Canon Paul Fehehly: Good Morning.
This morning briefing is intended to introduce the theme of the day. It is not a press conference. Saturday we had people video taping the morning press briefing and that is not what this is intended to do. We would ask you not to do that. The afternoon program is open to video taping
Sarah…is introduced to speak about the Spouses’ Conference…
She speaks…
Canon Paul: The theme for the bishops today is “Bishops Engaging a Multi-faith World.” They are talking about this in bible studies and their indaba groups.
At 2:00pm there is a schedule change. Instead of what is regularly scheduled the bishops will be looking at the third Windsor Continuation Group document.
Tonight at 8:15, Britain’s Chief Rabbi will speak on the theme of the day. There are tickets available for the press. Our understanding is that there will be a printed text.
Now, on that theme, I’d like to introduce canon Guy Wilkinson who is the canon for Interfaith Affairs for the Communion
Wilkinson: Perhaps I can say that I am speaking out of a couple of roles: one as an advisor for the Church of England for interfaith relationships, one as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s secretary for interfaith concerns and finally as Director of the Network for Interfaith Concerns (NIFCON)
Today’s discussions by the bishops are centered on interfaith affairs in particular a newly published document entitled “Generous Love”.
That is the focus of their discussion. It is a new document and it was produced 2 months ago with a forward from the ABC.
The background to this document and much of the work that the Communion has been doing comes out of the 1988 Conference that published a major document on the topic. A the last Lambeth Conference two resolutions were passed: 1 on religious freedom and dialogue generally and then 2. an encouragement to NIFCON to carry on inter-religious dialog across the communion
There has been a great deal of work since then on the communion level.
1. Two major dialogs: the first one has taken place between Anglicans and Muslims. This takes place in a formal meeting each year and the delegation on the Anglican side includes Archbishop Nazir Ali and the Primate of Pakistan, Archbishop Alexander Malik. This formal dialog began in 2004. In 2006 a second formal dialogue began between the ABC and the chief rabbi of Israel.
2. In addition the formal NIFCON dialogs, work includes 2 consultations in Asia with Christians involved in interfaith dialog. There is a lot more going on and we can talk about that a little later if you have questions.
Now I want to talk about the Generous Love(PDF) document
It builds on and grows out of the work I have already mentioned and so it comes out of actual engagement over the last ten years. It sets out systematically the “why” and the “how” of inter-religious dialog. Why do we do inter-religious dialog and how. It is not a theology of religions but a framework for interfaith relations. It tries to answer the question: how should Christians relate to other religions and why and it is an attempt to be transparent about that.
It was produced by a group of scholars and drafters and circulated widely around the communion. It is not a formal communion document but a resource for the communion and we hope the discussions today will be helped by and add to it and be instructive to the process of this work.
The title of the document is, “The Truth of the Gospel and the Call to Dialog”
It is calling together the Christian perspective with the need to engage the perspectives of other faiths.
Beginning with god is sets out the Christian understanding of God as Trinity and laying out some particularly Christian understandings of God under. Then the document moves to set out two ideas: “presence” and “engagement”.
Christ is present in the world and, in the same way, the church needs to be present in the midst of the world. But presence is not sufficient. We must also engage with others and present our ideas and hear theirs.
The other pair of words is “embassy” and “hospitality”. “Going out” and “coming in” is an important dynamic in our interfaith relationships. How do we go out among others and how do we welcome others in. These are absolutely key concepts.
I think I’ll stop here and take questions:
Questions
Q: What are some of the issues facing bishops as they engage in interfaith dialog in local contexts?
A: Every sort of context has different issues as you can imagine. I suppose history and culture capture a lot of what bishops have to address: “presence” and “engagement”—how do we engage? What is the mode? Is it direct evangelism and witness or do we want to concentrate more on presence?. How do you decide and then do these things?
Q: One of the people you mentioned as being Anglican dialog with Muslims is Bishop Nazir Ali of Rochester. How does a bishop who is not even in dialog with other Anglicans, he’s not here, engage with other faiths? Doesn’t that pose difficulties?
A: He has for a long time been a very significant voice and presence in inter-religious dialog and his contribution has been very important and he will continue to participate in this way.
Q: Has there been a reaction by the bishops here to the proposal of the ABC introduce Sharia Law in England?
A: It is not the case that the ABC suggested the introduction of Sharia. There has not been a lot of concern or discussion here about that. What the ABC said is that some aspects of English law are already consistent with some aspects of Muslim law. His lecture was all about answering the question: how does civil law take into account religious conscience and he set out certain criteria for thinking through this question.
Q: Zigler from Virtue: What is the biblical basis for interfaith dialogue?
A: The foundational justification is the incarnation. The whole point of the life of Christ is that he comes into this world to engage with people and not specifically the people of one religion only. The gospel stories are full of inter-religious engagements between Jesus and people of other religions, like the story of the syro-phonecian woman. The OT and the NT were written and imply multi-religious contexts. It is a multi-religious context into which God speaks and acts.
