The apologetical writings of the Jacobite Christian, Ab? R?'i?ah al-Takr?t? (+ c. 835) have remained relatively unknown in Western scholarship. Yet his engagement with Muslim questions about Christianity provides a significant insight into the theological debate between the two communities in the early ?Abb?sid period. Ab? R?'i?ah's treatises take up many of the topics that become standard for Christian-Muslim apologetics: proofs of the true religion, the Trinity, the Incarnation, and Christian practices. In each case, he provides his reader with complex arguments in defense of Christian doctrines that can be used to convince both Muslims and wavering Christians of the truth of Christianity. This new Arabic edition and English translation seeks to contextualize Ab? R?'i?ah's important writings and to make the original texts available to modern scholars interested in all aspects of the early development of Muslim-Christian relations.

This book reflects a fascinating chapter in a genuinely intercultural dialogue, conducted on an equal footing, at the highest level of intellectual integrity. The texts come out of three Jewish-Christian consultations held in Africa, all aiming at focusing on subjects pointing to a commonality of concerns and purpose. Any topic that could hint at suspicion of superiority, precedence or domination was carefully avoided, and the dialogue was shaped along different lines than those usually followed in similar Jewish-Christian consultations held in Europe and America over the past half-century. In Nairobi, discussions were devoted to ancient wisdom in both cultures and its value for contemporary life; the understanding of scripture; and creation in both cultures. In Johannesburg, debate centred on family, community and tradition as a way to the future and dealt with fundamental questions common to both cultures: the encounter with the age of modernity; preserving traditional family life; sustaining a sense of community; maintaining and reinforcing religious heritage and cultural tradition in the face of disintegration and dissipation.;The third consultation, in Yaounde, looked at shalom and ubuntu, memory and experiences of violence, and the challenge of peace-building. The texts included in this book provide ample food for thought. They will remain of lasting value as a source of inspiration and sound reflection.

Furthering his contribution to the science and religion debate, David Ray Griffin draws upon the cosmology of Alfred North Whitehead and proposes a radical synthesis between two worldviews sometimes thought wholly incompatible. He argues that the traditions designated by the names "scientific naturalism" and "Christian faith" both embody a great truth--a truth of universal validity and importance--but that both of these truths have been distorted, fueling the conflict between the visions of the scientific and Christian communities. Griffin contends, however, that there is no inherent conflict between science, or even the kind of naturalism that it properly presupposes, and the Christian faith, understood in terms of the primary doctrines of the Christian good news.

Can the urban church survive? Are churches relevant to public life? These two questions drive John Atherton's thoughtful, sometimes searing and ultimately optimistic study. In secular Britain and Western Europe, churches seem increasingly marginalized from the processes of public discussion, decision-making and policy formation. That marginalization mirrors their marginalization in people's lives, which is most acute in parts of the city populated by those excluded from the main streams of a society's common or public life. It is John Atherton's genius to bring these two issues together: the marginalization of churches and of particular groups in society. Hence, the future of church and its relevance to public life is to be worked out through active concern and commitment in places where other people and groups are marginalized. John Atherton uses a wide range of disciplines to establish this vision, including political philosophy, economics, feminist ethics and theology. His aim is to reconnect Christianity to people and public life by reformulating theology and church (as examples to other disciplines and institutions facing change). This is a perceptive study of how the urban church could disappear in a few decades, and what the options for change are if it embraces a new strategy. This study draws on John Atherton's forty years of ministry in urban areas and teaching political philosophy in universities, and has an unparalleled overview of urban ministry. 'John Atherton brings together his long experience of ministry in Manchester and his wide reading. He connects the local and the global, the theological and the political, examining with passion the "double whammy" of marginalized churches in marginalized communities. Those engaged in campaigning for the poor, in responding to globalization in its many forms, and in seeking the revitalising of the urban church will all find John Atherton challenging many assumptions and giving them an even stronger and broader set of convictions to lend power to their efforts: Peter Selby, Bishop of Worcester 'John Atherton's new book arises out of disciplined reflection on his own deep grappling with economic and social issues and the role of the churches over several decades. This is a rich, honest and realistic book which examines bravely the challenges of the marginalization of millions in our global village, of the poor and minority groups in affluent societies, and of the church and Christian faith in the West. And Atherton has the courage, in dialogue with the best contemporary social theory, to point a way forward. This book deserves to be widely read and discussed. I commend it very warmly: Duncan B. Forrester, Emeritus Professor of Christian Ethics and Practical Theology, New College, The University of Edinburgh.

