Educating Religious Leaders for a Multi-Religious World
The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions has developed an initiative to explore the importance of interfaith understanding for the curriculum and priorities of our schools. To this end, the Council created a Task Force of US Seminaries to highlight the importance of interfaith understanding at the seminary level.
Strong acknowledgment was made concerning the urgency of interfaith engagement and the preparation of a religious leadership equipped with knowledge and understanding of the plurality of faith traditions in the contemporary world. Cultural and intellectual understanding of other religions, along with profound pastoral instincts, are increasingly essential for theological students as well as for those engaged in the academic study and teaching of religion. The very nature of world events today demands that effective religious leadership be able to identify and articulate the influence of religious traditions on these events. Theological seminaries in particular are obligated to equip students for meaningful pastoral practice and leadership of their communities in the midst of this growing diversity.
The 2009 Parliament will feature special programming sessions on these topics through the Symposium on Educating Religious Leaders for a Multi-Religious World
Syllabus Examples
The following syllabi are from classes that have previously been taught in areas of interfaith study. They represent the type of interfaith education that is essential for our future religious leaders to have in our increasingly pluralistic world.
World Religions
General
- K. Kwakye-Nuako: World Religions
- Paul D. Numrich: Comparative Study Of Missionary Religions
- Paul D. Numrich: Introduction To World Religions
Hybred With Engaging In Dialogue
Hybred With Interfaith Relations
- S. Wesley Ariarajah: The Challenge Of World Religions To Christian Faith And Practice
- Diana L. Eck: World Religions: Diversity And Dialogue
Particular Traditions
- Sr. Marianne Farina Csc: Understanding Islam
- Ruth Langer And Philip Cunningham: Jews And Christians: Understanding The Other
- Paul D. Numrich: Perspectives On Buddhism
- Paul D. Numrich: Islam
Interfaith Relations
- Judith Berling And Jeff Richey: Christians And Religious Neighbors
- Robin Jensen And Prof. Ruth Langer: From Diatribe To Dialogue: Studies In The Jewish-Christian Encounter
- Paul Knitter: Christian-Muslim Dialogue
- Paul D. Numrich: Christian Responses To Other Religions
- Paul D. Numrich: Christian-Muslim Relations
- Eboo Patel And Cassie Meyer: Interfaith Action In The World
- Dennis Sasson And Dean Clark Williamson: Dialogue Between Jews And Christians
- Yehezkel Landau: Job and Jonah: Suffering, Repentance, and Spiritual Transformation
- Yehezkel Landau: Pluralistic Monostheism and the Abrahamic Faiths
- Ray Gaston: Presence and Engagement Christianity and Religious Plurality
Interfaith Dialogue
About Dialogue
- Jeffrey Carlson: Buddhist-Christian Dialogue
- Paul Knitter: Dealing With Diversity: Christian And Buddhist Perspectives
Engaging In Dialogue
- Suendam Birinci, Heidi Hadsell And David Roozen: Dialogue In A World Of Difference
- Yehezkel Landau: Building Abrahamic Partnerships
- Yehezkel Landau: Building Abrahamic Partnerships II
- Yehezkel Landau: Religion, Conflict, and Peacemaking
- James D. Redington, Sj: Interreligious Dialogue
Theology Of Religions
- S. Wesley Ariarajah: Theology Of Religions In The Ecumenical Movement
- Paul Knitter: Theologies Of Religions
- James D. Redington, Sj: Theology Of Religions
Other
- S. Wesley Ariarajah: Cross-Cultural Immersion Course To India
- Kirk Jones And Or Rose: Spirituality & Social Justice: Martin Luther King, Jr. & Abraham Joshua Heschel
- Paul Knitter: Dealing With Diversity: Evangelical/Pentecostal And Mainline Perspectives On Religious Pluralism
- Paul Knitter: Religions And Poverty
- Paul D. Numrich: Comparative Study Of Religious Ethics
- Paul D. Numrich: Multi-Religious America
If you would like to submit a syllabus to the Council, please email Dena Fokas.
