Recent studies have examined martyrdom as a means of constructing Christian identity, but until now none has focused on Stephen, the first Christian martyr. For the author of Luke-Acts, the stoning of Stephen-- even more than the death of Jesus-- underscores the perfidy of non-believing Jews, the extravagant mercy of Christians, and the inevitable rift that will develop between these two social groups. Stephen's dying prayer that his persecutors be forgiven-the prayer for which he is hailed in Christian tradition as the "perfect martyr" plays a crucial role in drawing an unprecedented distinction between Jewish and early Christian identities.
Shelly Matthews deftly situates Stephen's story within the emerging discourse of early Christian martyrdom. Though Stephen is widely acknowledged to be an actual historical figure, Matthews points to his name, his manner of death, and to other signs that his martyrdom was ideally suited to the rhetorical purposes of Acts and its author, Luke: to uphold Roman views of security and respectability, to show non-believing Jews to disadvantage, and to convey that Christianity was an exceptionally merciful religion. By drawing parallels between Acts and stories of the martyrdom of James, the brother of Jesus, Matthews challenges the coherent canonical narrative of Acts and questions common assumptions about the historicity of Stephen's martyrdom. She also offers a radical new reading of Stephen's last prayer, showing the complex and sometimes violent effects of its modern interpretations.
Perfect Martyr illuminates the Stephen story as never before, offering a deeply nuanced picture of violence, solidarity, and resistance among Jews and early Christians, a key to understanding the early development of a non-Jewish Christian identity, and an innovative reframing of one of the most significant stories in the Bible.

"Global Christianity in Local Context and Muslim Encounter" is a unique collection of essays in honour of David A. Kerr, well-known for his contributions in the areas of Christian-Muslim dialogue, Ecumenical Studies and Missions. With contributions from recognized experts in these fields, the book provides a platform for examining contemporary Christian-Muslim relations and critical issues facing twenty-first century Christianity.
Volume 2 is a veritable Who's Who of renowned Christian and Muslim scholars that have shaped the course of Christian-Muslim dialogue over the last half century. Their contributions in this volume address contemporary and pivotal issues facing Christians and Muslims today, such as Islamophobia, Islamism, Religious Freedom, Inter-religious Challenges and Urbanism, Mission and Economic Globalisation, Suffering and Social Responsibility, and others.

This is an assessment of the influence and impact of the Islamic scholar and activist Fethullah Gulen, and those who are inspired by him, on contemporary Islam. This edited collection deals with the challenges and opportunities faced by Muslims and the wider society in Europe following the Madrid train bombings of 2003 and the London Transport attacks of 2007. The contributors explore the challenges to the concept and practice of civility in public life within a European context, and demonstrates the contributions that can be made in this regard by the thought and practice of the global movement associated with the Turkish Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen. The importance and distinctiveness of teaching of Gulen and the practice of the movement is that it is rooted in a confident Turkish Islamic heritage while being fully engaged with modernity. It offers the possibility of a contextualised renewal of Islam for Muslims in Europe while being fully rooted in the teachings of the Qu'ran and the Sunnah of the Prophet. This volume is an important contribution to the study of the movement, which advocates the freedom of religion while making an Islamic contribution to the wider society based on a commitment to service of others.

This book presents three different, influential and representative theological approaches towards the world religions. Students are not only introduced to the field, but get three passionate and intelligent 'takes' on what is at stake. By means of a response to each of the primary essays, the authors are put into interaction with each other, and are also engaged with the most contemporary scholarship in the field of theology of religions. This sustained and high level critical interaction between the authors provides a feature that is not to be found in any other current work in theology of religions. The three views represent: conservative Roman Catholic Christianity (D'Costa), Reformed evangelical Christianity (Strange) and liberationist liberal Christianity (Knitter). This book will therefore appeal to a very wide theological market from all sections of the theological spectrum.

While devotional practices are usually viewed as mechanisms for reinforcing religious boundaries, in the multicultural, multiconfessional world of the Eastern Mediterranean, shared shrines sustain intercommunal and interreligious contact among groups. Heterodox, marginal, and largely ignored by central authorities, these practices persist despite aggressive, homogenizing nationalist movements. This volume challenges much of the received wisdom concerning the three major monotheistic religions and the "clash of civilizations." Contributors examine intertwined religious traditions along the shores of the Near East from North Africa to the Balkans.

