Interfaith Dialogue and Pastoral Care and Counselling

This article explores the contributions of Muhammad Hamidullah, a renowned scholar and diplomat, in advancing interfaith dialogue. His life and multifaceted career are examined to assess his role in promoting tolerance, respect, and meaningful conversation among adherents of different faiths. The study investigates the impact of his efforts on interfaith dialogue in the contemporary era. It evaluates his contributions to interfaith dialogue by analysing his activities, writings, and diplomatic engagements. It sheds light on the broader implications of his work for fostering peace and understanding among different religious communities. He played a pivotal role in countering the negative narratives, thus challenging stereotypes and misconceptions. He made significant contributions to the preparation and dissemination of Islamic literature in Western languages, making Islamic knowledge more accessible to a global audience. He represented Islam in interfaith dialogues, academic sessions, and conferences, contributing to constructive discussions and fostering mutual respect among different faith traditions. His efforts in propagating Islam among new Muslims and overseeing the religious education of Muslims were instrumental in promoting a deeper understanding of the faith. His role as a legal advisor in the United Nations Security Council demonstrated his commitment to preserving international peace and sovereignty through diplomatic means. This study employs a qualitative methodology, relying on an extensive review of his writings, speeches, and biographical accounts. Primary and secondary sources, including academic literature, historical records, and interviews, are used to construct a comprehensive evaluation of his role in interfaith dialogue. This research approach allows for a nuanced understanding of his contributions and their significance in the contemporary context of interfaith dialogue.

The text provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities associated with ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, particularly within the context of university/college chaplaincy. The detailed exploration provides a thorough understanding of the complex dynamics involved in ecumenism and interfaith dialogue within the university/college chaplaincy setting. It highlights the importance of promoting inclusivity, fostering understanding, and navigating challenges to create a more harmonious and accepting spiritual environment. There are two forms of dialogue: ad intra (Ecumenism) which focuses on unity and collaboration within Christianity. The other one is ad extrea (interfaith dialogue), which addresses interactions between different faith traditions. Religion is depicted as a potent force, capable of influencing individuals to extreme actions. Chaplaincies play a crucial role in navigating faith issues. Ecumenism and interfaith dialogue within chaplaincy present both opportunities and challenges. By addressing doctrinal differences, respecting religious freedom, and acknowledging diverse needs, chaplains can contribute to inclusive spiritual care and foster collaborative communities. The success of chaplaincy in a multi-faith context relies on effective training, ongoing education, and institutional support, ensuring that chaplains are equipped to navigate the complexities of diverse religious landscapes.

Women from a wide array of backgrounds and interest areas continue to shape the face of Buddhism in the United States—from women who encountered Buddhism during the women’s movement in the 1960s to ordained women founding temples for large immigrant populations; from women carving out a space for Buddhism in colleges and universities to Buddhist women engaged in interfaith dialogue and working in interreligious settings. As Buddhist scholar Rita Gross notes, the experiences of women in Buddhism in the United States are wide and varied. 1 Increasingly, whether they are ordained Buddhist nuns or are Buddhist activists, women in the United States are engaging with questions of interfaith conversations within this multireligious nation. Around the country, Buddhist nuns dialogue with their Catholic counterparts. In local communities, Buddhist women assume leadership roles in interfaith groups. Behind prison walls, women offer Buddhist meditation instruction. Some women introduce tenets of Buddhism to their communities, while others promote justice with people from various faith traditions. On college campuses, Buddhist women work as chaplains and women Buddhologists integrate Buddhism and interfaith dialogue into their academic interests. This article aims to explore several snapshots of Buddhist women engaged in interfaith dialogue and working as Buddhists in interreligious settings; it is not intended to provide all-inclusive coverage of the many and diverse women in Buddhism in the United States engaged with an increasingly religiously diverse country.2

