation to the world that could overcome widespread popular dualisms.

Grant's odyssey begins with experiences from her childhood and follows her entrance into the novitiate of the Society of the Sacred Heart, where she began an intensive study of Aquinas. After training in classics and philosophy at Oxford University, Grant traveled to India, where she spent the remainder of her life, first as a professor of philosophy at Sophia College, Bombay, and later in Pune in the dual role of professor at Jnana-Deepa-Vidyapeeth and head of a Christian monastic community.

Grant studied Sanskrit and became an expert on Sankara (ca. 700 c.e.), the authoritative Hindu exponent of the doctrine of non-duality. Reading Aquinas and Sankara in a method of mutual illumination led Grant to discover that the non-dualistic, or advaitic, insight was compatible with Christian theology, and in fact is present, though underdeveloped, in all authentic Christian doctrine.

Appearing for the first time in the United States, this engrossing book eloquently recounts the life of a remarkable woman and shows how Christian theology and spirituality can be enriched by encountering the experiences and concepts of advaita. This updated edition includes a new introduction by Bradley J. Malkovsky.

Review Quotes

"Toward an Alternative Theology presents the technical arguments of the compatibility of Christian theology in general and Thomistic in particular with Advaita non-dualism in easily accessible terms." --Religious Studies Review

"Sara Grant bent her mind and heart to the theology of Sankara, whom she compares in an amazingly astute way to Thomas Aquinas in this book. Toward an Alternative Theology provides a readable and penetrating theological synthesis carried out in an interfaith atmosphere . . . it serves a great purpose to the community of philosophical theology." --David Burrell, C.S.C., Theodore Hesburgh Professor in Philosophy and Theology, University of Notre Dame

"There have not been as many people like Sara Grant who have studied and practised deeply in two spiritual traditions which have grown up without any reference to or need of one another over millenia. Her way of dealing with the problem, and indeed, her whole manner of approach to Ultimate Truth deserves respect." --Journal of Contemporary Religion

"This is a spiritual journey, reminding one of Augustine, Merton, or Hammarskjold . . . a perfect blend of spirituality, classical Christian and Hindu philosophy, and what contemporary theology could be." --William Cenkner, Katharine Drexel Professor of Religion, The Catholic University of America

"This slim volume is a readily accessible introduction to the thought and work of this remarkable philosopher, theologian, and pastoral leader. ...Grant's work stands out as one of the most compact, accessible and vivid resources currently available for exploring the profound questions raised by interreligious dialogue and practice. It amply recommends itself for general readers, for the undergraduate or seminary classroom, and perhaps expecially for adult education programs in the parish." --New Theology Review

"This was a woman of great intellectual energy: it shines through her prose.... She consistently resists what she calls simplistic and piecemeal solutions to difficult questions, such as how to do interreligious prayer and worship and what to say about universalism's possible truth, and she consistently presses the importance of hard intellectual work. All this should be applauded, as should the prose in which she writes, which in its lucidity, understatement, and elegance is a monument to the now almost defunct educational system that formed her." --First Things

About the Author

Sara Grant, R.S.C.J. (1922 - 2002), was a British Indologist, Christian missionary, and one of the pioneers of interreligious dialogue in the twentieth century. She came to India in 1956, as a missionary and member of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and was actively engaged in interreligious dialogue. In time, she became a leading figure in the inculturation (imbibing local cultures) movement that was started in India by Roman Catholic priest Richard De Smet, S.J. in the early 1970s. Her association with Swami Abhishiktananda, further led to working on the Advaita Vedanta (Nondualism) teachings of Hindu philosopher Adi Sankarwas. She taught philosophy in Mumbai and Pune, and spent many years as co-acharya of the Christa Prema Seva Ashram in Pune, which combines the Hindu ashram and sannyasa model and Christian monasticism.

Bradley J. Malkovsy is associate professor of comparative theology at the University of Notre Dame.