"Thinking the Divine in Interreligious Encounter "seeks to take seriously our questions of cross-cultural and inter-religious dialogue on God or the Divine: How can the Divine be named and thought as Europe finds itself in midst of cross-cultural processes of a global nature and as religions such as Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism come into the foreground in the West? What are some of the major shifts in Christian theology, as it recognizes that peoples of non-Christian faith traditions name and think the Divine in ways that differ from and sometimes conflict with Europe's dominant religion(s) and secular culture? Together with "Naming and Thinking God in Europe Today" and "Post-colonial Europe in the Crucible of Cultures" (Rodopi 2007), this volume allows us to discover opportunities for a multivalenced reflection on God or the Divine that achieves mutual intelligibility without surrendering to a dogmatic untranslatability or a crude relativism.

Christian Approaches to Other Faiths is divided along the same lines as the textbook(9780334041146). In the first section, readings are divided according to the sub-sections, providing at least one reading for each, with those paradigms which have been more influential, receiving most attention. Importantly a number of readings will also be given critical of the approach in question. The second section contains at least two readings per section, both adopting a different way of understanding that faith. This provides a positive and negative attitude to the faith in question, or highlights the work of two influential commentators. While the emphasis is on contemporary works, important historical readings are included. A short introduction to each text means that, like the Core Text, the work can be used as a stand alone text.

A powerful challenge to conventional Judeo-Christian theology, The First and Final Commandment combines the author's two books, MisGod'ed and God'ed, within one cover. The First and Final Commandment begins by defining the internal conflicts that fracture the metaphysical worlds of Judaism and Christianity from within, and indeed, which demand reappraisal of the Judeo-Christian scriptures themselves. Incorporating detailed analysis, this work continues on to document the scriptural evidences that suggest continuity in revelation from Judaism to Christianity and, in the end, to orthodox (Sunni) Islam. Provocative and thought-provoking, intelligent and inspiring, this book enters the melee of two thousand years of religious debate with clarity of vision, accuracy of detail, and common sense conclusions which boldly confront conventional Judeo-Christian conclusions.

Increasingly world religious traditions present a source of religious practices, and even live religious options. How are Christians to relate to these traditions and the neighbors and friends who live by them? This lively and engaging book is a great resource for faithful wrestling with the new realities. Led by theologian John B. Cobb Jr. and historian Ward M. McAfee, the Progressive Christians Uniting has distilled the historical and existential import of both Abrahamic and other traditions and stressed the differences among traditions and the richness they can afford Christian self-understanding. Includes study materials.

Christ Jesus and the Jewish People Today explores the historical, biblical, christological, trinitarian, and ecclesiological dimensions of this crucial question: -How might we Christians in our time reaffirm our faith claim that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all humanity, even as we affirm the Jewish people's covenantal life with God?- This volume is the result of a transatlantic, interfaith collaboration among Boston College, Catholic Theological Union, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Lund University, Pontifical Gregorian University, and Saint Joseph's University. -This book opens up new vistas after forty-five years of Catholic-Jewish reconciliation. Not comfortable with resting on prior accomplishments, this work is a bold step forward in Catholic searching for a closer theological bond to Judaism without giving up the differences between the two faiths. . . . Offers the cutting edge of Christian theological views of Judaism.- -- Alan Brill Seton Hall University -Stunning in its scope, erudition, and creativity, this work is without parallel or peer. . . . A watershed contribution to a new era in the Jewish-Christian encounter, as both communities increasingly take decades of dialogue experience back into their own theological workshops and, with newfound partners lending support, strive to fashion a more adequate account of God's work among us.- -- Peter A. Pettit Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding, Muhlenberg College

This book provides a guide and critical extension to contemporary controversies in the theology of religions and interfaith dialogue. It addresses questions raised through certain postmodern theologies (which present an option herein termed 'particularity'), which suggest that the whole enterprise of the theology of religions, as currently understood, is fundamentally misguided and suggest instead an alternative approach. Paul Hedges reflects on how the traditional typology for the theology of religions (exclusivism - inclusivism - pluralism) may be rethought and seen as viable, offering a reformulation of it and 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 interfaith dialogue. Interreligious dialogue is a core subject in most theology and religious studies courses in university departments and theological colleges.