Interfaith Dialogue and Healthcare Diplomacy During COVID-19 and BeyondParameters, Opportunities, and Constraints Nukhet A. Sandal (bio) In March 2020, right after the COVID-19 virus started to spread around the world, media outlets featured an article that showed a Jewish and Muslim paramedic in Beersheba, praying together during one of their very few breaks while responding to COVID patients. The article quickly became popular on social media as it displayed an uplifting example of interfaith co-existence at a very difficult time for healthcare workers. Zoher Abu Jama, the Muslim paramedic, said, “I believe that God will help us and we will get through this. We should all pray to God to get us through this, and we will get through this world crisis,” expressing a sentiment that his Jewish partner, Avraham Mintz, shared.1 The pandemic created a healthcare crisis with a high toll on physical and mental health. During these difficult times, daily partnerships among ordinary people from different faith traditions (like the one between Abu Jama and Mintz), as well as the initiatives that brought the religious leaders and organizations together with public health professionals, attracted attention. Partly inspired by the uptick in interfaith projects and communications during the pandemic, this article looks at instances and dynamics of interfaith cooperation and diplomacy to tackle the various health crises such COVID and HIV/AIDS. There are many issues that benefit from interfaith diplomacy, ranging from peacebuilding in conflict-laden areas to responses to pressing challenges like climate change. Health and healthcare have quickly climbed to the top of that list, especially given the strain the pandemic has put on resources and infrastructure around the world. In this article, I first provide a theoretical framework to account for the role of religious actors in healthcare. Then, I turn to investigating the platforms and dynamics of religious epistemic connections in health and healthcare within the context of interfaith initiatives and diplomacy, including recent examples involving responses to the pandemic. Interfaith initiatives are not without their challenges and [End Page 196] there are many questions about their future; the third section looks at those dimensions. religious actors as epistemic communities of health There is an established literature on religion and health.2 The literature on interfaith initiatives and diplomacy on healthcare, however, is still very limited. In a step toward filling this gap, I argue that faith-based actors—including religious leaders—constitute a distinct community of practice and expertise when it comes to health and healthcare. In other words, they are epistemic communities and can be described as networks “of professionals with recognized expertise and competence in a particular domain and an authoritative claim to policy-relevant knowledge within that domain or issue-area.”3 Epistemic communities constitute a subset of “communities of practice.”4 Adler gives diplomats “sharing a diplomatic culture, common values, and interests that are intrinsic to their practice” as an example of a community of practice, whereas Cross describes the European Diplomatic Corps as an “epistemic community.”5 In this article, similarly, I recognize that religious actors form communities of practice, yet also emphasize the importance of their expertise, competence, and knowledge production, situating them in the subcate-gory of epistemic communities. I use “epistemic communities” instead of “communities of practice” because the latter is implied in the former, but epistemic communities have a distinct dimension of knowledge production that not every community of practice has. The epistemic community framework has already been used to explain faith-based actors’ activities in areas other than health. I, for example, have argued elsewhere that religious actors are uniquely situated to make a change in a given situation due to their religious expertise, shared norms and understanding, as well as their standing in their communities, and these features qualify them as epistemic communities in conflict transformation.6 This article argues that religious actors can constitute critical epistemic communities in healthcare as well—especially when they collaborate with health professionals and engage in interfaith dialogue and diplomacy—for four main reasons. First, religious actors can speak to very specific values, texts, and interpretations. Hall, Koenig, and Meador describe religion as a cultural-linguistic system with its own approaches...

This chapter focuses on the Jewish perspectives on interfaith dialogue after Nostra Aetate. Its starting point is that even though Nostra Aetate is a document of the Catholic Church, it has had a significant impact on Jewish attitudes to interfaith dialogue. The chapter begins by reviewing the advances made in dialogue by the Jewish community, especially with the rise of the reform and liberal expressions of Judaism in the early to mid-1800s. It then discusses two different positions on interfaith dialogue as represented by the works of Rabbi Soloveitchik and Rabbi Heschel, followed by an examination of the significance of Dabru Emet. The chapter concludes by advocating that interfaith dialogue be conferred the status of a “sacred activity.”

In increasingly diverse societies, interfaith dialogue plays a crucial role in fostering social tolerance and mutual understanding among different religious and cultural groups. This study employs a qualitative research approach using literature review and library research methods to explore how interfaith dialogue contributes to social cohesion in multicultural communities. By analyzing various scholarly works, reports, and case studies, this research identifies the key factors that enhance or hinder effective interfaith engagement. The findings suggest that interfaith dialogue serves as a bridge to reduce prejudices, correct misconceptions, and build trust between religious communities. Moreover, it fosters a culture of peace by promoting shared values, empathy, and respect for diversity. The study also highlights challenges such as power imbalances, religious fundamentalism, and political manipulation that can obstruct meaningful dialogue. Successful interfaith initiatives often incorporate inclusive participation, open communication, and institutional support to ensure long-term impact. The implications of this study emphasize the need for governments, religious leaders, and civil society to actively support and institutionalize interfaith dialogue as a strategy for preventing religious conflicts and promoting harmonious coexistence. Future research is encouraged to examine the role of digital platforms and social media in expanding interfaith dialogue efforts. Understanding the dynamics of interfaith interactions provides valuable insights for policymakers and community leaders striving to cultivate tolerant, cohesive, and inclusive societies in the face of growing multicultural challenges.

