b'the very notion of discussing ultimate reality seem hopeless or arbitrary. Relativism can be another kind of response to pluralism. Between rigid fundamentalism and ephemeral relativism, however, is the more challenging (though creative) path of seeking unity in difference. Without reducing all religions to an abstract unity in a way that ignores or falsifies legitimate differences, it is possible to be committed to a particular religious tradition while also remaining open to the truth, goodness, and beauty of other religious traditions. If, for example, a Christian is convinced that Jesus Christ is the definitive self-disclosure of God in history, this will not mean therefore that the mystery of God Gino Santa Maria / Shutterstock.comcannot be found richly and compellingly in other religious traditions. Indeed, to remain hospitable to the mystery of God no matter where it is found is essential to any truly theological undertaking. For the Christian, 4 The importance of engaging otherthe understanding of God as Trinitarian views of God creatively and dialogically. actually inspires and informs this openness to otherness, since the God it affirms is Finally, and related to the above point, contemporary theologians are intensely engagedrelational and dialogical. The idea of the infinite mystery of God has a in reflection over the unique challenges that arise when encountering persons fromcorollary: people will always be able to discover more about God. For the other religious and cultural traditions, and therefore when encountering differingChristian, the triune character of that mystery means that one will discover (and sometimes radically alternative) views of divine mystery, including those who aremore about God in the context of relationship, even when (and perhaps indifferent or even hostile to notions of God. What makes our pluralist age unique isespecially when) one encounters persons very different from oneself.not that people now have so many differing views of Godsuch has always been the casebut that today we live in such close proximity with such differences due to the massive mobilization of populations made possible by advances in communication and transportation. More now than ever, we are aware of how distinctive historiesThis article is an excerpt from Discerning and cultures shape the ways humans imagine their place in the world, and thus howthe Mystery of God, by Brian D. Robinette,Brian D. Robinette holds a context-sensitive ones view of ultimate reality is. Faced with such ambiguity, peoplein Theological Foundations: Concepts anddoctorate in theology from may buckle down and cling to their cultural and religious heritage; we might think ofMethods for Understanding Christian Faith,the University of Notre fundamentalism as one kind of response to growing pluralism. On the other hand, aedited by J. J. Mueller, SJ (Winona, MN:Dame. His primary interests sense of futility or even cynicism regarding the search for truth can set in, makingAnselm Academic, 2007, 2011), pages 4447.are Christology and Copyright2007, 2011 by Anselm Academic.theological anthropology.All rights reserved. www.anselmacademic.org.12 AspireVolume 2//Fall 2020 Subscribe today! smp.org/aspire ARTICLE 13'