Sources – General Interfaith Dialogue Efforts

Bagir, Zainal Abidin, ed. Science and Religion in a Post-Colonial World: Interfaith Perspectives. Hindmarsh, S. Aust.: ATF Press, 2005.

This book addresses selected issues in the emerging field of science and religion and at the same time acknowledge the situation ofIndonesia(or, more generally, a ‘Third World’ country) as the locus for this discussion. The book is concerned with how various world religions, in particular Islam and Christianity respond to shared challenges posed by science, as new theories in cosmology, physics, and the life sciences have brought challenges to many traditional religious ideas. There are also more generally epistemological challenges which reflect the recent success of natural science as a mode of inquiry. These are felt as problems in both the Western and non-Western worlds, but with an important difference. While the Western world is considered the “legitimate owner” of modern science, some in the Muslim world, and theThird Worldmore generally, see modern science as a cultural alien imposed on them, due to its initial introduction in the colonial period.

Braybrooke, Marcus. Pilgrimage of Hope: One Hundred Years of Global Interfaith Dialogue. New York: Crossroad, 1992.

The standard history of the first hundred years of the interfaith organisations – from the Parliament of Religions in 1893 to preparations for the centenary events of 1993.

Brodeur, Patrice. Building the Interfaith Youth Movement: Beyond Dialogue to Action. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2006.

Violence committed by religious young people has become a regular feature of our daily news reports. What we hear less about are the growing numbers of religious young people from all faith backgrounds who are committed to interfaith understanding and cooperation.

Cenkner, William. Evil and the Response of World Religion. St. Paul, MN: Paragon House, 1997.

A spread of opinion from all points of the religious compass to provide readers with an overview of what each tradition, either collectively or through individual thinkers, has to say.

Cornille, Catherine. Criteria of Discernment in Interreligious Dialogue. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2009.

Criteria of Discernment in Interreligious Dialogue focuses on the principles and norms used within particular religions when judging what is true and valuable in other religious traditions.  While always implicitly operative, this volume attempts to make those criteria explicit, and the object of internal religious as well as interreligious reflection.  Besides ethical criteria, which are present in all religious traditions, the volume illustrates the differences in both principles and processes of discernment, not only between, but also within particular religious traditions.  As such, Protestant principles of discernment (R. Bernhardt) are somewhat different from Roman Catholic ones (G. D’Costa) and Tibetan Buddhist (J. Simmer-Brown, J. Makransky) from Pure Land Buddhist ones (M. Unno).

Du Toit, C.W., ed. Spirituality in Religions: Profiles and Perspectives. Pretoria: Research Institute for Theology and Religion, University of South Africa, 1996.    

The book contains a collection of papers read at the first seminar of the Forum for Religious Dialogue. The Forum is a project of the Research Institute for Theology and Religion, which has as purpose the promotion of interfaith and interdenominational dialogue inSouth Africa.

Forward, Martin. Inter-religious Dialogue: A Short Introduction. Oxford: Oneworld, 2001.

 

Covering everything from the global ethic to the role of women, this is an accessible and indispensible guide to the role of inter-faith dialogue, showing how the flow of ideas between religions can help to advance today’s multifaith society.

 

Hedges, Paul. Controversies in Interreligious Dialogue and the Theology of Religions. London: SCM Press, 2010.

Controversies in Interreligious Dialogue and the Theology of Religions provides a guide and critical extension to contemporary controversies in the theology of religions and interreligious dialogue. Paul Hedges reflects on how the traditional typology for the theology of religions may be rethought and seen as viable, offering a reformulation of it. He critically assesses the main line of critique from post-modern theology, that of particularity, and its alternative vision. Finally, he suggests ways forward and considers how these debates impact on the practice in interreligious dialogue.

Ibn-Stanford, Antar. Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: A Comparative Religion, Inter-Faith Dialogue Resource. BookSurge Publishing, 2005.

