Christians and Muslims : pressures and potential in a post 9/11 world / Peter Riddell. [print]

Introduction

Part I: Islam and the West

1. The how and why of changing attitudes

2. Diverse Muslim approaches to British society

3. International Islamic perspectives on globalization

Part 2: The Church Responds

5. Methods of interfaith engagement

Part 3: Asking Questions and Seeking Answers

6. Issues in Christian-Muslim Relations Today

Conclusion

Appendices

Includes bibliographies and index.

Defining the constituencies -- A typology of Christians -- A typology of Muslims -- The Bible and other religions -- A universal blessing -- Those who turn away from God -- The centrality of faith -- Take the message out -- Methodological guidance.

From exclusivism to inclusivism -- The changing religious landscape in Britain -- Changing social attitudes: guilt in the West -- Changing official policy directions -- The Runnymede Trust reports -- The emergence of the 'people of faith' notion -- Challenges at the turn of the twenty-first century -- Terrorism and responses -- The bin Laden declarations of war against the United States -- The significance of 11 September 2001 -- Western responses: Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003) -- Further terrorist action -- Issues related to political correctness -- The cult of silence -- The incompleteness of reports to government -- The asylum debate -- Public concern -- The Muslim connection -- Political responses -- Conclusions.

Option 1: Participate -- Blend in and assimilate -- Participate and influence the society -- Option 2: Separate -- 'Separate' within Britain -- Return to the Muslim world -- Education: Christian, secular or Muslim? -- Use church or governmental schools... -- ...or promote the Muslim education system -- Electoral participation -- To vote... -- ...or not to vote -- Social participation -- Lobby for influence... -- ...or attack the system -- Riots in northern towns and cities -- The media -- Embrace the system to get the message out... -- ...or lambaste the system -- 9/11 and the War on Terror -- Responses to 9/11 -- Responding to action against Afghanistan -- Responding to action against Iraq -- ...or separate or emigrate -- Support for different viewpoints -- Internal tensions and self-criticism -- Conclusions.

Muslim diagnoses of contemporary aspects of globalization -- What is globalization? -- Economic globalization -- Other globalizations -- Social and cultural globalization -- Political globalization -- Muslim remedies: Islamic globalization -- Islamic economic globalization -- Other Islamic globalizations -- Social and cultural globalization -- Political globalization -- A Sufi perspective -- Conclusions.

4. Evolving approaches to other faiths among the churches

The ecumenical approach and the World Council of Churches -- The World Council of Churches and other faiths -- The Four Principles of interfaith dialogue of the Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland -- Anglican perspectives on Christian-Muslim dialogue -- Kenneth Cragg: a new approach -- Prince Charles: learning from Islam -- Clinton Bennett: outsiders becoming insiders -- Anglican Evangelical Voices -- Mission, freedom of religion and the World Evangelical Alliance -- The Missions Commission -- The Religious Liberty Commission -- The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization -- The Catholic Church and other faiths -- Vatican II -- Competing voices since Vatican II -- Pope John Paul II -- Variations on a theme -- Theocentric inclinations -- Conclusions.

A summary of the approaches of the churches -- World Council of Churches dialogue meetings -- The practice of dialgoue at the grass roots: the CCBI model -- Activities of the Lausanne movement -- Case studies: Muslim-Christian dialogue in practice -- Dialogue among religious leaders -- Dialogue among scholars -- Dialogue on religious experience -- Dialogue for conflict resolution -- Dialogue on social concerns -- Catholic-Muslim dialogue -- Christian-Muslim debate -- Activities following 11 September 2001 -- The 'Building Bridges' seminars -- The Archibishop's Initiative in Christian-Muslim Relations -- High-level Catholic responses in the wake of 9/11 -- The Faith and Society Conference, June 2003 -- Catholic-Shi'a dialogue, York, July 2003 -- Mutlifaith dialogue in Watford, March 2003 -- Tripartite dialogue in Australia, 2004 -- Conclusions.

Muslim plurality -- Are there serious dialogues between radical Muslims and other Muslims? -- Should Christians decide who the real Muslims are? -- So what is Islam? -- Christian plurality -- Is the creation of a truly multi-ethnic church in Britain the key to overcoming the guilt-for-colonialism phenomenon? -- Do denominational divisions within the Christian body provide fuel for some Muslims who seek to discredit Christians and their faith? -- What is the general Christian perception of Islam and vice versa? -- Christian-Muslim relations in other contexts -- What is the attitude of the Orthodox churches in relation to dialogue with Islam? -- International crises -- How central is the Israel issue to Christian-Muslim relations around the world? -- How should Christians respond to the international political crises of the early twenty-first century? -- Is Christianity more supportive of globalism, industrialization and capitalism than Isalm is? -- Is a clash between the West and Islam inevitable? -- Are all Muslims united in opposing the War on Terror? -- Human rights under Islam -- Teachings in Islamic scripture -- Applications in the modern world -- Dissenting Muslim voices -- How should Christians respond? -- What about the anti-reciprocity argument? -- Religion, society and the public discourse -- Is religion now back on the public agenda in the West? -- How should Christians respond when a mosque is to be built in their neighbourhood? -- Is the term 'multifaith' appropriate for Britain? -- Should Christians embrace the 'people of faith' notion? -- What is the future of multifaith Britain? -- Approaches to dialogue -- What are the objectives of interfaith dialogue -- Are there any prerequisites for interfaith dialogue? -- Whom should Christians engage in dialogue? -- To which Muslims should Christians be talking? -- How can Christians best deal with their own lack of confidence? -- Should Christians pray with people from other faiths? -- Should Christians watch their language? -- Do Christians have the right to ask critical questions about core Islamic beliefs? -- How should Christians and Muslims report history? -- Where does spiritual warfare come into Christian-Muslim relations? -- The too-liberal approach -- The too-literal approach -- Reflections -- Evaluating Islam -- Is Islam a religion of peace? -- Is terrorism more likely to flow out of Islam than out of Christianity? -- How should we study Islam? -- Truth and Christian-Muslim relations -- How do we deal with conflicting truth claims?.

Revisiting exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism -- How should we view religious pluralist approaches? -- Lessons learnt -- Diversity and unity -- Participation, integration or fragmentation? -- Recommended modes of interaction.

Glossary -- WCC expenditure in 2002 by component -- 'An Agreement for Dialogue Between the Anglican Communion and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif' -- A shared act of reflection and commitment by the faith communities of the United Kingdom.

The relationship between Islam and Christianity has never been more strained. Unfortunately, while emotions run high, opinions can often be founded on ignorance and prejudice. Peeter Riddell explores the facts behind the fears and debunks popular misconceptions about both communities. This clealry argued and readable survey explores the diverse Muslim approaches to British society and identifies the evolving approaches to other faiths found wihin the churches. Securely underpinned with Christian theology, it examines the many areas in which Christians and Muslims living within secular societies share common concerns and identifies where religion ends and culture begins. Most significantly, it explores how and why Christian-Muslim relationships can and, urgently, must be improved.

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