Martin Luther's Theology of Two Kingdoms in Buddhist and Christian Communities

Transforming Contemporary Myanmar Society

Pa Yaw

• Publisher: Fortress Academic
• Year: 2024
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9798216342809
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Buddhism

Socially engaged religion teaches that people of faith have a responsibility to address and reduce suffering in all its forms, both physical and spiritual, including suffering resulting from social injustice, exploitation, oppression, false faith, and so forth. True religion engages with society to alleviate suffering and bring transformation. In other words, religious violence is an obscenity, a deviation from the true character of religion.
Martin Luther's Theology of Two Kingdoms in Buddhist and Christian Communities examines the principle of separation between religion and politics in the context of both Buddhist and Christian communities. In predominantly Buddhist contexts such as Myanmar, where a reciprocal relationship between religion and politics is expected, separation is not effective. Attempts by Christians to separate religion and politics cause the church to run away from tyranny and follow the state with blind obedience. Martin Luther's model of two distinct but interconnected systems for religion and politics creates space for each institution to give constructive advice and criticism to the other for the health of all human beings.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Persecution of Ethnic and Religious Minorities in Myanmar
• Martin Luther’s Theology of Two Kingdoms as a Tool for Transformation in Myanmar Society
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Theology of Political Resistance in Light of Luther’s Theology of Two Kingdoms
• Social and Religious Engagement in Myanmar Society
• The Implications of Luther’s Theology of Two Kingdoms in Dialogue with Engaged Religious Communities in Myanmar Today
• Conclusion
• List of Abbreviations
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author