As the title indicates, this book is an exposition of the beliefs and practices of Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It is a treasure chest of quotes from the scriptures of these world religions that illustrates their similar beliefs and practices. In addition, it contains autobiographical material of an American convert to Islam-how he converted and his reaction to the beliefs and practices of Islam. The material is invaluable to those interested in comparative religion and interfaith dialogue.

Mays, Rebecca Kratz, ed. Interfaith Dialogue at the Grass Roots. Philadelphia: Ecumenical Press, 2009.

When diverse faiths come together the encounter can be intense, awkward, even violent, but creating a dialogue can help reconcile differences. We can sustain respect and create peace with “the other” without doing harm to the sincerity of our own particular religious tradition. In the process, everyone learns and grows, experiencing greater religious tolerance and understanding.

The contributors to Interfaith Dialogue at the Grass Roots consider the patience and passion involved in promoting such interfaith activities. The essays seek to empower rabbis, imams, pastors, and their congregants to take up the work of interreligious dialogue as a peacemaking activity. The book provides guidelines for conducting interfaith encounters, showing how storytelling and conversations can make these meetings productive and constructive. Additional chapters reveal how to establish and inspire peace. Lastly, Joseph Stoutzenberger writes questions for reflection and suggestions for action at the end of each chapter.

McCarthy, Kate. Interfaith Encounters in America. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2007.

From its most cosmopolitan urban centers to the rural Midwest, theUnited Statesis experiencing a rising tide of religious interest. While terrorist attacks keep Americans fixed on an abhorrent vision of militant Islam, popular films such as The Passion of the Christ and The Da Vinci Code make blockbuster material of the origins of Christianity. The 2004 presidential election, we are told, was decided on the basis of religiously driven moral values. A majority of Americans are reported to believe that religious differences are the biggest obstacle to world peace.

Beneath the superficial banter of the media and popular culture, however, are quieter conversations about what it means to be religious in America today–conversations among recent immigrants about how to adapt their practices to life in new land, conversations among young people who are finding new meaning in religions rejected by their parents, conversations among the religiously unaffiliated about eclectic new spiritualities encountered in magazines, book groups, or online. Interfaith Encounters inAmericatakes a compelling look at these seldom acknowledged exchanges, showing how, despite their incompatibilities, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Hindu Americans, among others, are using their beliefs to commit to the values of a pluralistic society rather than to widen existing divisions.

Chapters survey the intellectual exchanges among scholars of philosophy, religion, and theology about how to make sense of conflicting claims, as well as the relevance and applicability of these ideas “on the ground” where real people with different religious identities intentionally unite for shared purposes that range from national public policy initiatives to small town community interfaith groups, from couples negotiating interfaith marriages to those exploring religious issues with strangers in online interfaith discussion groups.

Written in engaging and accessible prose, this book provides an important reassessment of the problems, values, and goals of contemporary religion in theUnited States. It is essential reading for scholars of religion, sociology, and American studies, as well as anyone who is concerned with the purported impossibility of religious pluralism.

Miles-Yepez, Netanel. The Common Heart: An Experience of Interreligious Dialogue. New York: Lantern Books, 2006.

For twenty years, a group of spiritual seekers from many religious traditions met in various places around theUnited Statesunder the rubric of the Snowmass Conferences to engage in the deepest form of interreligious dialogue. The experience was intimate and trusting, transformative and inspiring. To encourage openness and honesty, no audio or visual recording was made of, and no articles were written about, the encounters.

When these encounters came to an end, it was agreed that reflections on what had happened emotionally, spiritually, philosophically, and theologically during the Snowmass dialogues should be written down. The result is The Common Heart.

Here is an extraordinary exploration of the wealth of the world’s spiritual traditions combined with dialogue from the heart about the differences and similarities between their paths of wisdom. Participants include Fr. Thomas Keating, Roshi Bernie Glassman, Swami Atmarupananda, Dr. Ibrahim Gamard, Imam Bilal Hyde, Pema Chödrön, Rabbi Henoch Dov Hoffman, and many others.

O’Neill, Maura. Mending a Torn World: Women in Interreligious Dialogue. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2007.

