Toward an Alternative Theology

Toward an Alternative Theology: Confessions of a Non-Dualist Christian is the spiritual and intellectual autobiography of Sara Grant, a Roman Catholic Scottish nun, who, until her death in 2000, established herself as one of the leading twentieth-century figures in Indian Christian theology and the contemplative life. In this slim volume, Grant recounts her search not only for God, but for a right understanding of God, as well as for a way of rethinking Christian teachings on the mystery of God’s relation to the world that could overcome widespread popular dualisms.

Grant’s odyssey begins with experiences from her childhood and follows her entrance into the novitiate of the Society of the Sacred Heart, where she began an intensive study of Aquinas. After training in classics and philosophy at Oxford University, Grant traveled to India, where she spent the remainder of her life, first as a professor of philosophy at Sophia College, Bombay, and later in Pune in the dual role of professor at Jnana-Deepa-Vidyapeeth and head of a Christian monastic community.

Grant studied Sanskrit and became an expert on Sankara (ca. 700 c.e.), the authoritative Hindu exponent of the doctrine of non-duality. Reading Aquinas and Sankara in a method of mutual illumination led Grant to discover that the non-dualistic, or advaitic, insight was compatible with Christian theology, and in fact is present, though underdeveloped, in all authentic Christian doctrine.

Appearing for the first time in the United States, this engrossing book eloquently recounts the life of a remarkable woman and shows how Christian theology and spirituality can be enriched by encountering the experiences and concepts of advaita. This updated edition includes a new introduction by Bradley J. Malkovsky.