Contemporary interreligious dialogue faces a myriad of challenges, from the politicization and radicalization of religion to deep structural inequalities and biased media portrayals. These obstacles, while significant, are not merely hindrances; they also present opportunities to deepen our understanding of the human experience. This article explores how social media, language differences, internal diversity within religious traditions, and historical accountability complicate dialogue efforts. However, it argues that these same complexities can enrich engagement and generate space for new theological insights. Recognizing unequal representation, especially of women, people of colour, and younger voices, the article calls for an inclusive dialogue that honours both historical truth and contemporary lived experience. Ultimately, interreligious dialogue is shown not only as a space for encountering others but also as a transformative mirror through which we encounter ourselves.
This article presents three cases from the Orthodox Christian past that concern the defence of individuals and religious groups whose views differed from those of the official Orthodox Church. It also highlights the significance of the past in the Orthodox Christian context as a tradition that largely influences the behaviour of Orthodox Christians today. In this perspective, it proposes drawing lessons from analogous incidents in the deepening of interreligious and intra‐Christian encounters. Furthermore, the article emphasizes the significance of using particular exemplars from the Christian tradition to guide the behaviour of the faithful toward those who are different.
Interfaith relations may be perceived as a problem for Christian public theology. It is difficult for Christianity to proclaim its perspective on complex public issues while also being conscious of relationships with people of other faiths. Rather than perceiving this as a problem, this article explores it as an opportunity. It suggests a way of reading complex public issues that is rooted in a conversation between Christianity and other faiths. This hermeneutic seeks to listen and learn from multiple perspectives with an openness to dialogue and change. This article outlines some practical suggestions for public theology and interfaith relations and concludes that a conversational approach to Christian public theology should be guided by self‐reflection, humility, and nuance.
This article will review the developments that prepared Catholics for Nostra aetate, beginning with Catholic participation in the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, where James Cardinal Gibbons proclaimed that Catholics meet other religious practitioners "on the platform of charity and benevolence." It will survey major developments of Catholic teaching in the declaration, including the assertion that there is one community uniting all peoples and nations and the mention of four specific religious traditions. It will discuss the impact of this declaration on Catholic relations with practitioners of other religious traditions, especially those named in Nostra aetate: Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and Jews. It will conclude with an assessment of the complex and ambiguous interreligious situation at the present time.
The culture of debate is innate to the Indian mind. The true purpose of debates is to seek and uncover the truth. Similarly, in medieval scholastic thought, dialogue is dialectical and guides one toward the truth, the worship of the triune God. This article highlights that Jesuit pioneers engaging in dialogue with diverse religions remain true to their faith convictions while remaining open to the faith and convictions of others, without losing the spirit of dialogue. First, it briefly outlines the essence of the culture of debate that is inherent to the Indian mind. Second, it explores how Jesuits before Vatican II experienced the dialectical tension in their approach to other religions. Third, it examines how Vatican II, through "caritas," linked sincere dialogue with genuine openness toward other religions and enabled deeper levels of dialogue.
Interfaith relations may be perceived as a problem for Christian public theology. It is difficult for Christianity to proclaim its perspective on complex public issues while also being conscious of relationships with people of other faiths. Rather than perceiving this as a problem, this article explores it as an opportunity. It suggests a way of reading complex public issues that is rooted in a conversation between Christianity and other faiths. This hermeneutic seeks to listen and learn from multiple perspectives with an openness to dialogue and change. This article outlines some practical suggestions for public theology and interfaith relations and concludes that a conversational approach to Christian public theology should be guided by self-reflection, humility, and nuance.
Contemporary interreligious dialogue faces a myriad of challenges, from the politicization and radicalization of religion to deep structural inequalities and biased media portrayals. These obstacles, while significant, are not merely hindrances; they also present opportunities to deepen our understanding of the human experience. This article explores how social media, language differences, internal diversity within religious traditions, and historical accountability complicate dialogue efforts. However, it argues that these same complexities can enrich engagement and generate space for new theological insights. Recognizing unequal representation, especially of women, people of colour, and younger voices, the article calls for an inclusive dialogue that honours both historical truth and contemporary lived experience. Ultimately, interreligious dialogue is shown not only as a space for encountering others but also as a transformative mirror through which we encounter ourselves.
Abstract Interreligious dialogue between Christian churches and non‐Christian religions emerged as a natural extension of the ecumenical movement, which had already been institutionalized by international ecclesiastical organizations. After the Second World War, dialogue became an imperative in the context of a new international order shaped by the principles of the United Nations – particularly issues of human rights, minority protection, freedom of conscience, and religious tolerance. The Roman Catholic Church entered this arena decisively in the years preceding the Second Vatican Council (1962–65), interpreting dialogue within the framework of its missionary vocation. If Unitatis redintegratio formalized Catholic participation in intra‐Christian dialogue, Nostra aetate laid the foundation for interreligious dialogue, which until then had not been a priority. Early Catholic engagement distinguished between Abrahamic monotheisms (Judaism, Islam) and Afro‐Asian traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, animism), the latter often approached mainly through missionary activity. This historical context highlights the evolving theological understanding and challenges of interreligious dialogue.