The voices of women are typically excluded from dialogues between representatives of world religions. This exclusion has the additional effect of obscuring the very real diversity of women’s perspectives within each tradition. This book remedies both forms of omission—highlighting the contributions of women in interreligious dialogue, while also exposing the significant differences between “conservative” and “progressive” voices within their respective traditions.

In a dialogue around issues of justice and peace, can these women find common ground? In part 1, Maura O’Neill attempts to understand the issues and explores the challenges to dialogue among Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist women. In part 2, she explores how the progressive-conservative divide within the various traditions complicates the project of dialogue. Disagreements on gender issues are endemic in every tradition, and in an age when every people and culture reels before the assaults of modernity, finding solutions is difficult. O’Neill does not pretend to solve these problems, but she brings new understanding and light to the search.

Patalon, Miroslaw. The Philosophical Basis of Inter-Religious Dialogue: The Process Perspective. Newcastle upon Tyne, England: Cambridge Scholars Pub., 2009.

In the present epoch of tensions between civilizations, challenges being brought by globalization processes and the necessity of the coexistence of various cultures and traditions, the subject of inter-religious dialogue seems to be particularly significant. Can religions remain isolated islands? Are their claims of being the only source of theological truth justified? Or should it rather be understood as an effect of interaction between different points of view and common effort of looking for the answers to the questions about God and his relations to the world? What is the role of dialogue? Is it only a politically correct element or maybe something more essential – the basis of reasonable existence and development of religion? Should the direction traced by 20th century’s partisans of ecumenical movements be widened in order to embrace also non Christian religions? What is the orthodoxy and where are its boundaries? The process philosophy creates a convenient and favorable atmosphere for this kind of considerations. The articles of this selection represent different points of view of the discussed topic. The book is addressed to all who deal with the inter-religious dialogue: both clergy and laymen as well as scholars and students interested in the subject.

Peck, J. Richard. Speaking Faith: The Essential Handbook for Religion Communicators. Religion Communication Council, 2004.

The eternal verities of communication don’t change. We must have a compelling story. We must care for and about our audience. We must use media strategically. Whether we are new in the field or grizzled veterans, the new edition of the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) handbook, Speaking Faith: The Essential Handbook for Religion Communicators, reminds us of the basics. Lead articles by Kimberly Pace, communications officer of United Methodist General Board of Discipleship and M. Garlinda Burton, United Methodist communicator and interim executive of the United Methodist Commission of the Status and Role of Women, rehearse the need for careful planning and personal attention.

Polat, Çemen. “Dialogue instead of clash of civilizations: the contributions of the Australian Intercultural Society.” Today’s Zaman, Aug. 2010. 

Samuel Huntington’s theory of a “clash of civilizations,” a term initially proposed by Bernard Lewis, has been refuted by a large number of scholars on the international level — particularly after the events of Sept. 11, which distorted the image of Islam. It is, however, also a new age for the communication of religion in North America. What always worked must now work in new situations. Old assumptions no longer necessarily support effective work. Representatives of faith groups are seldom privileged with access to mass media. No longer is a faith group granted the benefit of the doubt when it comes to some crisis. In this new age established practices need new corollaries and fresh interpretations. Here Speaking Faith makes its best contribution.

Shinn, Larry D., ed. In Search of the Divine: Some Unexpected Consequences of Interfaith Dialogue. New York: Paragon House Publishers, 1987.

The ten essays by representatives of six major religions presented here serve two primary purposes. First, the unifying theme of both the conference and the papers addresses the nature of the person and the Divine in the various religions of the world. While neither the term “person” nor “Divine” is indigenous to some of die traditions represented in this volume, the exploration of how various religious traditions describe, delimit, and discuss the human predicament as related to what is considered Eternal or Divine established the parameters of the papers.

