The Practice of Theological Engagement in Interreligious Dialogue: The Need for a Clarification

Summary

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Haney points out that it is important for both the individual and society that educational and ministry leaders be expected to teach about how they should treat one another and what considered to be morally permissible. He rationalizes that the need for a clarification related to the practice of theological engagement in interreligious Christian-Muslim dialogue will lead everyone to a more effective knowledge of human behavior in the context of religious diversity.

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Extract

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The Practice of Theological Engagement in Interreligious Dialogue: The Need for a Clarification

I would like to first begin by expressing my appreciation for the invitation to participate in this timely event. There is an African proverb that says, "One who has family and friends is not caught in the darkness of the road." There is perhaps no time more important than this in the history of America to identify and engage the need for better human understanding, particularly in matters of religious difference. In a society as socially diverse, multicultural, and multireligious as ours, we find ourselves, in spite of our technological and scientific advancements and our belief that capitalism and the economy will save us, stumbling in the dark when it comes to engaging in healthy and wholesome human dialogue and human relationships. As a society, we have not yet learned how to cross the boundaries of difference to appreciate pluralism and to affirm diversity - social, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious - as a natural state of global order.

Introduction

This presentation is based on the premise that participation in Christian-Muslim dialogue is the enactment of religious values that reflect both an internal concern for religious authority and a related external need to address a community's survival and flourishing. Therefore, more clarity will be gained when attention is given to the diversity of theological models that actually exist. This study will address this challenge by responding to the four key themes raised in the letter of invitation: (a) the nature of my experience in Muslim-Christian dialogue/interaction, and the extent that my identity (age, gender, ethnicity, profession, and class) has been a factor in the conversation; (b) what I consider the most important prerequisites for a su...

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