Abstract Sixty years after Nostra aetate , the Roman Catholic declaration on non‐Christian religions, interreligious dialogue remains central to global Christianity. Yet, Oriental Orthodox churches, especially the Coptic and Syriac traditions, embody a different trajectory. Their long histories of coexistence in Muslim‐majority societies illustrate a “dialogue without documents,” grounded not in formal statements but in liturgical memory, monastic hospitality, everyday neighbourliness, and, at times, martyrdom. This lived practice sustains fidelity to Christ while respecting the dignity of the religious other, often under fragile and asymmetric conditions. This article argues that such traditions expand the vision of Nostra aetate by highlighting forms of encounter shaped by vulnerability rather than institutional security. Drawing on examples from Egypt and the Middle East, it shows how Oriental Orthodox practices cultivate a kenotic public theology centred on mercy, presence, and shared citizenship, offering fresh resources for Christian engagement in plural contexts today.
Abstract Marking 60 years since Nostra aetate , this article reflects on the Orthodox Church’s ongoing contribution to interreligious dialogue. For Orthodoxy, such engagement has long been integral to its witness in the world, particularly in times of spiritual crisis, secular ideologies, and rising fanaticism. These challenges not only undermine peaceful coexistence but also erode respect for human dignity and human rights within increasingly pluralistic societies. Faced with similar struggles in its own life, nationalism, discrimination, and violence, the Orthodox Church emphasizes that dialogue cannot be reduced to abstract theories or propositions. Rather, it must be embodied as a living testimony of freedom in Christ, expressed through preaching, theology, worship, and pastoral practice. This vision was affirmed at the First Pre‐Conciliar Pan‐Orthodox Conference (Chambésy, 1976), which highlighted the church’s vocation to eliminate fanaticism, foster reconciliation, and advance freedom and peace in service of humanity.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the historical formation of the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America (FCC), examining the social and political context in the United States that shaped its adoption of ecumenical practices focused on social justice. Central to this shift was the incorporation of Kingdom theology from the Social Gospel movement, which emphasized the importance of addressing socio‐economic injustice and industrial problems within Christian ethical thought. The article also explores the FCC's involvement in the Life and Work movement, a crucial but often underrepresented aspect of ecumenical history. While traditional historical narratives have focused on Sweden's role in the movement, this article highlights the FCC's pivotal contributions to the 1925 Universal Christian Conference for Life and Work in Stockholm, demonstrating its influence on shaping global ecumenical dialogue and action. By exploring these themes, the article repositions the FCC's legacy within the broader context of early‐20th‐century Christian social engagement.
One of the most significant legacies of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) to the Catholic Church is the practice of spiritual discernment. Traditionally, this Ignatian spiritual heritage has been understood primarily as a personal or individual process of seeking God's will. In recent times, however, there has been a marked shift among Ignatian practitioners - from individual discernment toward communal discernment. A further question then arises: Can communal discernment be meaningfully practised across two different religious communities - for instance, between Catholics and Muslims? Grounded in a spiritual-theological framework and informed by a recent interfaith experiment held in Jakarta on 10-12 May 2025, this article examines the extent to which resonance between Islamic and Catholic spirituality can serve as a foundation for shared spiritual practice. The discourse presented here aspires to deepen and transform the vision of Nostra aetate. On the one hand, it engages in a dialogue of spiritual experience (spirit); on the other, it does not neglect the body, as it also addresses the real and urgent issues confronting humanity today - particularly within the Indonesian context.
Two significant events in the Middle East are challenging many of the assumptions of the Jewish-Christian encounter. The Abraham Accords between Israel and some of the Gulf States has resulted in Israel "looking east," with Jewish-Muslim relations being brought more strongly into focus. Meanwhile, the war between Israel and Hamas has had a devastating effect upon the civilian population and has also placed an enormous strain on interreligious relations in Western nations, with a significant rise in hate crime against Jews and Muslims. These two developments pose a significant challenge in the relationship between Jews and Christians that requires looking eastwards. This includes a deeper consideration of Jewish and Christian responses to geopolitical matters, the place of "land" in interreligious dialogue, and how the Jewish-Christian encounter relates to Islam. Concomitantly and critically, the article examines the roles that Middle Eastern churches play in these dialogues.
Sixty years after Nostra aetate, the Roman Catholic declaration on non-Christian religions, interreligious dialogue remains central to global Christianity. Yet, Oriental Orthodox churches, especially the Coptic and Syriac traditions, embody a different trajectory. Their long histories of coexistence in Muslim-majority societies illustrate a "dialogue without documents," grounded not in formal statements but in liturgical memory, monastic hospitality, everyday neighbourliness, and, at times, martyrdom. This lived practice sustains fidelity to Christ while respecting the dignity of the religious other, often under fragile and asymmetric conditions. This article argues that such traditions expand the vision of Nostra aetate by highlighting forms of encounter shaped by vulnerability rather than institutional security. Drawing on examples from Egypt and the Middle East, it shows how Oriental Orthodox practices cultivate a kenotic public theology centred on mercy, presence, and shared citizenship, offering fresh resources for Christian engagement in plural contexts today.
