Identity and change in the Christian tradition

In at least two respects the position of religion and Christianity in the Western world has changed in recent years. Firstly, there is a growing plurality of and pluriformity within religions. And secondly, religions tend to change and develop faster and on a larger scale than they used to. This gives rise to the questions of change and continuity of religious traditions addressed in this volume: What function does the conceptual system or 'language game' of religion fulfil within the context of human thought and life? In what ways and under what circumstances do such conceptual systems require innovative changes in order to remain adequate for fulfilling this function? How are the continuity and change within religious traditions related to these issues? What is the nature of this continuity and of such changes within traditions? What role can theology play in initiating and directing such changes? In answering these questions, most contributions to the present volume focus on the Christian tradition.