The Cultural Origins of "Intercultural Theology"

Abstract Ecumenical amnesia is accompanying much of the current debate on replacing the terms missiology or mission studies by that of intercultural studies or intercultural theology. This paper tries to address the loss of memory. By remembering the time when the new terminology was established (the 1970s and 80s) we become aware of the particularities, the challenges, and the limitations of the original vision of "intercultural theology". Among the particularities we will detect that of the professional missiologist working in the secular academy; challenges can be found in the reformulations of the missionary paradigm; and some may wish to see the limitations in the fact that intercultural theology began its life as part of a European conversation on culture and transcendence.