The respondents to McConnell’s paper come from a variety of disciplines. Each person reflects on how interfaith dialogue can be done in a way that is faithful to the gospel of Jesus and His mission for His Church.
Dr. Dufault-Hunter probes the mystery of Divine vulnerability and explores the implications for our interfaith encounters. The incarnation is not just the story of salvation, but a narrative fraught with surprising possibilities as to how God engages with humankind. Can understanding how Jesus was sent liberate us from either a defensive or an insubstantial engagement with those from another faith?
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“What does it mean to undertake interfaith encounter from the standpoint of a Biblical rather than Christian worldview?” Dr. Accad’s question proposes a shift in our self-understanding as he explores the possibility of interfaith encounters “beyond appreciation.” As Jesus encountered the religious establishment from a multi-layered approach, Dr. Accad challenges us to leave the niche of our cultural identity as Evangelicals and explore the Biblical concepts of evangelion and missio in Christ.
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Cory Willson argues that both a pluralist and a proselytizing approach to interfaith dialogue objectifies our neighbor. Willson contends that it is only under the cross that Christians can safely engage with the “other”—it is the cross that reveals our commonality and frailty as humans and therefore it is the place where God’s Spirit can transform both us and the “other” in the midst of our encounter.
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Carrie Graham’s experience as a facilitator for an interfaith discussion group provides the foundation of her reflections regarding forming relationships and trust in interfaith dialogue. Freely and honestly entering the “other’s” world is possible when we realize that it is God alone who both creates and brings to fruition the seeds of the gospel. It is this realization that allows us to be both partakers and bearers of God’s transformative love within our interfaith friendships.
