Muslim-Christian Dialogues

Forthcoming in March of this year is a book that will carefully examine some initiatives that I know Eastern Christians to have been especially involved with over the last decade or so: Contemporary Christian-Muslim Dialogue: Twenty-First Century Initiatives by Douglas Pratt (Routledge, March 2021), 232pp. About this book the publisher tells us this: 

This book introduces and examines the work of two significant 21st century Christian – Muslim dialogue initiatives – "Building Bridges" and the "Christian–Muslim Theological Forum" – and gives close attention to five theological themes that have been addressed in common by them.

An overview and analysis, including inception, development, outputs and significance, together with discussion of the select themes – community, scripture, prophecy, prayer and ethics – allows for an in-depth examination of significant contemporary Muslim and Christian scholarship on issues important to both faith communities. The result is a challenging encounter to, arguably, a widespread default presumption of irredeemable mutual hostility and inevitable mutual rejection with instances of violent extremism as a consequence.

Demonstrating the reality that deep interreligious engagement is possible between the two faiths today, this book should appeal to a wide readership, including upper undergraduate and graduate teaching as well as professionals and practitioners in the field of Christian-Muslim relations.

Hindu and Orthodox Iconology

The last few decades have seen a slow but steady increase in inter-religious dialogue between Orthodoxy and other traditions. Oftentimes Orthodoxy is the last great Christian tradition to enter such dialogues, Catholics and Protestants having been involved in such endeavors for many decades before Orthodoxy.

A recently published book puts Orthodoxy into conversation with a tradition from the far East: The Human Icon: A Comparative Study of Hindu and Orthodox Christian Beliefs by Christine Mangala Frost  (James Clarke & Co., 2017), 368pp.

About this book the publisher tells us the following:

Despite the history that divides them, Hinduism and Orthodox Christianity have much in common. In The Human Icon, Christine Mangala Frost explores how both religions seek to realise the divine potential of every human being, and the differences in their approach. Frost, who has experienced both the extraordinary riches and the all-too-human failings of Hinduism and Orthodox Christianity from the inside, is perfectly placed to examine the convergences and divergences between the two faiths. Inspired by a desire to clear up the misunderstandings that exist between the two, The Human Icon is a study in how two faiths, superficially dissimilar, can nevertheless find meeting points everywhere. The powerful intellectual and spiritual patristic traditions of Orthodox Christianity offer a rare tool for revitalising too-often stalled dialogue with Hinduism and present the chance for a broader and more diverse understanding of the oldest religion in the world. Tracing the long history of Orthodox Christianity in India, from the Thomas Christians of ancient times to the distinctive theology of Paulos Mar Gregorios and the Kottayam School, Frost explores the impact of Hindu thought on Indian Christianity and considers the potential for confluence. With a breadth of interest that spans Hindu bhakti, Orthodox devotional theology, Vedānta and theosis, as well as meditational Yoga and hesychastic prayer, Frost offers a fresh perspective on how the devotees of both faiths approach the ideal of divinisation, and presents a thoughtful, modern methodology for a dialogue of life.

How Many Ways and for How Many Purposes Can We Divide Abraham?

Following as I do Stephen Prothero's approach in his book God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World, I have long avoided many of the tendentious stock phrases of our time, among which "Abrahamic religions," which became so popular after 9/11, ranks high. I'm not seeking polemically to promote division or triumphalistically to exalt Christianity. But equally I refuse to paper over differences that are profound and cannot be syncretistically conjured away by charlatans. In my course on Eastern Christianity and Islam, e.g., I challenge students to reconcile Islam and Christianity on the question of the Trinity and the Incarnation. I do not think it can be done: these are incommensurate truth-claims, and we must honestly face them squarely.

A new book helps us think further along these lines: Carol Bakhos, The Family of Abraham: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Interpretations (Harvard UP, 2014), 296pp.

About this book we are told:

The term "Abrahamic religions" has gained considerable currency in both scholarly and ecumenical circles as a way of referring to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In The Family of Abraham, Carol Bakhos steps back from this convention to ask a frequently overlooked question: What, in fact, is Abrahamic about these three faiths? Exploring diverse stories and interpretations relating to the portrayal of Abraham, she reveals how he is venerated in these different scriptural traditions and how scriptural narratives have been pressed into service for nonreligious purposes.

Grounding her study in a close examination of ancient Jewish textual practices, primarily midrash, as well as medieval Muslim Stories of the Prophets and the writings of the early Church Fathers, Bakhos demonstrates that ancient and early-medieval readers often embellished the image of Abraham and his family--Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, and Isaac. Her analysis dismantles pernicious misrepresentations of Abraham's firstborn son, Ishmael, and provocatively challenges contemporary references to Judaism and Islam as sibling religions.

As Bakhos points out, an uncritical adoption of the term "Abrahamic religions" not only blinds us to the diverse interpretations and traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam but also artificially separates these faiths from their historical contexts. In correcting mistaken assumptions about the narrative and theological significance of Abraham, The Family of Abraham sheds new light on key figures of three world religions.

The Quran in Christian-Muslim Dialogue

My students continue to struggle to make sense of passages in the Quran treating Christians and Jews, and to struggle with related issues of hermeneutics (what role for the hadiths? what about the so-called doctrine of naskh?) and authority (who gets to proffer an authoritative or normative interpretation of the texts today?). For it is plain that the Quran does not speak with one voice on relations to non-Muslims--nor on much else besides.A new book may help with these questions: Corrie Block, The Qur'an in Christian-Muslim Dialogue: Historical and Modern Interpretations (Routledge, 2013), 368pp.

About this book we are told:

Offering an analysis of Christian-Muslim dialogue across four centuries, this book highlights those voices of ecumenical tone which have more often used the Qur’an for drawing the two faiths together rather than pushing them apart, and amplifies the voice of the Qur’an itself. Finding that there is tremendous ecumenical ground between Christianity and Islam in the voices of their own scholars, this book ranges from a period of declining ecumenism during the first three centuries of Islam, to a period of resurging ecumenism during the most recent century until now. Among the ecumenical voices in the Christian-Muslim dialogue, this book points out that the Qur’an itself is possibly the strongest of those voices. These findings are cause for, and evidence of, hope for the Christian–Muslim relationship: that although agreement may never be reached, dialogue has led at times to very real mutual understanding and appreciation of the religious other.Providing a tool for those pursuing understanding and mutual appreciation between the Islamic and Christian faiths, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of Islam, the Qur’an and the history of Christian-Muslim relations. 

We are also given the contents of this volume: 

Introduction Part 1A: The First Christian Encounters with Islam 1 The History of Christianity in Arabia 2 Christian Doctrine in South Arabia in the Sixth and Early Seventh Centuries 3 Muhammad's Direct Encounters with Christians 4 The Qur'an: the Original Muslim-Christian Apology 5 The Treaty of Muhammad with the Narjan Christians Part 1B: Early History and Trends in Interfaith Dialogue 6 The Trinity 7 The Incarnation 8 The Crucifixion 9 Tahrif 10 Muhammad’s Prophethood 11 Islamic Expansion 12 Comments on Tone in the Phases of Dialogue Part 2: Modern Scholarship in Christian-Muslim Relations 13 The Trinity 14 The Incarnation 15 The Crucifixion 16 Tahrif 17 Muhammad’s Prophethood 18 Islamic Expansion 19 Comments on the Tone of Dialogue 20 Inter-Textual Trends Part 3: Expanding the Qur'anic Bridge 21 Ecumenism as Humble Orthodoxy 22 Orthopraxy 23 Perichoresis 24 Qur'anic Christianity 25 Concluding Thoughts