Abstract: This chapter explores the multifaceted role of religion in addressing global challenges, focusing on three key areas: environmental ethics, conflict resolution, and mental health. It examines how religious teachings across major world religions, including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Indigenous spiritualities, provide a framework for promoting environmental stewardship and sustainable practices. The chapter also highlights the power of interfaith dialogue in conflict resolution, showcasing case studies where religious cooperation has fostered peace and reconciliation in regions of tension. Additionally, it delves into the role of religion in mental health, exploring how faith-based practices and communities offer emotional resilience, support, and holistic care for individuals facing mental health challenges. By addressing these issues, the chapter underscores the vital contribution of religious belief and practice in creating a more sustainable, peaceful, and healthy society. Keywords: religion, environmental ethics, interfaith dialogue, conflict resolution, mental health, sustainability, peacebuilding, spiritual resilience, pastoral care, eco-theology, reconciliation, religious communities, emotional well-being, holistic care.

Social media has transformed Indonesia's social activism landscape, especially in efforts to build peace and interfaith dialogue. This study uses a virtual ethnographic approach to examine how four interfaith communities (JAKATARUB Bandung, PELITA Padang, Eco Bhinneka Kalbar, and Peace Generation Makassar) use Instagram to promote peace and interreligious dialogue. This study analyzes digital content activism strategies, communication patterns, and community engagement approaches through systematic digital analysis observations and Instagram archives. The findings indicate that these communities have developed innovative ways of utilizing Instagram features to create meaningful interfaith dialogue, combining local wisdom with universal peace values. They use a variety of content formats, including educational infographics, personal storytelling, and interactive discussions to engage young viewers. Although these communities face challenges such as limited algorithms and resources, their adaptability shows the potential of digital platforms in fostering interfaith dialogue and peacebuilding. This research makes three important contributions: first, developing a comprehensive analytical framework for studying peace activism in the digital era; second, uncovering effective strategies for integrating local wisdom with digital activism; and third, offering a practical model for developing sustainable social media-based peace programs.

Complex religious identity in the context of interfaith dialogue Karla Suomala The beginning of dialogue… In the Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Pi, the main character, tells the story of his extraordinary, if surreal, adventures on a lifeboat with a crew of animals. Prior to that epic journey, Pi describes his early and enduring interest in religion. By age 16, he claims Christian, Muslim, and Hindu religious identities. “The sense of community that a common faith brings to people spelled trouble for me,” says Pi as he recalls an encounter between his parents, his priest, his imam, and his pandit. “‘What is your son doing going to temple?’ asked the priest. ‘Your son was seen in church crossing himself,’ said the imam. ‘Your son has gone Muslim,’ said the pandit.” Each claiming him, the Hindu, Christian, and Muslim leaders begin to fight with each other over Pi's affiliation and then over the superiority of their respective traditions. “That was my introduction to interfaith dialogue,” says Pi. The end of dialogue… In the “real” world, Pi's declaration of his Hindu‐Christian‐Muslim identity would also signal the end to his participation in interfaith dialogue. While people from different religious traditions engage with each other in a variety of ways, the term interfaith dialogue (or inter‐religious dialogue) generally suggests a very specific type of engagement. As a twentieth century development primarily in the West, interfaith dialogue involves more structured and formal conversations between representatives (usually religious scholars, clergy, and institutional officials) from at least two clearly defined religious traditions with the primary objective of mutual understanding rather than conversion. Within this model, Pi—who identifies himself with more than one religious tradition—would not likely be invited to the table. This wouldn't be such an issue if Pi's religious identity remained a fictional construct, with no correspondence to real people and living communities, but that is simply not the case. A quick glance at the population in the United States demonstrates that having a complex religious identity—an identity in which one adheres to, practices, believes in, or belongs to more than one religious tradition through inheritance and/or choice—is on the rise. In the last century, for example, “the number of interfaith marriages rose in every decade, reaching highs in the 30 to 33 percent range as the twentieth century closed.” Diana Butler Bass points out that the children from these marriages “do not choose to belong to multiple religious communities; they simply do so by virtue of their birth.” The rate of intermarriage for American Jews is even higher. Already in 2001, a striking 52 percent of Jews between the ages of 18–24 came from intermarried families. And many children of intermarriage say they “simply cannot turn their backs on the non‐Jewish half of their identity. Their rabbis may say they are Jewish, but in their hearts they are also whatever grandma and grandpa are,” reports Leah Blankenship in The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle. Rabbi Alan Flam, former director of Brown's Hillel, thinks that this is a radically new question for the Jewish community. He notes that: Students are talking less about theology and more about culture. They are saying, “Wait, I have a dual identity,” similar to students who may have one parent who is Asian and one who is black. They are saying, “I want to figure out a way to affirm both identities in my life.” On a broader scale, the number of Americans who have adopted practices associated with Hinduism or Buddhism, such as yoga and meditation, has skyrocketed. In a recent New York Times article, William Broad points out that “the number of Americans doing yoga has risen from about 4 million in 2001 to what some estimate to be as many as 20 million in 2011.” Similarly, a 2007 National Institute of Health study indicated that over 20 million people in the United States had meditated in the previous 12 months. While most of these individuals would not necessarily identify themselves as Buddhists or Hindus, they have integrated practices originating in these traditions that make their religious identities more complex or nuanced. In the face...

