I would like, at this, the fortieth annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Church History, to explore with you some aspects of the history of our Society. Because I am a student of the history of evangelical Christianity, I will begin with a personal testimony. And because I have been nurtured in the bosom of liberal theology, I would like to focus our thoughts around a story by the prairie author Sandra Birdsell, for whom I frequently have the honour of being mistaken.First, then, the testimony. It happened in the cafeteria at the University of Ottawa a rather unlikely setting for anything momentous, but that is part of the genre, isn't it? The Canadian Society of Church History was on lunch break, and a large number of us had gathered around one long table to engage in a number of conversations. There we were, women and men, at different stages of life and scholarship, historians, religionists, and theologians, all sharing mediocre food and great insights, crosspollinating our disciplines, and enjoying ourselves. It was for me one of those expansive, blissful moments, one in which I experienced what is best described by Marguerite Van Die, in her 1992 presidential address on nineteenth-century religious experience: I sensed "not only the bonds of a community set apart in sacred time and space . . . but also . . . the continuity of the faith and the generations." 1 I was filled with gratitude for
167 of a scientific one. By definition the term &dquo;religion&dquo; is more complex and reflective than captured by this statement; &dquo;Religion is a way of ensuring a meaningful, happy, and purposeful life and a possible means to the afterlife&dquo; (11), even when restricted to the Semitic faith traditions. This definition works against understanding the similarities as well as differences in the methodologies of the study of religion and of science.Somewhat disconcerting is the Eurocentric approach to humans seeking to make sense of the world, especially given our cultural milieu of pluralism, diversity and globalization at the start of the 21st century. The author's exposition in the last chapter urges that the educational system convey knowledge &dquo;from a cross-cultural perspective,&dquo; as a way of preparing for change. Yet nothing substantive is mentioned of Hindu/Indian and Chinese civilizations and their worldviews. The book makes no mention, for instance, of the Kerala School of mathematics ( l4th C-17th C) shaping the development of western ideas of the infinite series, trigonometric functions and navigation. Neither does its citation of contributors to modern science rccognize names such as Bose, Chandrasckhar or Abdus Salam. Nor do its summaries of Muslim/ Arab contributions warrant a reprieve. Reactions to, confrontations of, and arguments against tradition are not traits exclusive to western cultures or thinkers.Inclusion of summaries on the influence of non-western civilizations would be a step towards what the author is urging-conveying knowledge &dquo;from a cross-cultural perspective.&dquo;Still, the compendium of personal reflections or &dquo;labour of love for over ten years,&dquo; by Dobson is quite remarkable. It is definitely useful for teachers and students wanting to make a quick introductory acquaintance with decisive developments in modern science and a brief overview of mythopoetic and religious systems of thought in the West.
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