Christians and Dialogue: An Opinion Piece

Christians and Dialogue: An Opinion Piece

by Michael Taylor – [ Journal of Dialogue Studies Vol 10 ]

Video

Abstract

Christianity’s traditional claim to universal, revealed truth is not conducive to dialogue, only to proselytism and comparative studies. Once understood as a human construct, along with other religious and secular belief systems, with all the relativities and openness that implies, dialogue becomes possible; hence the profound changes in Christianity’s position on such matters as Creation, slavery, and sexuality even before it’s human rather than divine nature was fully recognised. The paper argues however that the best approach to interfaith dialogue is not to focus on the various faiths and belief systems which we do not share but on human issues and endeavours which we do share. Extended examples are given including an interfaith centre whose strap line became: ‘Learning to live well together’ in multi-faith communities, to faith-based development agencies, to the shift in emphasis within the ecumenical movement from unity in ‘Faith and Order’ to unity in ‘Life and Work’. Four further considerations are discussed: the need to be aware of the social and political contexts within which dialogue takes place; that Christian contributions to dialogue must be on equal terms and cannot claim privileges in the marketplace of ideas; that often, and fortunately since it enables co-operation, there is a disjunction between theology and social policy where secular disciplines can claim a measure of autonomy; and finally dialogue and imbalances of power.
Related Articles
The 30th Anniversary of a Grassroots Dialogue in Northern Ireland
Democracy, Dissent, and Dialogue in Contemporary India
Public Policy, Collaborative Governance, and Female Entrepreneurship in the Caribbean: A Critical Assessment
Rethinking Dialogic Narratives in Water Diplomacy
Cultures of Dialogue and Pro-democracy in Equatorial Guinea and Diaspora
The Case of the Popular University of Social Movements: Lessons on Dialogue From and For Humanisation and the Transformation of Institutions
Dialogues in Consensus-building for Governance
Book Review: Paul Weller, Fethullah Gülen’s Teaching and Practice: Inheritance, Context, and Interactive Development (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022)
Hindus and Dialogue: Implications of using Dialogic Structure in Expressing Philosophy
Humanists and Dialogue: Why the Non-religious must be Included
Jews and Dialogue
Muslims and Dialogue: The Value of Inter-Convictional Approaches in ‘Coming to Common Terms’
Dialogue Method: A Proposal to Foster Intra- and Inter-community Dialogic Engagement
A Place-based Approach to Online Dialogue: Appreciative Inquiry in Utrecht, the Netherlands during the Coronavirus Pandemic
Caring and Power-Sharing: How Dialogue Influences Community Sustainability
Curating Spaces of Hope: Exploring the Potential for Intra-Communities’ Dialogue (ICD) and Faith-Based Organisations, in a Post-COVID Society
The Buddhist Nuns and Dialogue in Wartime Myanmar: Understanding the ‘Banality of Othering’
Rethinking Dialogue Practices among Children: Philosophy for Children and Phenomenology as Approach towards Conflict Resolution in a Diverse Classroom
Virtual Dialogues: A Method to Deal with Polarisation in a Time of Social Isolation Caused by COVID-19
Online Peace-building Dialogue: Opportunities & Challenges Post-Covid-19 Pandemic Emergence
Dialogue in Lockdown: Online Dialogue and its Lessons Amidst Rising Popularism
Miscommunicating across Borders: Ethnographic Reflections on EU Techniques of ‘Better Communication’ from Brussels
Understanding the Psychological Mechanisms that Constrain the Transfer of Dialogue Effects
Dialogue and Peacebuilding in Colombia: A Dialogic and a Transformative Relationship
Aspects of Effective Dialogic Interventions
Dialogue and Environmental Education: Conflicts Between Marine Conservation and Fishing
‘Culture of Dialogue’ as a Decolonial Peace-Building Tool: The Case of Colombia
Dialogue and the Cultural Other in Conflict Situations: An Augmented Understanding
Photovoice: A Focus on Dialogue, Young People, Peace and Change
Reflection: The Challenge and Power of Dialogue
Pedagogy of Care and Dialogue: A Theoretical Review of Approaches to Moral Education
‘Lived Faith’ as an Approach to Inter- Religious Dialogue – Designing for Discussion
Faith, Peace Building, and Intra-Community Dialogue in South Yorkshire, UK
Philosophical Hermeneutics and Comparative Political Theory
Tribal Morality and the Ethical Other: The Tension Between Modern Moral Aspirations and Evolved Moral Dispositions
“Holding Oneself Open in a Conversation” – Gadamer’s Philosophical Hermeneutics and the Ethics of Dialogue
’Stir It Up’: Contestation and the Dialogue in the Artistic Practice of the Twin of Twins
Involving Disadvantaged People in Dialogue: Arguments and Examples from Mental Health Care
Civic Dialogue: Attending to Locality and Recovering Monologue
Integrity and Dialogue
A Critique of Dialogue in Philosophical Hermeneutics
’Just Send Me Word’: the Promise of Dialogue
Bohmian Dialogue: a Critical Retrospective of Bohm’s Approach to Dialogue as a Practice of Collective Communication
The Dalai Lama’s Dialogues
Studying Dialogue - Some Reflections
On Dialogue Studies