New Book by Amos Yong: Hospitality & The Other

Yesterday I received a review copy of a new book courtesy of its author, Amos Yong, and the publisher, Orbis Books, titled Hospitality & The Other: Pentecost, Christian Practices, and the Neighbor (Orbis, 2008). I have been impressed with Yong's work in the past in developing a theology of religions in light of our pluralistic, post-Christendom and post 9/11 context, and his interest in interreligious dialogue as well. Readers might recall my previous interview with Yong that can be found here and my summary and interaction with one of his articles here.

My initial skimming of Yong's latest book indicates that it looks very promising. As the back cover summarizes the contents:

"Building on careful biblical scholarship and insights into the practices of Jesus and the early church, launched on the day of Pentecost, Amos Yong shows that the religious 'other' is not a mere object for conversion but a neighbor to whom hospitality must be both extended and received. Contemporary practice, he shows, needs to catch up with the revolutionary biblical notion of extending hospitality beyond every boundary of faith, nation, and ethnicity."

This volume promises to make a new contribution to both scholarly and popular understandings of a Christian theology of religions and interreligious dialogue, and it provides a challenge to a neglected aspect of Christian attitudes and life in an increasingly pluralistic world. Look for an interview with Yong on this book here in the near future.