Over the course of its history the Christian monastic tradition has developed a desert spirituality" of solitude, silence, and self-knowledge that fosters openness to the divine presence and its transformative power. Today the divine presence is manifesting itself anew in the "desert of otherness," that sacred space in which we encounter the other as one whose difference, even of religion and spirituality, can enrich us, rather than as one who must be drawn to and converted to our own "truth." The encounter of Christians with other believers will increasingly become a place of hardship and testing that leads to union with the divine. This "third monastic desert" is, in reality, the nucleus of the Kingdom that is coming into being, where communication becomes communion. Such has been the experience of monastic men and women - Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians - who have engaged in dialogue. Having discovered an unanticipated bond between dialogue and silence, openness to the other and interiority, Christian monks invite the whole Church to join them on this journey into the desert of otherness.

"Fabrice Blee was born in epernay, France. He is a full professor on the faculty of theology of Saint Paul University, Ottawa, where he teaches in the areas of interreligious dialogue and Christian spirituality. He is also the director of a series on "Spiritualties in Dialogue" (MediasPaul); a member of the editorial board of "Dilatato Corde, " the online journal of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue; and an advisor to the board of directors of the North American commission of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue.""

The Middle East always seems to dominate international news and global politics. For all of the media exposure, however, most of us consider the religious life of that volatile region only in terms of Muslims and Jews. Serving to correct that misperception, Who are the Christians in the Middle East? chronicles the history and current state of the many various Christian communities in that part of the world.Reflecting dramatic changes in the region, including massive population shifts, this second edition of the Baileys' seminal 2003 volume updates their carefully collected data on churches, church leaders, and contacts, making their one-of-a-kind resource an even more useful gold mine of information.

This title offers a comprehensive and contemporary exploration of the role of Jesus in both Islam and Christianity and issues of dialogue in Christian-Muslim relations. "Images of Jesus Christ in Islam 2nd Edition" provides a general introduction to the question of Jesus Christ in Islam and a dialogical discussion of this issues' importance for Christian-Muslim relations. Its originality lies in its comprehensive presentation of relevant sources and research and its discussion of Islamic images of Christ in the wider context of Muslim-Christian relations. Oddbjorn Leirvik provides a comprehensive introduction to a breadth of Muslim traditions through an examination of interpretations of Jesus throughout history, whilst also examining historic tensions between Islam and Christianity. This book's distinctive contribution lies in its dialogical perspective in the perennial area of interest of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations.

Section one of this International Handbook attends to the philosophical and theoretical aspects of inter-religious education. The authors who contribute to this section critique current religious educational practice and offer skills, information and criteria for theory building in the area of inter-religious education. Among the contributors to this section of the International Handbook, one is from the United Kingdom, five are from the Untied Statures of America, two from Africa, and there is one contributor from each of Canada, Latvia and Norway. Two contributors are from the Jewish tradition, one from Islam, one from Orthodox Christianity and the others from a range of different Christian orientations. Their theories and philosophies of inter-religious education are informed by a range of perspectives including human rights, feminist theory and the perspective of Jewish-Christian and inter-religious dialogue.

Section two deals with religious education for inter-religious engagement. The body of scholarship contained in this section argues that religious education needs to provide an empathetic understanding of people, their histories and contexts, and the role of religion in their lives. Of the thirteen scholars who will contribute to this section, one is from the United States of America, two are from Ireland, two are from the United Kingdom, two from Canada and the remaining are from Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Israel, Australia and India. Much of this section draws on recent empirical research and it covers such diverse topics as fundamentalism and ecumenism, critical reflexivity, dialogue between Judaism and Islam, Islamic values and the role of Buddhism in promoting inter-religious education.

Section three analyses the connection between inter-religious education and the promotion of social justice and peace. Indeed a concern for justice and peace is common to all religions and can be the focus of inter-religious education. Among the scholars who will contribute to this section, four are Australian, two are German, and the remaining are from Norway, the United Kingdom, India, the Netherlands and Mumbai. Motifs in this section of the International Handbook cover suffering as a lens for understanding the history of religions, inter-religious tolerance, fundamentalism and fanaticism, peace education, theology and the role and critique of all of these in inter-religious education for social justice and peace.