William Paden's classic exploration in religious studies, with a new introduction
In the current climate, Interpreting the Sacred provides a fresh, thorough way to consider and compare various religious belief systems. Paden puts forth the idea that our understanding of religion influences our understanding of ourselves and our world. Updated with a new introduction, this book is for anyone who wants to consider and discuss religious beliefs.
"To appreciate the fascinating, forbidding landscape of current religious theory, one needs a clear map annotated by an observant guide. Interpreting the Sacred qualifies on both counts." --Christian Century
William Paden is professor and chair of the department of religion at the University of Vermont.

Pope Pius XII has often been criticized for his silence during the extermination of European Jewry during World War II. In his defense, some have alleged that the pope was doing a great deal to help the Jews but that his efforts were necessarily behind the scenes. This meticulously researched and balanced book examines exactly what the pope, his advisers, and his assistants at the Vatican Secretariat of State did to help the Jews of Italy. It finds that they did very little. The book begins by discussing prewar Vatican and Jesuit publications, in which Zuccotti uncovers a hitherto unsuspected prevalence of anti-Jewish sentiment. These publications, along with archival documents, indicate that Vatican protests against Italian anti-Jewish laws were limited to measures affecting converts and Jews in mixed marriages with Catholics, as was help with emigration; the papal nuncio's visits to foreign Jews in Italian internment camps did not differ from those to non-Jews and in no way eased their material discomfort; and interventions by diplomats of the Holy See for Jews threatened with deportation were rare, always polite, and seldom decisive. Above all, Zuccotti finds no evidence of a papal directive to church institutions to shelter Jews and much evidence to suggest that the pope remained uninvolved. The notion that Pius XII was benevolent and helpful to Jews behind the scenes proves to be a myth.

Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Mormon movement and George J. Adams, one of his least known followers - two Gentile dreamers of Zion - were instrumental in encouraging Jews and Christians to support the restoration of Israel. ... For Joseph Smith, Jewish responsibility for establishing Zion had not been forfeited nor terminated. It was continuous: the Jews would return as Jews; they would rebuild Jerusalem as Jews. In his view, neither the denigration of Jews, so often characteristic of Christianity, nor supersession by the Church, was tenable. According to Joseph's perception of the Scriptures, and his own prophetic insights, there are to be two strategic centers - Zion at historical Jerusalem, and Zion in a New Jerusalem in the heartland of America. He believed that a renewed Israel and a church, restored to its primal purpose, shared a mandate to body forth in society the dream of the Kingdom of God. He called this dream the cause of Zion, which became a major emphasis of the Mormon movement. ... This book explains the rejection by Smith and Adams of "normal" Christian replacement theology and sets out the apologetics by which Smith and Adams promoted courage and conviction in all who joined them in encouraging the ingathering of the Jewish exiles to Jerusalem.

What does Jesus mean to a Buddhist, or the Buddha to a Christian? What is it about the Buddha that is appealing to a Christian, or unappealing? In this volume 12 scholars, six of them Christian and six of them Buddhists, speak simply and from the heart about their personal relationship to the great religious leader from the other tradition. The diversity of views within each tradition could be a shock to the average Buddhist or Christian on the street. Buddhists argue about Buddha's nature, Buddha veneration, and the role the Buddha plays in human liberation. Christians argue about Jesus' human and divine status, his uniqueness, and the role he plays in human salvation. The contributors celebrate the family likeness between Jesus and the Buddha, but they also acknowledge the differences as well, for it is at the points of difference that potentially there is the most opportunity for growth.>

Drawing on the words of over one hundred theologians and philosophers of religion, this anthology addresses the vital question of how the world faiths relate to one another in a plural society.The readings in this volume are drawn from all the world religions and their key thinkers; they cover the entire spectrum of views from traditional to radical, as well as providing a comprehensive overview of the interfaith debate and all its major themes. All the significant voices are included, including Karl Barth, Mahatma Gandhi, Ingrid Shafer, Ursula King and the Dalai Lama, in a collection that also traces the development of the discipline from the early 20th century to the present day.

Edited by two of the most prominent names in interfaith dialogue, this is an introduction to the complex relationships between Christianity and the other world faiths. Featuring essays from some of the key thinkers in the Christian faith. It covers both Catholic and Protestant approaches, and features all the rival points of view, including the uncompromising absolutism of Karl Barth and Pope John Paul II, the more ecumenical approaches of Karl Rahner and Hans Kung, and the religious pluralism of Wilfred Cantwell Smith and John Hick, among others.

