Religious pluralism and society

Question 1

Who was Paul Eddy?

Answer 1

• Asked the Synod what they felt on whether they should be trying to convert those of other faiths
• Thought Christians had become too scared to cause offence, meaning they don’t proclaim Jesus as the way to salvation

Question 3

How did the Church of England respond to Paul Eddy?

Answer 3

Published ‘Sharing the Gospel of Salvation’ to clarify Eddy’s issues in 2010

Question 4

What does ‘Sharing the Gospel of Salvation’ say about conversion?

Answer 4

• Reaffirms that Jesus is the only way to get salvation
• Warns against treating Christian mission as a marketing exercise where non-Christians are the target
• Emphasises the need to recognise that people may already belong to major world religions, meaning family members might get hurt
• Says that Christians should not talk about any darkness or hopelessness that may believe may follow from not converting
• Be willing to learn about other’s faiths and let people take your time

Question 5

What is Redemptoris Missio?

Answer 5

• Encyclical by John Paul II
• Addressing the decreasing missionary action that is the spiritual purpose of Church on earth
• John Paul wants to answer challenges to conversion from a modern world

Question 6

What does Redemptoris Missio teach?

Answer 6

• Mission has been recently reduced to helping people build communities of justice, freedom and peace. Before, it involved conversion
• John Paul rejects views that conversion fails to respect freedom and religion. He believes that it’s everyone’s right to hear the Gospel
• Proclaiming Christ with hope of converting people is good but only if it’s done in a way that respects their conscience
• Also says that other religions are a positive challenge for the Church
• Every Christian should practice dialogue with an open mindedness

Question 7

What is the scriptural reasoning movement?

Answer 7

• People of different faiths come together to read and reflect on other’s scripture together
• About exploring texts and possible interpretations across faiths
• Helping us ‘disagree better’
• Conversion not allowed
• Practiced globally, including places which are affected by religious tensions

Question 8

Matthew 28:19

Answer 8

‘Go and make disciples of all nations’

Question 9

What letter was an example of interfaith dialogue?

Answer 9

• 2007
• From leading muslim scholars
• Letter named ‘A Common Word Between Us and You’
• Highlighted the shared passion that Christians and Muslims have for worshipping God and loving your neighbour
• Expressed desire to continue an ongoing dialogue between Christians and Muslims

Question 10

What are some pros of interfaith dialogue?

Answer 10

• May promote social cohesion and understanding of other cultures
• Encourages stronger understanding of personal faith and allows for the strong possibility that people will leave even more convinced by their own faith
• Religious pluralists may say that no religion can claim to know the truth

Question 11

What are the cons of interfaith dialogue?

Answer 11

• Many Christians view the main objective of interfaith dialogue as conversion
• May be said to definitely NOT promote social cohesion, because it has cause conflicting beliefs WITHIN religions!
• Inter faith dialogue is very limited in what it can do when there are large gaps in material wealth that counter social cohesion
• Most believe it’s every Christian’s duty to convert people and have a sense that people are missing out on an incredibly important message