Toward an Alternative Theology

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.

"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"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"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"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 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