Mediating Christianity and Islam (review) Amin Malak Thomas F. Michel : A Christian View of Islam: Essays on Dialogue : Edited by Irfan A. Omar . Foreword by John Esposito Maryknoll , New York : Orbis Books , 2010 . 216 pp. ISBN 978‐1‐57075‐860‐7 . This is a significant and timely book worthy of the attention and admiration of Christians and Muslims concerned with interfaith dialogue. In this collection of fifteen essays, Thomas Michel offers a highly learned reading of some of the convergence points between these two great world religions, Christianity and Islam. His writings about Islam come with impressive credentials of a PhD from the University of Chicago in Islamic studies, forty years of pastoral service as a Jesuit in several Muslim countries, and a rich record of books and articles focused on mutual theological aspects of Christianity and Islam. The book’s fifteen chapters have been previously published as separate pieces over almost three decades. As such, the book lacks an organizing structure, but it does have a coherent unifying argument: the different topics covered connect and correlate integratively building up toward an enlightened discourse about Islam and its theological tenets. The book covers a wide range of issues such as creating a culture of dialogue, Biblical and Islamic perspectives on Hagar, Christian and Muslim perspectives on fundamentalism, Jesuit writings on Islam in the seventeenth century, and Qur’anic approach to ecology. Throughout, Michel writes not as an academic scholar, although he is eminently capable of that as manifested in some of the lengthily footnoted chapters, but as a public intellectual seriously engaged in building bridges of understanding between the two faith traditions and locating them in areas of mutual concerns. Thus, his emphasis in this inspired agenda is to foreground areas of similarities of intent and vision rather than apparent differences: “Muslims are fellow believers,” he writes, “who claim, like us, spiritual descent from the faith of Abraham in the One God” (189). In the shared spaces that Michel insightfully foregrounds and delineates, the reader is delighted to envision convergence not conflict, harmony not hostility, peace not prejudice. Nevertheless, memories, both old and recent, interfere in this dialogical process, especially with monumental events and concomitant injustices such as the Crusades, the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula, and the European colonialism of the last two centuries. Concerning colonialism’s suspect, supremacist slogans, such as “the white man’s burden” and “la mission civilizatrice,” Michel suggests sagely that they should be avoided when engagingly pursuing a meaningful dialogue. As well, we should all avoid exclusivist claims of possessing the truth. In such a noble, if complex, pursuit, Michel looks for parallel practices, rituals, and figures that illustrate the closeness of the two faiths. As an illustration of Michel’s pursuit of commonalities and shared values, he skillfully parallels the Muslims’ love for the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians’ love for Jesus: “Muhammad is not only a model of behavior, but a much loved exemplar. The deep affectionate love that Christians have toward Jesus expressed, for example, in Sacred Heart devotions, or toward Mary and the saints finds its parallel in the human affection that Muslims feel toward Muhammad” (186). Likewise, he highlights the ethics of pardon and peace as demonstrated in the writings of the Kurdish theologian from Turkey, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi in his magnum opus Risale‐i Nur, and the proclamations of Pope John Paul II. Both converge in their call for peace and forgiveness. While Nursi calls for forgiveness toward all those who have wronged one as a means to inner peace, John Paul II approaches peace through the two pillars of justice and forgiveness. Movingly and generously, Michel sums up his evaluation of Nursi by stating that “along with Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Said Nursi must be seen as one of the twentieth century’s great exponents of nonviolent resistance” (115). On the other hand, Michel underscores the error of the commonly used term “Islamic fundamentalism.” He argues cogently that this coinage “does not have the same precision as when it is applied to Christians, but is rather a catch‐all for many diverse and often contradictory movements and interpretations of Islam” (98). Instead, Michel uses the term...

