The Concept of Dialogue: Towards a Dialogical Theory — I

Abstract

The historical emergence of inter-religious dialogue out of ecumenism in the churches, with specific reference to the Catholic Church, and problems arising out of Christian religious communication have been discussed and clarified. It is important now to clarify what is meant by dialogue. The theory and concept of dialogue from a philosophical perspective should establish it as that which gives coherence and thematic unity to the aims and concerns of ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue and a theology of communication. I will try to show that those aims, as mediated through the concept of dialogue, all converge towards the same goal: that of a just and peaceful community of people where the ‘other’ is given the status of an equal partner regardless of religion, nationality, gender or ability.KeywordsHuman ExistencePrimary WordChristian CommunicationProtestant ChurchDemocratic ExchangeThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.