The second issue, which arose inadvertently during the conference’s discussions and constitutes the main thrust of the book’s Introduction, can be stated in the question, “On what common ground can interfaith dialogue take place and what are the pitfalls of such dialogues?” While the discussions among the participants were congenial, thoughtful, and provocative, a frequent collision of assumptions occurred. Namely, there were those whose papers and comments reflected the assumption that “common ground” should be found at a refined level of religious experience, while others argued that theological or religious propositions should be the final
arbiters which determine what is universal to all faiths. Still others were convinced by the discussion that common ground may not exist between the various world faiths.

Thinking Together. Faces of the Other: A Contribution to Inter-religious Relations And Dialogue by the Group “Thinking Together.” Geneva: World Council of Churches, 2005.

How can we, in the midst of our religious diversity, express common convictions and explore core issues present in all our religious traditions? The people of different faiths who constitute the multi-religious think-tank called ‘Thinking Together’, brought together by the WCC, are open to focusing together on some of the basic issues of belief and religion. This book carries a story from each religious tradition represented in the group, which reflects how that tradition has wrestled with how to look upon the other. The group hopes that these stories will contribute to a new reading of those dimensions in our religious traditions that help us provide or create space for the other as a significant other.

Twiss, Sumner and Bruce Grelle. Explorations In Global Ethics: Comparative Religious Ethics and Interreligious Dialogue. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2000.

This volume for the first time brings the scholarly discipline of comparative religious ethics into constructive collaboration with the community of interreligious dialogue. Its design is premised on two important insights. First, interreligious dialogue offers to comparative religious ethics a new, more persuasive rationale, agenda of issues, and practical orientation. Second, comparative religious ethics offers to interreligious dialogue an arsenal of critical tools and methods which will enhance the sophistication of its practical work. In this way, both theory (a dominant concern and strength of comparative religious ethics) and praxis (a dominant concern and strength of interreligious moral dialogue) are joined together in mutual effort, each contributing to the benefit of the other.The volume’s contributors share this vision of collaboration, drawing explicitly from both communities of discourse in a manner that crosses disciplinary and professional boundaries to deal creatively and constructively with important methodological and global moral issue. Although theory and practice cannot easily be separated in such a collaborative project, for the purpose of clarity, the volume is divided into two main parts. The first specifically engages questions of method, theory, and the social role of the public intellectual; the second, on substantive moral themes and issues, many of which were raised at the 1993 Parliament. Taken together, the volume’s essays articulate and illustrate new ways of approaching contemporary moral concerns cross-culturally yet with a rigor appropriate to our complex and pluralistic world.

Ucko, Hans, Charlotte Venema and Ariane Hentsch. Changing the Present, Dreaming the Future: A Critical Moment in Interreligious Dialogue. Geneva: World Council of Churches, 2006.

For over 30 years the World Council of Churches has been involved in interreligious dialogue. In the last decades, there has been an increasing interest in dialogue due to the unexpected return of religion as a reality to reckon with in society and political life. In an unprecedented way in recent years and in numerous parts of the world, many societies are marked by tension and conflict between and within religious communities, yet, where mechanisms for dialogue and encounter exist, there is a greater possibility of fostering deeper knowledge and awareness among people of different religions. Good neighbourliness grows and thrives where there is mutual acceptance and mutual respect. The WCC affirms the importance of interreligious relations and dialogue today as a core issue for its work. Harvesting experiences in dialogue suggests that we are at a critical moment — thus in June 2005, the World Council of Churches organized the ‘Critical Moment in Interreligious Relations and Dialogue’ conference, facilitating reflection on future orientations in interreligious dialogue. The aim of this book is to share the highlights of the Critical Moment conference and to give food for thought and action to all involved in interfaith dialogue and cooperation. It presents the plenary speeches and a compilation of the working group reports, as well as a summary of the answers from participants to a survey made before the conference. To make the material more alive and useful for those not at the conference, the book includes a study guide, meant for practical use in the local community. It links to issues raised at the conference, and gives background information, thoughts for reflection and questions to work on. Although intended for those who already have some interfaith experience, this book can also be useful to people who are new to the field. It gives insight into current issues and dilemmas and suggestions for further reflection.