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.""

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.

A growing number of people experience their own spiritual lives as being inspired by more than one religious tradition. Multi-religious identity formation and double-belonging are obvious signs of a process of significant transformation as a result inter-faith encounter - a transformation that had been expected and positively willed by various inter-faith theologians. "Transformation by Integration" looks more deeply at a number of issues involved, including: What does it mean theologically to move beyond tolerance towards a genuine appreciation of other religions? How can multi-religious identity be assessed theologically? And, will we have to reconsider the widespread dismissal of syncretism? Perry Schmidt-Leukel takes the next theological step on the basis of a pluralist paradigm within the theology of religions.

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.

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.

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.

For the first time classic readings on Jesus from outside of Christianity have been brought together in one volume. Jesus Beyond Christianity: The Classic Texts features significant passages on Jesus from Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The fifty-six selections span two millennia of thought, including translated extracts from the Talmud and the Qur'an, and writings by Mahatma Gandhi and the 14th Dalai Lama.
The volume features fresh translations of important texts, 'Key-Issues' introductions, questions for discussion and guides for further reading. Importantly, each set of readings ends with an entirely fresh reflection from a leading scholar in the field. Every care has been taken to present these often controversial passages in a manner consistent with the aims of their authors; accompanying notes directly address challenging issues.
This unique collection of readings promises to become an essential resource in the study of the world's religions, providing rich guidance for anyone seeking to understand the central convergences and debates between religious traditions.

Using the events surrounding "The Satanic Verses" controversy as a starting point, Paul Weller offers an interesting examination of the twenty-first century challenges posed by living with radical difference, freedom of expression, and mutual respect.26th September 2008 marks the twentieth anniversary of the beginning of "The Satanic Verses" controversy - a controversy that in many ways became paradigmatic for the following two decades.Taking as its starting-point the opening two years of the controversy, Paul Weller uses the events and arguments of those years as a lens through which to view what later developed, both in relation to the controversy itself, but also its wider entails, and the incidents and issues through which aspects of the original controversy were reprised. The anniversary of the controversy presents a good opportunity to review the incidents, issues and debates of the time in some historical perspective, while also connecting them with subsequent incidents that have reprised some of the key themes, such as the 'cartoons' controversy, the terror attacks of 9/11 and 7/7, and the killing of the Dutch filmmaker, Theo Van Gogh.The book holds up a mirror for our times that will be of interest to academics, politicians, students, and religious believers, as well as to all who are engaged with the twenty-first century challenges posed by living with radical difference, freedom of expression, and mutual respect, with exploring the relationship between religion and secularity, and with overcoming the threats posed by religiously informed violence. Paul Weller is Professor of Inter-Religious Relations at the University of Derby and Visiting Fellow in the Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture at Regent's Park College, University of Oxford, UK. He is editor of "Religions in the UK: Directory 2007-10", the 2001 edition of which won the Shap Working Party on World Religions in Education prize for 'an outstanding contribution to the teaching of world religions'.

Redemption and Resistance brings together an eminent cast of contributors to provide a state-of-the-art discussion of Messianism as a topic of political and religious commitment and controversy. By surveying this motif over nearly a thousand years with the help of a focused historical and political searchlight, this volume is sure to break fresh ground. It will serve as an attractive contribution to the history of ancient Judaism and Christianity, of the complex and often problematic relationship between them, and of the conflicting loyalties their hopes for redemption created vis--vis a public order that was at first pagan and later Christian. Although each chapter is designed to stand on its own as an introduction to the topic at hand, the overall argument unfolds a coherent history. The first two parts, on pre-Christian Jewish and primitive Christian Messianism, set the stage by identifying two entities that in Part III are then addressed in the development of their explicit relationship in a Graeco-Roman world marked by violent persecution of Jewish and Christian hopes and loyalties. The story is then explored beyond the Constantinian turn and its abortive reversal under Julian, to the Christian Empire up to the rise of Islam.

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.

Cross-cultural research provides exceptional insights into the hopes and fears of dealing with people different to ourselves. In Australia, such research suggests that Australian Muslims have surpassed Asians as one of the country's most marginalised religious and ethnic groups. Muslims and people from the Middle East are thought to be unable to fit into Australia, with more than 50% of Australians preferring their relatives did not to marry into a Muslim family. Yet this statistic masks diverse interpretations of interfaith relations and cultural harmony present across Australia today. In 12 essays Us and Them offers truths about interfaith relations as they are believed and expressed by Muslim and non-Muslim Australians. The essays are interdisciplinary and varied in topic, and seek to challenge the images of Islam held by both xenophobic Westerners and extremist Muslims. Drawn from a variety of research projects over past years, including results from a national survey on attitudes towards Islam and Muslims among Australian secondary students, they also raise thematic questions, such as: Will any dialogue lead to a rapprochement between the Muslim and mainstream communities? What is Christian-Muslim diversity? Why does it matter? Can we really learn how to manage diversity in the workplace? Can the Shari'a law coexist with the Australian legal system on issues including polygamy, marital status and dress? This book is essential reading for all students -- secondary through to tertiary and postgraduate -- requiring an introduction to Christian Muslim relations and attitudes in Australia .

This collection of academic essays written by friends and colleagues of Professor Zev Garber, is a long-overdue tribute to an outstanding scholar, teacher, and mentor. Each contribution was written especially for this volume; none have been previously published. The various sections into which these essays are divided reflect the areas in which Professor Garber has devoted his own prodigious teaching and writing energies: the Holocaust, Jewish-Christian relations, philosophy and theology, history, biblical interpretation. Also included is a full bibliography of Professor Garber's own writings: books, articles both scholarly and popular, opinion pieces, and the like. The introduction by his good friend Steven Jacobs introduces Professor Garber to those who do not know him and reminds those who do of his important contributions to scholarship.

