Society

• three factors leading to multi-faith societies

  globalisation

  post-enlightenment mindset

  migration
• Inter-faith dialogue


  practice of promoting communication across faith divides between those of different religions.
• Conversion


  influencing a person to become a member of a religion that they were previously not members of
• A liberal view of inter-faith dialogue & conversion

  - Dialogue involves an exchange between people ready to learn something from each other

  - Two groups just trying to convert each other is not dialogue

  - conversion cannot reduce ignorance or prejudice- so it does not promote social cohesion
• conservative view of inter-faith dialogue & conversion

  - the 'faith' element requires genuine expression of each person's faith, including traditional exclusivist attitudes that their religion is the only true one -focusing on conversion and evangelising - possibly sacrificing true dialogue

  - dialogue does not require being open minded to changing one's mind
• Post-enlightenment mindset - refers mainly to 18th century thinkers like Hume and Kant

  - argued knowledge could only be obtained through human reason and observation- not divine revelation or other authorities

  - key to not judge a person's lifestyle unless it is harmful to society- it is not for the society to distinguish truth of religions if they contribute to welfare of society as a whole

  - the tolerance of many religions, based on humanitarian principle has led to development of multi-faith societies
• post-enlightenment mindset- humanitarian principle

  The proposal that humans get on better when each person takes into account the interests of others. This works on the assumption that we are rational beings capable of respecting the interests of others
• migration


  the act or process of a person or group moving from one region of a country or one country to another
• reasons to migrate


  - economic improvement

  - family reunification

  - safety (refugees and asylum seekers from fear of persecution for race, religion, nationality, political opinion)
• christian migration


  - not only non-christian groups have migrated to UK but also different forms of christianity

  - Roman Catholics from Poland, pentecostal from Africa

  - christianity was brought to Uk first by the roman conquest, existing alongside pagan religions until it became the primary religion
• globalisation


  increasing integration and interconnection of global society associated with the intensification of social relations and conscientiousness across world-time and world-space
• economic/social globalistation


  E-referring to the ease of cross boarder transactions and de-regularisation of trade restrictions between countries

  S-sharing of music, media, fashion, etc amongst countries
• facilitation of globalisation


  - globalisation has been facilitated through politics- eg- laws surrounding travel and free travel becoming more liberal

  - the advancement of technology- especially communications technology such as phones, email and the internet
• globalisation with religion


  - Crane and Matten define it as 'deterritorisation' meaning that religious beliefs are not isolated to particular cultures or locations but instead coexist

  - Micheal barnes suggests that at a local level people in multi faith societies have deep worries about their identity and beliefs

  - it is difficult to maintain inter-faith dialogue whilst also preserving distinctive beliefs
• census survey England and Wales - 2022 vs 2011

  - those who identify as christian has gone from 59.3% to 46.2%

  - those who identify as having no religion has gone from 25.2% to 37.2%

  - muslim population has increase by around 1 million
• seen in Southall project

  - aims to capture and share the diverse community

  - launched by Mandeep Singh Nandha- born and raised in the area

  - 70,000 population- 55% indian or Pakistani, 10 Gudwaras, 2 Hindu temples, 1 Buddhist Vihara, 3 Mosques, 10 Christian churches
• Redemptoris Missio (the mission of the Redeemer)

  - a papal encyclical written by Pope John Paul II in 1990 that addresses the place of christian missionary work in the multi-faith world

  - subtitled- dialogue with our brothers and sisters of other religions'- section 55-57- considering how inter-faith dialogue might work alongside missionary to encourage others to turn to christ and be baptised
• Redemptoris Missio overview


  - pope recognises that relations between religions had moved on since Vatican II

  - makes it clear that Christian mission to non-christians remains essential

  - Jesus Christ is the one saviour and only way in which God is revealed to the world

  - christians have always been and should continue to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring others to the Christian faith

  - shows how catholic christians can be missionaries for their faith while still respecting religious and cultural diversity
• Redemptoris Missio on other religions

  - god wishes to share his revelation and love with all people, even if they belong to other religions which might contain 'gaps, insufficiencies and errors.'

  - 'the church gladly acknowledges whatever is true and holy in the religious traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam as a reflection of that truth which enlightens all people.'- 55

  - but even if there might be salvation through God's grace for people who belong to other religions, this does not cancel out the need for a call to Christian faith and baptism into the church

  - 'the church is the ordinary means of salvation and...she alone possesses the fullness of the means of salvation.'- 55
• Redemptoris Missio - inter-religious dialogue

  - it is part of the church's evangelising mission and opportunity for christian mission, though mission and dialogue have distinctive natures and aims

  - it is a method and means of mutual knowledge and enrichment- people must be consistent with their own religious traditions and convictions but also be willing to learn from the other party without a closed mind

  - based on hope and love

  - opportunity for the church to uncover universal truths and examine its own identity

  - it can take many forms- exchanges between experts or representatives of religious traditions, the way christians live their daily lives and interact with their neighbours, a mutual cooperation for the safeguarding of religious values- but all christian communities should practise dialogue
• Redemptoris Missio quote 57 on persevering with dialogue

  'I wish to encourage them to persevere with faith and love, even in places where their efforts are not well received.
• Redemptoris Missio quote 56- why dialogue is so important


  'dialogue leads to inner purification and conversion which, if pursued with docility to the Holy Spirit, will be spiritually fruitful.
• JPII rejects that conversion is a negative thing in modern society

  - religious freedom includes the freedom to try and convert others, so long as it is done respectfully and without coercion- modern anti-conversion attitude overlooks the fact that every person has a right to hear the Gospel so that each one can live according to their full proper purpose- Christian mission traditionally involves conversion- it does not restrict freedom but promotes it- 'The Church proposes; she imposes nothing
• CofE Sharing the Gospel of Salvation- why was it written?