Section four Inter-religious education for citizenship and human rights brings together a number of religious educators, expert theorists, empirical researchers and those working in international educational policy to examine the role of inter-religious education in promoting citizenship and human rights. Scholars will contribute to this section from Switzerland, England, Australia, France, Finland, Russia, Norway, the United States of America, Germany, Sweden and Japan. The chapters in this section will cover the specifically religious dimensions of policy and practice in human rights and citizenship and will draw on the policies and works of international bodies such as UNESCO as well as providing more local perspectives.

A non-partial anthology of Bible and Qur'an stories: "timely, unique and astonishing." John Esposito. Symbolized by Mary, the Jewish mother of Jesus loved by Christians and Muslims alike, this rare anthology seeks for common ground in a time of conflict. Placing verses from Bible and Qur'an Side by Side, it shows the Holy Books' commonalities in the stories of Adam in the Garden of Eden; Noah and the Great Flood; David and Goliath and many more. Controversial topics - the subservience of women, war and crime- are not shunned, but the focus is on shared human values. Even God and Allah are shown to have many attributes in common. Illustrated- for a non-illustrated version see Qur'an and Bible Side by Side "A compassionate contribution...preferring dialogue to strife and refusing to claim superiority or blame the 'other' side." Ruud Lubbers A peer reviewed book. " Recommended for lower-level undergraduates through graduate student and general readers." Prof. M. Swartz, Choice, Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, ..".invaluable contribution to dialogue especially that between Islam and Christianity." Muhammad Khan, Muslim News, UK, "Written, not in a polemic spirit of proving one religion to be superior to another, but in the spirit of reconcilliation... " Simon Ross Valentine, Church Times, UK ..".Sharing Mary must be praised for its novel approach...(it) succeeds in awakening curiosity." Diego A Sarrio, Washington, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, January 2011 "An important anthology... supported by carefully formulated comments by competent Islamic and Christian academics... the stories are shown, in their subtle differences, to possess a spiritual commonality." Revd. Dr Reinhardt Kiste, Dialog der Religionen.

This monumental book outlines, clarifies, and defends official Roman Catholic teaching on the relationship between christianity and other religious traditions in the light of Catholic belief that "We must hold that the holy spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery" (Gaudium et Spes, 22).

Part I studies the history of these issues. Part II examines their theological framing. Part III deals with Christianity and the religions since Vatican II. Part IV deals with Judaism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Islam as they see themselves in relation to Christianity. A final chapter by Michael Fitzgerald is a theological reflection on the foundations of interreligious dialogue.

BERNARD DE GIVE, for many years a member of the Society of Jesus, was for eight years a seminary professor, first in Sri Lanka then in India, before pursuing oriental studies at Oxford, where he formed friendships with Tibetan monks. Since becoming a Trappist in 1972, the author has enjoyed meeting monks of other religions: Hindu Swamis, Jain ascetics, Buddhist monks and, above all, Tibetan Lamas. In 1977, a Benedictine and Cistercian Commission for Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (DIM - MID) was established, and it was under these auspices that the author was able to visit numerous Tibetan centres in Western Europe but also in India and in Tibet itself. The invasion of Tibet by the Chinese communists in 1950, followed by the voluntary exile of the Dalai Lama and large numbers of Tibetans, overturned the political and cultural circumstances of a country which, though fiercely isolated for centuries, now found itself suddenly propelled beyond its borders. This traditional culture thus became accessible to Westerners who were eagerly seeking a form of spirituality which corresponded to their needs and their anxieties. The author, though he has a most real sympathy towards the Dharma and its followers, is not a Buddhist, nor even a seeker. While stressing the 'obvious and considerable' doctrinal differences, he experiences an undeniable sense of encounter in depth with Tibetan Buddhists: 'The truest essence of the dialogue partners, especially when they are monks, encounters a kindred spirit. Whether in conversation or in silence, they find themselves in total dialogue.'

An intriguing question - Do Muslims understand Jesus in some ways more historically appropriate than Christians do? - leads Robert F. Shedinger into a series of provocative challenges to the disciplines of religious studies and comparative religions. Questioning the convenient distinction between "politics" and "religion" and the isolation of "religion" from wider social and cultural questions, Shedinger offers a proposal for a more accurate and respectful understanding of faith that he argues will improve possibilities for mutual understanding among Christians, Muslims - and others.

