The Interfaith Imperative

The Interfaith Imperative PDF Author: Ross Thompson
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498241913
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
Globally we seem torn between local, exclusive forms of religion, which can cause immense spiritual and physical damage to people, and a bland secularism that confines the religions to safe havens, each offering its own private options for "spirituality" within a secularized global politic. In this context the religions tolerate one another but cannot engage in mutually challenging and transforming dialogue. Thompson argues that it is only through dialogue that the distinctive truths of the faiths emerge. Moving beyond the threefold paradigm that has limited dialogue, and challenging modern secularism and postmodern relativism alike, he argues for a dialogue-based realism that is rooted in the Christian doctrines of creation and Trinity. Turning to recent theological approaches, Thompson both affirms and criticizes narrative and postliberal theologies, liberation theology, and the revival of negative theology. The transfiguration of Jesus provides a model for the way theology proceeds in dialogue, from an initial naivety, through metaphysical construction and deconstruction, to a new metaphorical "interillumination." Thompson sets forth a utopian hope for "the interreligious city of God, shining with the divine, interilluminative rainbow light reflected from the many faiths, including the secular faith."

The Interfaith Imperative

The Interfaith Imperative PDF Author: Ross Thompson
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498241913
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Get Book Here

Book Description
Globally we seem torn between local, exclusive forms of religion, which can cause immense spiritual and physical damage to people, and a bland secularism that confines the religions to safe havens, each offering its own private options for "spirituality" within a secularized global politic. In this context the religions tolerate one another but cannot engage in mutually challenging and transforming dialogue. Thompson argues that it is only through dialogue that the distinctive truths of the faiths emerge. Moving beyond the threefold paradigm that has limited dialogue, and challenging modern secularism and postmodern relativism alike, he argues for a dialogue-based realism that is rooted in the Christian doctrines of creation and Trinity. Turning to recent theological approaches, Thompson both affirms and criticizes narrative and postliberal theologies, liberation theology, and the revival of negative theology. The transfiguration of Jesus provides a model for the way theology proceeds in dialogue, from an initial naivety, through metaphysical construction and deconstruction, to a new metaphorical "interillumination." Thompson sets forth a utopian hope for "the interreligious city of God, shining with the divine, interilluminative rainbow light reflected from the many faiths, including the secular faith."

The Dialogical Imperative

The Dialogical Imperative PDF Author: David Lochhead
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1610978927
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 113

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Book Description
What is dialogue? What are the goals of dialogue between faiths? Are they attainable? Are they compatible with Christian faith? This important book addresses the issue of dialogue from a different, even unique, perspective: as the relationships, in social and historical context, between faiths. David Lochhead first differentiates between several ideological stances (often categorized as simply exclusivity or inclusivity) that have defined Christian attitudes toward other faiths. He considers the sociological as well as theological dimensions of these stances, concluding that a theology of interfaith dialogue must ultimately be grounded in a theology of the world. Lochhead brings fresh insights to a reading of Barth on the theological significance of religion. He argues that, while generally considered otherwise, Barth's view is not inherently hostile to interfaith dialogue. Rather, Barth poses questions of the utmost importance to reconciling dialogue with Christian faithfulness. Based on this, Lochhead proposes a stance of faithful agnosticism--the refusal to make a priori valuations of other faiths--as the attitude most conducive to constructive interfaith relationships. Exploring the notion of dialogue as a means to truth Lochhead then discusses Plato and Buber from the dialogical perspective and addresses the question of whether a doctrine of revelation must be universalized in order to permit interfaith dialogue. After examining several views of the ultimate goals of dialogue (as understanding, as negotiation, as integration, or as activity) Lochhead concludes by explicating the import of the dialogical imperative for Christian theology and mission. A clear, concise treatment of the nature and goals of interfaith dialogue, The Dialogical Imperative affirms the dialogical approach from within the Reformed Protestant tradition.

Theology Without Walls

Theology Without Walls PDF Author: Jerry L. Martin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429671547
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 355

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Book Description
Thinking about ultimate reality is becoming increasingly transreligious. This transreligious turn follows inevitably from the discovery of divine truths in multiple traditions. Global communications bring the full range of religious ideas and practices to anyone with access to the internet. Moreover, the growth of the nones and those who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious creates a pressing need for theological thinking not bound by prescribed doctrines and fixed rituals. This book responds to this vital need. The chapters in this volume each examine the claim that if the aim of theology is to know and articulate all we can about the divine reality, and if revelations, enlightenments, and insights into that reality are not limited to a single tradition, then what is called for is a theology without confessional restrictions. In other words, a Theology Without Walls. To ground the project in examples, the volume provides emerging models of transreligious inquiry. It also includes sympathetic critics who raise valid concerns that such a theology must face. This is a book that will be of urgent interest to theologians, religious studies scholars, and philosophers of religion. It will be especially suitable for those interested in comparative theology, inter-religious and interfaith understanding, new trends in constructive theology, normative religious studies, and global philosophy of religion.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theology, and Political Resistance

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theology, and Political Resistance PDF Author: Lori Brandt Hale
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1498591078
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Book Description
In 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer—a theologian and pastor—was executed by the Nazis for his resistance to their unspeakable crimes against humanity. He was only 39 years old when he died, but Bonhoeffer left behind volumes of work exploring theological and ethical themes that have now inspired multiple generations of scholars, students, pastors, and activists. This book highlights the ways Dietrich Bonhoeffer's work informs political theology and examines Bonhoeffer's contributions in three ways: historical-critical interpretation, critical-constructive engagement, and constructive-practical application. With contributions from a broad array of scholars from around the world, chapters range from historical analysis of Bonhoeffer’s early political resistance language to accounts of Bonhoeffer-inspired, front-line resistance to white supremacists in Charlottesville, VA. This volume speaks to the ongoing relevance of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s work and life in and out of the academy.