  - caused by conservatives such as Paul Eddy suggesting that liberal approach to dialogue and conversion undermines traditional religious belief by making it socially unacceptable-“We must not allow the arguments for diplomacy and social cohesion to detract from our primary calling to be Christ’s disciples and evangelists”.– Paul Eddy- he asked the synod whether or not the church should be trying to convert people to christianity - he said church should make a statement about claiming publicly that salvation can be found in Christ in a religiously diverse country
• CofE Sharing the Gospel of Salvation, 2010- overview

  - reaffirms christian message that God's plan for the salvation of the world in uniquely achieved in Jesus Christ and church has a mission to be witness to this

  - therefore CofE has a mission to be witness to this- with each Christian encouraged to live as a disciple- sharing faith with others

  - mission in the church is part of the history of Great Britain- Christianity was brought to Roman Britain and found converts- the roots of Church of England lie in conversion

  - in a plural, multi-faith society it has to be done more sensitively
• CofE Sharing the Gospel of Salvation, 2010- foreword

  (on importance of mission)

  ''if we are too cautious of sharing openly the foundations of our beliefs and the nature of our discipleship...we put constraints on that respect and deny a little of god's nature
• CofE Sharing the Gospel of Salvation, 2010- quote on proclaiming faith is compatible with inter-faith dialogue- para 96


  'proclamation... means to tell people what you think is good about what you believe and practise. So this is not incompatible with inter-faith dialogue.
• how to conduct mission/ inter-faith dialogue properly- CofE Sharing the Gospel of Salvation, 2010

  - CofE must show hospitality to immigrants of non christian faith in hope that they will come to the faith and be baptised

  - the most effective form of mission is when christian communities live authentically as christian communities

  - inter-faith word will only work when motivated by a sense of common good of society instead of self-interest- do not be afraid to affirm the gospel

  - opportunities for mission include- teaching, ministry, chaplaincy, university, forums, councils, networks, meetings, schools and churches

  - be willing to learn about other faiths

  - don't make claims about the darkness that awaits non-christians
• CofE Sharing the Gospel of Salvation, 2010- four strands of inter-faith dialogue


  - the dialogue of daily life - (informal conversations about Differing beliefs)

  - the dialogue of the common good (adherents of different faiths to work together to benefit the community)

  - the dialogue of mutual understanding (formal conversations such as SR)

  - the dialogue of spiritual life (people of different religious beliefs meet together for prayer and worship)
• CofE Sharing the Gospel of Salvation, 2010- reminds christians of the golden rule


  'do unto others as you would have them do to you.'

  - christians should be sensitive- allow people to convert in their own time and dont pressurise them- there are a lot of issues surrounding estrangement and danger when it comes to conversion
• the importance of conversion- in the gospel of Matthew- the great commission- Jesus quote

  
  

  supports RM and SGOS

  'therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the name of the father, and of the son and of the holy spirit.
• Scriptural Reasoning Movement (SR)

  - inter-faith dialogue method founded by David Ford and Peter Ochs, develop since 1990s

  - reasoning refers to close reading and critical explanation of texts

  - ford calls it 'first inter-faith theology' because for all religions, especially abrahamic, scriptures are foundational to development of belief, worship and morality
• SR- two levels of reasoning

  1. The internal reasoning of the text itself (such as its structure, use of language, themes, context in scripture and history).

  2. The external reasoning of the reader as interpreter reflecting on their contemporary situation within their religious tradition.

  - you can study a text in a technical and scholarly way or a more personal and spiritual way- either way there is no one definitive interpretation
• unlike other forms of interfaith dialogue, SR does not

  aim to produce public statements such as Dabru Emet (a document concerning relationship between christianity and judaism) or conduct conferences, but instead to work in small groups of individuals
• David Ford presents 3 aims of scriptural reasoning


  1. wisdom- members of a SR group are committed to a common quest for knowledge and wisdom, which will involve discussion and dispute

  2. collegiality- reading texts is a shared enterprise; interpretations from different faith traditions are presented and discussed equally

  3. hospitality - texts are read without making value judgements- there must be a spirit of openness which allows for difference of opinions to be expressed and exchanged
• guidelines for effective scriptural reasoning

  1. stick to the texts- shouldn't become a general discussion on religion, everything you say should be connected to the texts given

  2. use the original languages to expand conversation, not close it down- primarily English translation to keep discussion open

  3. feel invited to explore other texts- it is about hospitality

  4. listen carefully and charitably to others' comments and give space to them

  5. be honest- you may not understand or agree- and that is fine

  6. avoid generalisations - no one represents their faith tradition

  7. be present- full participation to reading, reflecting, listening and discussing

  8. be respectful when handling the texts- some faiths have views on how the text should be treated as they are sacred- eg- don't put them on the floor or put drinks on them
• methods of SR

  - no set methods but suggestions

  - doesn't require scholars - but passionate and well-informed members of each religion

  - group may need a facilitator to propose Qs

  - plenty of time is needed

  - aim is not to arrive at a consensus but to have increased wisdom and understanding of common good
• Cambridge interfaith programme - SR


  - since 2002 CIP has hosted society for SR and annual SR conferences

  - runs open demonstrations of SR each term in Cambridge

  - developed an online SR web forum for studying and discussing religious texts
• SR relativising religious belief

  this could be positive- pluralist

  this could be negative- exclusives


  - relativism- the view that there is no absolute truth, but only truth from a particular point of view or context

  - if SR relativises belief this implies that some things might be true for a muslim and other contradictory things true for a christian