Photo: LWF/S. Gallay
Joint Christian-Muslim study of sacred texts offers new insights to interfaith dialogue
(LWI) - Joint theological study resources on the sacred texts of both Christians and Muslims open up possibilities to gain “new perspectives” and “fresh insights into the meaning and transformative dynamics” of each other’s Holy Scriptures.
Lutheran theologians Rev. Dr Simone Sinn and Rev. Dr Sivin Kit made these remarks while reflecting on The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) publication Heilige Schriften heute verstehen: Christen und Muslime im Dialog. The German edition of the publication Transformative Readings of Sacred Scriptures: Christians and Muslims in Dialogue is now available online and in hard copy.
Sinn, the publication co-editor is currently professor of Ecumenical Theology at the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland. While the new edition targets all German-speaking regions, she noted a particular interest in Germany due to its historical “contributions to the dialogue between philosophical and theological hermeneutics.” In recent years, universities there “have provided opportunities for new interreligious collaboration on scriptural interpretation and hermeneutics,” she said.
Pointing out the Christian and Muslim scholars from Germany who have contributed to the publication, Sinn hopes it will also be “an important resource for the many congregations in Germany that actively engage in interreligious relations with their neighbours of other faiths.” Also in relation to contemporary concerns like ecology and gender justice, she added, contributions from Christian and Muslim scholars offer fresh insights.
The commitment to reason together when reading one another's Holy Scripture has also been helpful in encouraging interfaith dialogue
“The commitment to reason together when reading one another's Holy Scripture has also been helpful in encouraging interfaith dialogue,” says Kit, LWF program executive for Public Theology and Interreligious Relations. Although scholarly and grassroots discussions would differ in depth, he notes, the LWF publication offers both Christians and Muslims an opportunity “to gather around religious texts and engage in respectful and in-depth learning from each other.”