The Interfaith Movement

The Interfaith Movement PDF Author: John Fahy
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429885601
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
Although its beginnings can be traced back to the late 19th century, the interfaith movement has only recently begun to attract mainstream attention, with governments, religious leaders and grassroots activists around the world increasingly turning to interfaith dialogue and collective action to address the challenges posed and explore the opportunities presented by religious diversity in a globalising world. This volume explores the history and development of the interfaith movement by engaging with new theoretical perspectives and a diverse range of case studies from around the world. The first book to bring together experts in the fields of religion, politics and social movement theory to offer an in-depth social analysis of the interfaith movement, it not only sheds new light on the movement itself, but challenges the longstanding academic division of labour that confines ‘religious’ and ‘social’ movements to separate spheres of inquiry.

The Imperatives of Progressive Islam

The Imperatives of Progressive Islam PDF Author: Adis Duderija
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1315438836
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Note on transliteration -- Foreword -- Introduction: broader contextualisation of progressive Islam -- 1 The poiesis imperative -- 2 The epistemological imperative -- 3 The religious pluralism imperative -- 4 The Islamic liberation theology imperative -- 5 The human rights imperative -- 6 The ethical imperative in Islamic jurisprudence/law -- 7 The gender-justice imperative -- 8 The imperative of non-patriarchal Islamic hermeneutics -- Conclusion: the future of progressive Islam -- Select Bibliography -- Index

The Faiths of Others

The Faiths of Others PDF Author: Thomas Albert Howard
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300258569
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 372

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Book Description
The first intellectual history of interreligious dialogue, a relatively new and significant dimension of human religiosity In recent decades, organizations committed to interreligious or interfaith dialogue have proliferated, both in the Western and non-Western worlds. Why? How so? And what exactly is interreligious dialogue? These are the touchstone questions of this book, the first major history of interreligious dialogue in the modern age. Thomas Albert Howard narrates and analyzes several key turning points in the history of interfaith dialogue before examining, in the conclusion, the contemporary landscape. While many have theorized about and practiced interreligious dialogue, few have attended carefully to its past, connecting its emergence and spread with broader developments in modern history. Interreligious dialogue—grasped in light of careful, critical attention to its past—holds promise for helping people of diverse faith backgrounds to foster cooperation and knowledge of one another while contributing insight into contemporary, global religious pluralism.

From Bubble to Bridge

From Bubble to Bridge PDF Author: Marion H. Larson
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830891552
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
Many Christians, especially those in Christian college "bubbles," worry that engaging in interfaith dialogue will require watering down their faith. In this timely book, Marion Larson and Sara Shady help evangelicals engage in interfaith dialogue, offering practical wisdom for turning our faith bubbles into bridges of interfaith engagement.

Claiming Earth as Common Ground

Claiming Earth as Common Ground PDF Author: Andrea Cohen-Kiener
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
ISBN: 1594734518
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
Can religious people save the environment? Can the environmental challenge save religion? Our planet is in trouble, and it will take an amazingly large and powerful force to shift into a more sustainable way of living. Spiritual leader and environmental activist Andrea Cohen-Kiener tells us that people of faith have the numbers, the passion, and the mandate to do itand that nothing else is strong enough to counterbalance business as usual. In this urgent call to action, Cohen-Kiener gathers insights from ecology coalitions, emerging theologies, and spiritual and environmental activists to rally and inspire us to work across denominational lines in order to fulfill our sacred imperative to care for Gods creation. Cohen-Kiener and contributors clearly outline the shared values of our faith traditions that drive our commitment to care for the earth. Acknowledging the challenges in working together to implement positive change, they present stepsboth big and small, for individuals and groupsfor reversing our direction from consumption to sustainability. Contributors include: Rev. Woody Bartlett, founder, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light Rev. Tom Carr, National Council of Churches Working Group on the Environment Rev. Donna Schaper, senior minister, Judson Memorial Church, New York City Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Religious Witness for the Earth Eboo Patel, executive director, Interfaith Youth Core Dr. Lowell Rusty Pritchard, national director of outreach, Evangelical Environmental Network

Covenant and World Religions

Covenant and World Religions PDF Author: Alon Goshen-Gottstein
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
ISBN: 1802079238
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 490

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Book Description
A new paradigm for relations between religions, one of acceptance and collaboration, requires not only a willingness to move beyond a tradition of hostility and competition but also significant theological rethinking. Within Jewish Orthodoxy there have been very few voices that have advanced and justified a vision of other faiths in this light: to this day, the reigning paradigm is one of practical collaboration while avoiding theologically based engagement or reflection. Two of the most important Orthodox Jewish voices advocating change have been those of Irving Yitz Greenberg and Jonathan Sacks. This book presents the theological, moral, and social views of these two leading rabbis. It focuses on the significance of covenant for both, and how they adapt this concept to enable the development of a Jewish view of other religions. In considering how they may have influenced each other, it also studies the limitations and internal contradictions that characterize their work as they attempt to point the way forward, in a spirit of dialogue, to continuing theological reflection on Judaism’s approach to world religions.