What’s the Big Deal About Interfaith Marriage?
I attended the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, Australia. I was amazed by the preponderance of sacred fashion statements (the hats!), the number of New Age practitioners from the North American West Coast, and the ubiquity of the phrase “interfaith dialogue.” As former chair of the Union Theological Seminary Interfaith Caucus, a [...]
“The Islamic Ritual of Hajj: Ancient Cosmology and Spirituality,” by Majed S. Al-Lehaibi
Hajj, an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, can be understood within the cyclical nature of ancient cosmology. The sun or light is the Platonic symbol of knowledge and a sign of the life-giving force of God; the light is also the Aristotelian unmoved mover that sets everything in motion just by being desired and sought after. [...]
“Evangelical Christians at the Inter-faith Dialogue Table? How?,” by Bob Robinson
Evangelicals deserve attention because of their numbers, global influence, and missional, activist inclinations, but they typically believe the practice of inter-faith dialogue would compromise their self-understanding. This article deploys six sets of reasons to persuade them otherwise: biblical precedents for dialogue; a neglected biblical stream concerning the religions; Jesus as exemplar of dialogue given his [...]
“Swinburne on the Atonement: Reflections on Philosophical Theology and Religious Dialogue,” by Amir Dastmalchian
This study examines an important part of Richard Swinburne’s case for the plausibility of Christianity, namely his Atonement theory. My examination begins by presenting Swinburne’s theory before alluding to the many criticisms it has attracted. I conclude with some lessons which can be learnt about philosophical theology and its use in inter-religious dialogue. My main [...]
“A Dialogical Theism: Francis X. Clooney’s Comparative Theology as a Resource for Interreligious Models of Ultimate Reality,” by Richard Hanson
Francis X. Clooney is a seminal figure in the emerging approach to religious diversity known as Comparative Theology. Much of his work in this field has been concerned with engaging particular texts from Hindu and Christian traditions in the praxis of context-specific, in-depth comparison. Even though it begins with such particular, limited comparisons, Clooney maintains [...]
“When Soldiers Speak: From Acts of Violence to Open Communication,” by Anne Read
Inter-religious conversations are essential in transforming current relations in Israel and West Bank, Palestine from combat to communication. This paper presents the case study of a Jerusalem-based dialogue group, Combatants for Peace (CFP), which utilizes contact theory to match West Bank Palestinians with Jewish Israeli participants to speak of their experience of war and violence. [...]
“One Candle, One Life, One Planet: The Jewish Festival of Hanukkah and the Deep Meaning of Small Differences,” by Robert Pollack
How do we measure the importance of an event, the meaning of the difference it makes? As a scientist my answer is simple: the bigger the difference, the more important the event. By this measure the most important event by far must have been the beginning of the world of Nature of which we are [...]
“The Empty Throne: Religious Imagery and Presence in Byzantine and Buddhist Art,” by Thomas Cattoi
The purpose of this paper is to explore the theological and spiritual import of the image of the empty throne in early Buddhist and Christian iconography. While Byzantine representations of the Last Judgment and early Indian depictions of the Buddha’s teaching resort to the image of the empty throne, this iconic topos has a very [...]
“DivInnovations,” by Sophia Khan
We add to a new feature introduced last issue, compiled and written by Sophia Khan in conjunction with professors, administrators, and students on campuses across the country, titled DivInnovations. This profile series aims to share innovative teaching and learning practices from seminaries, divinity schools, and other graduate theological settings in our communities. Read more here.
Call for Submissions, Issue 12
Where does life begin and end? What role does the individual have to play in his or her own fate? Are we ever morally entitled to make decisions on behalf of loved ones? What does faith have to tell us about the relationship between body and soul? At what moral cost do we extend life [...]
Contributing Scholars
Christina YostChristina Yost is a first year M.Div. student at Methodist Theological School in Ohio and received her B.A. in Pre-Theology and Psychology at Ohio Wesleyan University. She is pursuing ordination in the United Methodist Church and is currently a certified candidate in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference.
Prashant ParikhAn Industrial Engineering Graduate from the Georgia Institute of Technology, now working as a Systems Analyst, Prashant considers himself first and foremost a student of traditional Advaita Vedānta, from the Ārsha Vidyā Gurukulam. Born and brought up in Mumbai, India, he has been living in USA since 2005, thereafter gaining a subtle appreciation for the Vedic scriptures and Indian/Hindu culture.
In the face of myriad faulty interpretations of the Vedic scriptures, Prashant recognizes the imminent need of not only promoting, but also preserving these teachings. This, he believes, can be achieved by unfolding them in a traditional manner, as this kind of nuanced treatment alone can ensure posterity.
Additionally, he is involved in writing articles, facilitating study groups- online or otherwise- and always looking for new opportunities to share his enthusiasm for the subject.
Anna DeWeeseAnna DeWeese, 28, received her Master of Arts degree in Systematic Theology from Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 2009.
She is Project Coordinator for the CARE for Teachers program, a program of the Garrison Institute's Contemplative Teaching and Learning Initiative. She also teaches for the Interfaith Community in New York City, a non-profit religious education organization for blended-faith families.