A six-day series of interviews between Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel and French journalist Philippe de Saint-Cheron, Evil and Exile probes some of the most crucial and pressing issues facing humankind today. Having survived the unspeakable evil of the Holocaust, Wiesel remained silent for ten years before dedicating his life to the memory of this tragedy, witnessing tirelessly to remind an often indifferent world of its potential for self-destruction. Wiesel offers wise counsel in this volume concerning evil and suffering, life and death, chance and circumstance. Moreover, the dialogue evokes candid and often surprising responses by Wiesel on the Palestinian problem, Judeo-Christian relations, recent changes in the Soviet Union as well as insights into writers such as Kafka, Malraux, Mauriac, and Unamuno.

Pluralism presents both promises and challenges for Christian theology in the future. Here biblical scholars, religious ethicists, and theologians reflect on the meaning and abiding relevance of the Christian revelation for communities of faith and the life of the church.

The first comprehensive wedding guide specifically for the Jewish/Christian couple who wants to honor both religious traditions in their service, vows, and readings.

Saying "I do" is one of the happiest moments in a couple's life together--but planning that trip to the altar can be a stressful ordeal. The minute an engagement is announced two full clans want to celebrate the union their way! When one of those families is Jewish (50 percent of whom now marry outside their faith) and the other is Christian, the religious details can increase the pressure on the bride- and groom-to-be. Celebrating Interfaith Marriages provides all of the expert advice on how to combine elements of the two faiths so everyone can rejoice with the bride and groom on their wedding day.

Devon Lerner draws from her twenty years of officiating interfaith weddings as she discusses the significance of vows and traditions unique to both faiths and suggests how to incorporate them into a service that is balanced and beautiful. She provides Christian and Jewish services readers can mix and match, as well as custom-bled ceremonies contributed by couples who have worked with her over the years. There's a chapter on how to avoid crashes on issues like location, when the ceremony takes place, and whether the bride and groom should see each other before meeting at the altar. A full section of readings, both biblical and secular, are here too, as well as anecdotes that will reassure and amuse. No interfaith couple will want to be without this essential handbook when they plan their special day.

The prophet Muhammad is thought to be one of the most influential figures in human history, but how should he be acknowledged by Christian culture? Bishop Kenneth Cragg attempts to give this question a direct answer.

This study written by Bishop Kenneth Cragg, one of the world's leading Islamicists, is an introduction to the New Testament that takes into account the issues of central interest to Muslims. Exploring the significance of the figure of Jesus not only in the Christian Bible, but also in the Qur'an, Muslim poetry and Muslim devotion.

The United States is founded upon the principles of freedom of religion, although it has been difficult at times to understand and apply those principles. Phillip Hammond argues that the Constitution assumes a radical religious liberty, which protects the convictions of individual Americans, whether or not those convictions are explicitly religious. This book is an excellent guide to the church-state debate of today, and deepens that discussion by examining the root cause of disagreement about what freedom of religion means in America.

Is what, or whether, one believes the significant religious question? Although the religious communities differ in belief, how much do they really differ in faith? Do two people who assert a particular statement of belief necessarily share the same faith? Written by a highly respected scholar in the field of comparative religion, these issues are directly addressed in this investigation of the personal quality of faith, and its relationship to the concept of belief.

Gathered on the centenary and in the same city of Chicago where the first Parliament took place, the 1993 Parliament of the World's Religions was the largest interfaith gathering ever held. Representatives from minority, ethnic, and tribal religions took the podium as equals alongside representatives from the world's largest religious traditions. The Community of Religions is an essential record of this historic event, containing major addresses and reflections as well as numerous short evocations of the spirit of the Parliament.>

It is taken for granted today among theologians that the principal achievement of the Second Vatican Council was its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium. It is beginning to be equally taken for granted that the core of this central document is its vision of Church as communion. "Communion," Pope John Paul II has said, "is the very mystery of the Church." Church: A Spirited Communion grows out of the ecclesiology of the Council as a systematic treatment of this notion of communion. Church: A Spirited Communion is not, however, a book only about the Church. It is a book about the God whom Christians confess as Triune, who calls the Church into existence and who seeks its commitment in every age. It is a book about the Church only to the extent that the Church is in communion with this God. To the extent that it is a book which is primarily theo-logical and only secondarily ecclesio-logical, it is a book which adheres to God rather than to men and summons the Church to do the same.