English summary: The volume includes 12 scholarly essays written between 1995 and 2008, in English or German. As the title of the book indicates, the presentation is in two parts. The first part includes seven essays on the theology of Paul (concerning ritual and ethics of the Lord's Supper, anthropology, sacrifice, wisdom, self-deception and self-knowledge). The second part comprises five history-of-religion studies concerning the Hellenistic philosophers Dio of Prusa and Plutarch of Chaironeia (discussing religion and ethics, worship of the deity and cultic images, history and miracle, apotheosis and empty tombs). Methodically controlled comparisons show similar and different problems of interest on both sides, which deserve attention also in contemporary discussions. German description: Der 5. Band der Gesammelten Aufsatze umfasst 12 Arbeiten aus den Jahren 1995 bis 2008, die zumeist aus Vortragen auf internationalen Tagungen hervorgegangen sind. Die auf Deutsch oder Englisch verfassten Untersuchungen sind in zwei Teile gruppiert. In Teil I befasst sich Hans Dieter Betz mit der Theologie des Paulus, in Teil II mit der griechisch-romischen Religionsgeschichte. Die Arbeiten zeigen die paulinische Theologie in Auseinandersetzung mit Themen der hellenistischen Religionsphilosophie (Ritus und Ethik des Herrenmahls, Anthropologie, Opfer, Weisheit, Selbsttauschung und Selbsterkennntnis), sowie die Philosophen Dio von Prusa und Plutarch von Chaironeia bei der literarischen Behandlung ihrer eigenen Theologien (Religion und Ethik, Gottesverehrung und Gottesbild, Geschichte und Wunder, Apotheose und leeres Grab). Im Vergleich der Themen und Methoden wird exemplarisch deutlich, wie theologische Fragen nicht nur ein innerchristliches Reservat darstellen, sondern auch, wie Philosophen religiose Fragen ihrer jeweiligen Tradition und Umwelt diskutieren.

It is a truism in the study of religion that to understand one's own tradition truly one must inhabit another's deeply. Kristin Johnston Largen in this exciting volume takes the reader on such a pilgrimage into Buddhism, to ultimately address what we as Christians might mean by salvation. In the last generation, lay Christians have already trod into Buddhism to see the tradition for themselves. So this exercise in comparative theology employs interreligious dialogue as an integral and imperative part of Christian theology today. It first explores the model of comparative theology and the meanings of salvation, or soteriology, in Christian tradition. It then reviews the chief outlines of the Buddhist worldview and explores the concept of salvation in Buddhism - nirvana, achieved through emptiness - and how it informs a host of Buddhist practices. Only then does Largen return to the Christian tradition to show not only what Buddhists can teach us about themselves but also about ourselves. Critically corrected by this larger religious context, Largen demonstrates, Christian soteriology can be enriched and enlivened.

Respected Baptist historian and theologian Bill Leonard takes readers through the theological and practical questions that are important to Baptists. In a clear style and with great sensitivity to the varieties of beliefs among Baptist bodies, Leonard considers the big questions of faith. These include Baptist beliefs about God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, salvation, and the Christian life, among others. Drawing on historic statements of Baptist belief, contemporary history, and his own background and deep scholarship, Leonard provides reliable and accessible discussions of these issues. His work will be highly illuminating for Baptists of all denominational groupings as well as for others interested in the core of Baptist theological convictions and their various expressions. Leonard's is a strong and trusted voice, and this book will be a welcome resource.

One of the greatest challenges facing the Church and society today is how to build understanding and co-operation between people of different faiths for the common good. The consequences of misunderstanding and alienation are all too evident - getting this right is both vital and urgent. This innovative book tells the stories of a remarkably varied series of local church and community projects that lay and ordained members of Christian churches have initiated with people of other faiths. The entire process from initial idea and starting to understand different cultural and religious perspectives is described, as are the practical lessons learned and pitfalls encountered along the way.The projects vary from pupils spending a day in each others' faith schools, multi-faith hospital, hospice and prison chaplaincy, much sharing of food, hospitality in each others' places of worship and more. This is practical theology and faith dialogue in action. The book concludes with a simple guide to the conventions and terminology of other faiths.