A constructive new proposal for Christian dialogue with other faiths. Religious pluralism is today the most challenging issue facing traditional Christianity. This constructive work by a leading voice on the subjects of religious pluralism and interfaith relations probes the Christian understanding of God and salvation and offers a new perspective on religious pluralism that affirms unique salvation in Christ while also recognizing the religious ends of other faiths. The questions explored here are both difficult and enlightening. What is the distinctive nature of salvation? Is there a place in Christian theology for recognizing other religious ends in addition to salvation? In pursuit of meaningful answers, S. Mark Heim uses the classical doctrine of the Trinity to develop a theology that allows Christians to respect the possibility that alternative relations with God exist in other religions.

In this book eminent Jewish and Christian scholars come together to illuminate the Ten Commandments. Roger Van Harn has arranged the volume so that writers from both traditions dialogue over each of the Ten Words. A Christian or a Jew writes a penetrating essay about one of the commandments, followed by a shorter response from a member of the other tradition ? all done, remarkably, without sacrificing either Jewish or Christian identity.

Unique for its authentic interfaith dialogue on dogmatic matters, The Ten Commandments for Jews, Christians, and Others offers pertinent guidelines for believing Jews and Christians today, with the goal of stimulating deeper conversation between the two groups. As Van Harn says, ???Listening to one another may hold pleasant surprises that open us to new possibilities.???

Contributors: Carl E. Braaten
Roger Brooks
Shalom Carmy
James A. Diamond
Elliot N. Dorff
Jean Bethke Elshtain
Rochelle L. Millen
Richard John Neuhaus
David Novak
Peter W. Ochs
David Patterson
Daniel Polish
Anathea E. Portier-Young
R. R. Reno
John K. Roth
Byron L. Sherwin
Marguerite Shuster
R. Kendall Soulen
Linn Tonstad
Leanne Van Dyk
Calvin P. Van Reken
Allen Verhey
Miroslav Volf
Sue Ann Wasserman

In a strongly worded notification, in February of 2005, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith denounced Jesuit Roger Haights award-winning, best-selling book Jesus Symbol of God as containing grave doctrinal errors. Like a number of theologians before him-Hans Kung, Charles Curran, Anthony de Mello, Tissa Balasuriya, and Jacques Dupuis-Haight has been banned from teaching as a Catholic theologian. In its overall criticism of the book, the Congregation, still under the direction of the then Cardinal Ratzinger, charged that Haight subordinates the contents of the faith to their plausibility and intelligibility in post-modern culture. For his part, Haight says: I look at American Catholicism with a population more and more educated in the faith. Many college and university students are used to religious pluralism, and are asking how they can square it with the Catholic faith. I try to put critical words to their experience and keep their experience in touch with the tradition. My fear is that educated Catholics will walk out if there isnt space for an open attitude to other religions. The Future of Christology covers much the same ground as Jesus Symbol of God, though in a much more accessible and compact format. The earlier book was written as a textbook; this one, with a wider audience in mind. In the final chapter, Haight responds to the numerous reviews Jesus Symbol of God received, both pro and con.

Jean Zaru, the longtime activist and Quaker leader from Ramallah, here brings home the pain and central convictions that animate Christian nonviolence and activity today. Zaru vividly paints the complex realities faced by all parties in Palestine - Jews and Muslims and Christians, Israelis and Palestinians, women and men. Yet even as Zaru eloquently names the common misunderstandings of the history, present situation, and current policies of the parties there, she vividly articulates an alternative: a religiously motivated nonviolent path to peace and justice in the world's most troubled region.

Islam and Inter-Faith Relations is an insightful inquiry into the relationship of Islam with the World's other religions. Both the current religious diversity and the historical relationships with the major religious traditions are examined here. In this succinct, clarifying volume, five world-renowned Muslim theologians meet with scholars of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism to engage in a vivid dialogue. The Muslim realm once stretched from Spain to China. Islam encountered and connected with a vast spectrum of different cultures and today is obviously an incredibly significant influence across the globe. What can Islam give to and what might Islam receive from other great faiths? What are the major points of conflict and how can these be resolved? Each chapter follows a similar pattern of presenting an Islamic view, followed by the view of another world religion. Then both contributors to each chapter reflect on the shared values as well as the conflicting areas, looking to possible resolutions for the future.

This title helps Jews understand Islam - a reasoned and candid view. Muslim-Jewish relations in the United States, Israel, and Europe are tenuous. Jews and Muslims struggle to understand one another and know little about each other's traditions and beliefs.Firestone explains the remarkable similarities and profound differences between Judaism and Islam, the complex history of Jihad, the legal and religious positions of Jews in the world of Islam, how various expressions of Islam (Sunni, Shi'a, Sufi, Salafi, etc.) regard Jews, the range of Muslim views about Israel, and much more. He addresses these issues and others with candor and integrity, and he writes with language, symbols, and ideas that make sense to Jews.Exploring these subjects in today's vexed political climate is a delicate undertaking. Firestone draws on the research and writings of generations of Muslim, Jewish, and other scholars, as well as his own considerable expertise in this field. The book's tone is neither disparaging, apologetic, nor triumphal. Firestone provides many original sources in translation, as well as an appendix of additional key sources in context. Most importantly, this book is readable and reasoned, presenting to readers for the first time the complexity of Islam and its relationship toward Jews and Judaism.