The Abrahamic Religions: the prospects for their inter-relations

Dr Edward Kessler

Theology & the Search for Common Ground

Jesus the Jew

Geza Vermes E P Sanders

Theology & the Search for Common Ground

The Muslim Jesus:

David Burrell:

Theology & the Search for Common Ground

Shared Scripture•Exegetical encounters•Bible Study (inc Scriptural reasoning)

Theology & the Search for Common Ground

Dialogue TheologiansMartin Buber Wilfred Cantwell Smith(1878-1965) (1916-2000)

Theology & the Search for Common Ground

Encounters with Islam

•A Common Word

•A Call to Dialogue

Theology & the Search for Common Ground

Responses to the Shoah •Antisemitism and the adversus iudaeos tradition•Violent scripture

Organisations and Official Statements

1927

•London Society of Jews and Christians•National Conference of Christians and Jews NCCJ (National Conference for Community and Justice)

Organisations and Official Statements

1942 – Council of Christians and Jews1947 – International Council of Christians and Jews and the Ten Points of Seelisberg1948 – World Council of Churches•Guidelines on Dialogue with People of Living Faiths and Ideologies, 1979

Organisations and Official Statements

1962–5 - Vatican II & Nostra Aetate

Organisations and Official Statements

• Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews (Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity)

• Pontifical statements on Jews and Judaism: 1975, 1985, 1998 and 2001.

• Dabru Emet (2000)

• The Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims (Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue)

Organisations and Official Statements

1988 – Anglican Communion•Jews, Christians and Muslims: the Way of Dialogue (2002 Building Bridges; 2008 Lambeth-Jewish Forum)

Organisations and Official Statements

The 1990s

•Inter Faith Network (1987)

•3FF (1997)

•Woolf Institute (1998)

Organisations and Official Statements: Relations with Muslims

• Building Bridges (2002)

• Christian-Muslim Forum (2006)

• Prince Alwaleed Centres (6 centres including Edinburgh and Cambridge, 2008)

Responses to Conflict

Zionism and the state of Israel

•Israeli-Palestinian Conflict•Abrahamic controversies

Responses to Conflict

• Rushdie Affair (1988)

• ‘Northern Riots’ (2001)

Responses to Conflict

•‘Community Cohesion’ policies (Cantle Report)

•Funding (and growth) of interfaith programmes as public policy

Responses to Conflict

• Middle East and the Arab awakening• 9/11 and 7/7• The rise of social media

Responses to Conflict

• Islamophobia, antisemitism and anti-Christian attitudes;

• religious extremism and political radicalisation

Is the Dream of Interfaith Dialogue Dying?

• Seeking common ground but not managing difference

• Running out of steam

• Single interest groups

Seeking ‘Genuine’ Interfaith Encounters

• Embracing difference (Sacks)

• Responding to austerity and localism

Seeking ‘Genuine’ Interfaith Encounters

• Multi-disciplinary• Secular reality• Constructive interfaith tension