Q: How do you think the document will go down with the GAFCON bishops?
A: Indeed many GAFCON bishops have received this document and we have not heard any group response so far and the individual responses we have heard have been uniformly positive. In every sense this is a strong and particularly Christian document.
Q: Tom Morgan Christianity Today: Does the dialog process include an protocol or a way in which the Anglicans can do advocacy for Christians who are experiencing persecution?
A: Of course it does and I think it is common for people when speaking about interfaith dialog to separate these issues out as if dialog and frankness about these things are mutually exclusive. They are part of the whole work of God. There are many groups who do advocacy work and we do too.
Q: Can you give me any examples of advocacy work you have done for persecuted Christians?
A: The ABC and other Christian leaders in December of 2006 went to Bethlehem to stand in solidarity with Christians of the middle east. And in January, he went to Syria to be with the displaced Christians from Iraq.
Ruth Gledhill: Archbishop Mouneer Anis has written “Last Wednesday the TEC bishops were well prepared and spoke very bluntly, making it clear that there is no turning back.” In the press room we heard from the Primate of Sudan that the “liberal agenda” was having and effect on Muslims. He said it was provoking aggression in certain parts of the world toward Christians. Is this a concern for you and has it effected interfaith dialog?
A; You have tricky questions Ruth. This is one of a whole range of issues we deal with in any interfaith conversation. There is a wide range of views taken on these things and one simply has to accept that fact. It just has to be named honestly and openly.
Q: Is there something akin to the Vatican raising a problem with women bishops in this, have the Muslims raised similar problems with sexuality?
A: Not in this tremendous sort of way. It is around in the dialog but it is there between a number other issues. Yes it is there but it is one of a whole range of things that we have as differences.
Q: Have you encountered the view the at interfaith dialog is part o the liberal agenda?
A: The language of interfaith has taken on a load that it cannot bear. It is a word into which everyone pours there own agendas and perspectives. It may have come form a word that causes difficulty because when some speak about this dialog they give it one particular meaning so when people hear interfaith dialog they should integrate it more widely into the context of the whole mission of God and being present and engaging with the other.
Q: (missed this question)
A: There has not been that particular debate. The whole question is how evangelisms fits within our whole set of relationships with other people. How does one live in harmony and peaceably and fruitfully within a given area on the one hand and be who one is religious on the other hand.
Generally speaking, dialog creating trusting relationships to others must have priority
Q: How frank is the dialog about the persecution of Christian minorities?
A: One must remember that we are talking about a huge range of topics, and it is very general in my view, the issue of persecution is quite a normal part of discussion and we do not hesitate to raise it. This idea that you cannot speak your heart just because you are in dialog is strange and does not apply in other aspects of human relationships.
Q: You mentioned that persecution was an issue what other issues are there?
A: One of the way the dialog is classified is as “an encounter of people”. It is a dialog of “common good”. How do people of different religions do things together? The “dialog of understanding” is precisely that, to know each other better. The “dialog of spirituality”; what is it to pray in our different faiths?
There are different types of dialog
Q: Brazil: I’d like to know if NIFCON has a way of engaging with the legal context in various cultures because I think that many of the intolerances in the world societies is at the result of the educational model in each country. Brazil has legislated that it is not allowed to teach confessionally in the schools. Teaching is only allowed like that in religious schools. Publicly any institution cannot have a confessional teaching model. Do you think it is important to study different legal contexts in the future to generate future people who will be more open to understanding the different faiths?
A: We do not have a specific study on that matter but you are quite right though about the different starting points of various cultures. Yes, we recognize that that is an important dimension. In this country the need for non confessional religious education is recognized as important. Certainly in this country including in church schools, m all religion are studied openly and from a non-confessional standpoint.
Q: I am intrigued by the title of the book: “The Truth of the Gospel…” It sounds like you are saying that the Christian Gospel is true and other faiths are not true. It sounds exclusive.
A: It says what it says. This is not a “theology of religions.” We do not deal with that question. It deals with why and how do Christians engage with and be present in the midst of people of other faiths. What is the theological basis or rational and those questions, are not addressed.
Q: You can see why the question comes up though?
A: But when you read it you will see that the book is not about that.
Canon Paul takes over:
Q: The other day the ABC indicated that there would be more to say about the process this week?
A: Part three of the WCG report may help answer some of those questions. Consideration is being given to hold a second press conference today. We will confirm that at the 1:30 conference. If so it will happen around 5:00pm
Q: Several bishops said the indaba groups would be changing Monday, do you have any information on that?
A: No.
end
8 Comments •
Snap observations:
Regular Guy Translation: “God forbid you get us on the record actually saying something of substance.”
The “Interfaith Relations” session sounds like more of the same $#@* from last week. “How” and “Why” ??!!??
Hey, any Bishops reading this: Here’s an idea. Tear up THE ENTIRE SCHEDULE (except for the Bible studies) and get down to business- while you each still have a Diocese to come home to.