Reviewed by: The Joy of Religious Pluralism: A Personal Journey by Peter C. Phan Francis X. Clooney SJ The Joy of Religious Pluralism: A Personal Journey. By Peter C. Phan. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. 248pp. $35.00. In 2005, Peter C. Phan, the Ignacio Ellacuria, SJ Chair of Catholic Social Thought at Georgetown University, was informed that his book, Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue (Orbis, 2004) was being investigated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Catholic Church’s highest doctrinal body, on the grounds that his book “is notably confused on a number of points of Catholic doctrine and also contains serious ambiguities” (175). The Joy of Religious Pluralism amply documents Phan’s response to these charges. A first chapter narrates the process all the way to its inconclusive ending, which was seemingly a standoff rather than a resolution. Four substantive chapters deal with the debated points regarding the Spirit (ch. 3), Jesus as unique and universal savior (ch. 4), the status of people in other faith traditions (the “holy pagans”) (c. 5), and the mission of the church in a world of enduring pluralism (ch. 6). These chapters revisit matters of great import that have been debated for decades, and clarifies the issues helpfully, without resolving them. Phan adds a weighty appendix of about 50 pages comprised of his extensive correspondence, between 2005 and 2007, with officials of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome and the Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Included are the CDF’s 2005 10-page critique, “Some Observations on the Book by Rev. Peter C. Phan . . . ,” and the USCCB Committee’s 2007 13-page critique, “Clarifications Required by the Book, Being Religious Interreligiously.” In his letters to various ecclesial correspondents, Phan argues deadlines with bishops; he points out the unfairness of the [End Page 83] Vatican conclusion that that book is not to be reprinted, even before hearing from its author; he recognizes the difficulty of finding a respectable journal that would publish a forced self-critique. The book’s title itself is surprising; perhaps Phan is contrasting the “joy of interreligious learning” with the grimness of the officials criticizing the book? Freshest and most sharply defined is Chapter 2, “Different Ways of Doing Theology,” Phan’s reflection on how authority works in the Catholic Church. “The truth, in a nutshell, is that we [he and the bishops] have employed different theological methods.” This is because “theological views on particular doctrines . . . are often rooted in different ways of doing theology or theological methodologies.” In the end, disputes about particular doctrines “ultimately turn into disputes about how these doctrines are and should be derived from sources of the faith of the community” (21–22). Phan thinks that the current ecclesial leadership—at the CDF and in Washington—is unprofessional, working in a needlessly impersonal and autocratic manner, and burdened with unnuanced views of the history of theology, and the extent and nature of Roman authority in deciding doctrine. In Phan’s view, it is a basic mistake to speak of “the Magisterium” as a monolithic teaching authority based in Rome and able to decide on its own what counts as Catholic theology globally. He therefore broadens the magisterium by noticing four other magisteria, those of theologians, lay people, the poor, and the faithful of other religions. All five will then be further enriched, localized, and complicated by attention to the differences in Catholic communities around the world. Though Phan teaches and writes in the United States, he is from Vietnam, and in many of his writings, as here, he draws attention to authentic Catholic insights of the Asian Bishops Conference and the multiple magisteria of the Asian context. Rome—as a city and a mind-set—can no longer on its own determine what counts as Catholic. All of this is terribly important and gets to the heart of the matter: who gets to decide, and in consultation with whom? The five magisteria, so historically and culturally varied and each possessed of many voices speaking different languages, add up to a very complicated web of interconnections that only...

The theological currents of liberation theology in Latin America and interfaith dialogues in Asia are widely perceived to have developed along separate tracks, with Asian Christians, comprising tiny islands in great seas of Asian religions, focusing dialogue across faith traditions, and the Latin Americans focusing on political and economic issues. Some commentators have claimed that early Latin American liberation theology (LALT) was primarily focused on economic and political issues, only turning in a subsequent paradigm shift to questions of cultures, spiritualities and cosmovisions.

