An Important Contribution to Western Historical Theology from Wales

The inclusion of insights from the sociology of religion is also welcome but it would have been helpful to have drawn on them to tackle some of the decidedly sociological issues explored in other chapters. These forays into sociology sit rather awkwardly alongside the more theological and philosophical approaches of the rest of the book. For example, the analysis of secularism is entirely abstract and non-specific, why not consider some concrete examples of the different forms secularism have taken? There is nothing wrong with exploring these issues primarily within Christian thought, but it would have been useful to have acknowledged this more openly. I am aware that the book is written from a Christian perspective and with a Christian audience in mind, but nonetheless it must be said that it is not especially accessible for a non-Christian reader. Surely, the aim of such is to provide a bridge for a Christian audience to engage with the plurality of religions and worldviews in the modern world? The problem is that Mong’s engagement with sources from and scholarship on other religious traditions, secularism and the non-religious is far too sparse to be helpful. While the book is at times genuinely refreshing in its acknowledgement of the historical excesses of Christians, the difficulty of drawing an exact line between monotheism and polytheism or the inevitability of syncretism, this does not excuse attempts to render other traditions entirely in Christian terms. Constructing the kind of positive pluralism that the book seeks to encourage is not a solitary endeavour.