In recent years the term "religious pluralism" has come to be used not only in a descriptive sociological sense but also as theologically prescriptive. Within this new paradigm traditional Christian understandings of Christ, conversion, evangelism, and mission have been radically reinterpreted. The Recovery of Mission explores the pluralist paradigm through the work of three of its most influential Asian exponents - Stanley Samartha, Aloysius Pieris, and Raimundo Panikkar - subjecting each to a theological and philosophical critique. On the basis of biblical, patristic, and contemporary theological writings Vinoth Ramachandra argues for the uniqueness and decisiveness of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Ramachandra seeks to show that many of the valid concerns of pluralist theologians can best be met by reappropriating the missionary thrust at the heart of the gospel. The book ends with suggestions, challenging to pluralists and conservatives alike, as to how the gospel needs to be communicated in a multifaith world.

From the time of the Crusades to the present day, the relationship between Islam and the West has been one of conflict and misunderstanding. The prejudices conceived over a thousand years ago have survived the break-up of western Christianity into Catholic and Protestant, the growth of atheism, and the rise of the multifaith community; they continue, despite today's increased mutual understanding, to permeate European attitudes towards Islam. This classic study by Norman Daniel explores the political and religious considerations behind distorted western views of Islam, examining Christian-Muslim interaction from medieval times to the modern world, and covering such key topics as: revelation, prophethood and incarnation; the life of Muhammad; the authenticity of the Qur'an; western views of violence, morality and religious practice in Islam. First published over 30 years ago, the message within this great scholarly achievement is more relevant today than ever before. This timeless and accessible book should be of interest to students and for anyone wishing to gain a deeper insight into the complex relations between two of the world's greatest religions.

Marcel Simon's classic study examines Jewish-Christian relations in the Roman Empire from the second Jewish War (132-5 CE) to the end of the Jewish Patriarchate in 425 CE. First published in French in 1948, the book overturns the then commonly held view that the Jewish and Christian communities gradually ceased to interact and that the Jews gave up proselytizing among the gentiles. On the contrary, Simon maintains that Judaism continued to make its influence felt on the world at large and to be influenced by it in turn. He analyses both the antagonisms and the attractions between the two faiths, and concludes with a discussion of the eventual disappearance of Judaism as a missionary religion. The rival community triumphed with the help of a Christian imperial authority and a doctrine well adapted to the Graeco-Roman mentality.

The search for effective ways to enable different religious systems to co-exist peacefully in mutual complementarity has emerged as a necessary condition for economic development, social progress, human prosperity and even survival. The combination of diversity and interdependence in the religious world calls for comparative studies of religion. This book details the inherent problems of such studies.;The underlying idea presented is that there are similarities, as well as differences between Confucianism as humanistic tradition and Christianity as a theocentric religion, and that these similarities and differences are mutually involved and delicately related with each other: while agape can be translated in English as "love", it is in fact more than love, in that it defines the relationship between Christians and their God, and between Christians and their neighbours; while jen in Chinese is not the translation of "love", it is in fact essentially love, both ethical and religious, in that it defines the relationship between Confucians and their transcendantal pursuit, between Confucians and their ideal, and between Confucians and their fellow human beings.

In today's pluralistic culture, Christianity is no longer the dominant belief system. Interest in religion is on the increase again after having declined in the seventies, but this does not mean that people are returning to the same positions they once held. Eastern religions, especially, have attracted wide interest. This significant work by Hendrik Vroom presses the theological and dialogical dimensions of religious pluralism. Vroom here makes a broad study of the views of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam, especially their views on truth, and explores their mutual relationships. In the process, he seeks to answer a crucial question for our time: For what reasons would a person who has read extensively on Buddhist, Hindu, or Islamic thought continue to be a Christian?

For more than a century Christian theologians have attempted to construct "theologies of religion" that would be recognized as authentically Christian and authentic in relation to the historical and social reality of many religions. This attempt usually ends in an impasse in which either only one religion is portrayed as holding the true path to salvation, or that many do. Neither the exclusivist nor the pluralist position is completely satisfactory in integrating the two goals of an authentically Christian and historically viable theology of religions. In calling this book Salvations author S. Mark Heim moves the theology of religions project beyond taking sides on exclusivist and pluralist views. The crux of his argument is this: that it makes more sense to speak of salvation in the plural, to maintain that the ends of various religions are indeed varied and significantly constituted by the paths taken to reach them. At the same time, all paths - Christianity included - can and must make or require exclusive commitments on the part of those that hold them. One of the most intriguing features of Salvations is its careful critique of the pluralist assumption of a single religious end to the many religions. Heim's careful analysis of the writings of John Hick, Wilfred Cantwell Smith, and Paul Knitter points out a central weakness in the pluralist argument: by insisting that different religions point to the same "ultimate, " pluralism fails its own test of plurality. Heim points out that exclusivists should note that in hypothesizing the many ends of different religions, Salvations contradicts neither the finality of Christ, nor the authentic, independent validity of other religions.