Meet the New Paul, Same as the Old Paul: Michael Wychograd, Kendall Soulen, and the New Problem of Supersessionism William Plevan I had the privilege of meeting both Kendall Soulen and Michael Wyschograd at a conference sponsored by the Institute for Christian‐Jewish Studies in Baltimore. ICJS had gathered a group of Jewish and Christian (all from Presbyterian and Lutheran backgrounds) scholars, clergy, educators and lay people to participate in six study and dialogue sessions over the course of two years on the subject of “The Scandal of Particularity.” The aim of the series was to engage a variety of stakeholders in the future of Jewish‐Christian relations by examining the question of how our different traditions conceive of their own particularity, and how expressions of particularity impact the way we understand our involvement in the public square of American political and social life and our relations with members of other faith traditions. Rather than limit interfaith dialogue by hoping to find some kind of “common ground” shared by Judaism and Christianity, the conference dared us to think that the differences between these two traditions might be more important than any similarities we might find, and that these supposed similarities might be superficial at best. Soulen and Wyschograd could not have been a better pair to bring as guest scholars to the ICJS conference. This is partly because Wyschograd has been one of the leading Jewish participants in Jewish‐Christian dialogue in the past forty years, and Soulen has been his most important Christian admirer and interpreter. More significantly, it is because of the way both Wyschograd and Soulen have dealt with the issue of particularity in their work on the theological relationship between Judaism and Christianity. In his seminal work, The Body of Faith, Wyschograd argued that the central theological concept of Judaism is God’s election of Israel to be God’s beloved people. While God demands that Israel observe the commandments and while certain beliefs about God’s nature may be implicit in the Biblical record, the essence of divine election is not the commandments or any beliefs about God, but rather God’s preferential and parental love of the carnal family of Israel, the flesh and blood decedents of Jacob. One of the most refreshing aspects of Wyschograd’s Jewish theology is his open acknowledgment that those aspects of Christian theology that Jews typically find most un‐Jewish, like the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ, actually have roots in Jewish ideas, such as God’s presence in the people Israel. This willingness to reject simplistic dichotomies between Judaism and Christianity has greatly enriched interfaith dialogue, as it did for us at the conference. Indeed, Wyschograd’s philosophical and theological work has always been concerned with the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, and he acknowledges his debt to Christian thinkers, particularly Kierkegaard and Karl Barth, not only for his understanding of Christianity but also for his understanding of Judaism as a religion of carnal election. Because of his serious and open‐minded engagement with Christianity, Wyschograd has also been influential in both academic and theological circles for his novel interpretations of the epistles of the Apostle Paul. Paul is often viewed by Jewish critics as the father of supersessionism for supposedly rejecting the validity of the commandments of the Torah after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is this interpretation of Paul that formed the basis for the Church’s claim that God has rejected the Jews for their rejection of Christ and made the Church the “new Israel,” the inheritors of God’s preferential love. And it is precisely this interpretation of Paul that Wyschograd challenges, suggesting instead that Paul not only maintains that the commandments have validity for Jews but also that Paul believes that Israel’s covenant with God is never abrogated. Centuries of Christian theologians have, according to Wyschograd, been misreading Paul. This new reading, sometimes dubbed “the New Paul,” undermines two millennia of theological rationales for Christian supersessionism. Although I am not a scholar of the New Testament, and hence unwilling to claim an authoritative judgment, I do find the basic elements of the New Paul reading convincing, some...

Jüdische Stadtdeputierte in der Zweiten Polnischen Republik: Projekte – Strategien – Dynamiken[The Jewish city councilors in the Second Polish Republic: Plans, strategies, dynamic

Nigeria, one of the most religious countries worldwide, is deeply influenced by its three major religions: African Traditional Religion, Islam, and Christianity. Religious leaders also wield significant power and are often more trusted than political figures, shaping societal norms, political decisions, and community welfare. This paper argues that the training of religious leaders in Nigeria is crucial for fostering ethical leadership, social harmony, and interfaith dialogue. Drawing on qualitative research and theoretical frameworks such as Max Weber's charismatic authority, Robert Cialdini's influence theory, and James Rest's moral behavior model, the authors emphasize the need for structured training programs. These programs should equip leaders with skills in scriptural interpretation, ethical decision-making, pastoral care, conflict resolution, cultural sensitivity, and media communication. The paper highlights the roles of religious leaders in spiritual guidance, community leadership, and political influence while also addressing challenges such as extremism and interfaith tensions. By advocating for comprehensive training, the authors propose that well-prepared religious leaders can mitigate conflicts, promote social justice, and contribute to national development. The paper concludes with recommendations for funding and implementing such training, emphasizing its potential to enhance the positive impact of religious leaders on Nigerian society.