Religious diversity: concepts, contexts, and contemporary issues

Religion

Workshop: Missiology for a New Era

Remaining true to the Gospel in the midst of religious diversity and pluralism can be challenging for young ministers. Crises of faith are far too common in the midst of the schisms that emerge even between Christians. Intolerance can be one of the greatest poisons not just to faith, but to spiritual healing, salvation, and even world peace. If we agree that a religious mission is one that is guided by spiritual truth, healing, and peace, then we must discover new ways of delivering the message of the Gospel. Gone are the days of the colonial missionary enterprise, as we welcome a new era in which Christianity can--must -- comfortably coexist with the legitimacy of other faiths. This workshop centers on a central question: "How can Christians be generously open-hearted in dialogue with people of other religions while remaining true to Gospel imperatives?" To help us reach answers together, we will employ the book by Kenneth Cracknell, entitled In Good and Generous Faith: Christian Responses to Religious Pluralism (Pilgrim Press, 2006).

Geared towards an audience of young ministers from diverse backgrounds, this workshop will be especially useful for working with a diverse population. We therefore welcome ministers from all over the world, who wish to transform missiology from the heart. This workshop will prove especially helpful to those interested in missiology from a practical point-of-view, either as a position of leadership or spiritual guidance. Similarly, ministers engaged in public speaking will benefit from this workshop. We will learn how to incorporate traditional Christian teachings, rooted in the Bible, into a new worldview that embraces diversity. Because ministers are the public face of our faith, it is imperative that we speak from the heart. This workshop will be instrumental in helping you develop a fresh approach to the Christian ministry. Call the process a rebranding of Christianity, if you will.

Kenneth Cracknell is one of the world's premier interfaith figures. Having worked in Nigeria, he understands fully the old school missiology and therefore developed a new path based on faults found via first-hand experience. One of the reasons why Cracknell's book forms the foundation of this workshop is because the author has practiced what he preached. Cracknell has shown that it is possible to work with some of the world's most controversial faiths -- including Scientology and the International Society of Krishna Consciousness. With a policy of inclusion rather than exclusion, the Cracknell method acknowledges that Christianity was itself once a persecuted and segregated sect. It is our responsibility now as ministers to administer the Word of Christ through more Christ-like methods.

The "Missiology for a New Era" workshop will be divided into three full day sessions. Each day will be broken down into two parts, and meditation sessions will be included. The first day of the workshop is entitled "Interfacing with Interfaith: How to Participate in Interfaith Dialogue" This session will be based directly on Cracknell's book In Good and Generous Faith: Christian Responses to Religious Pluralism. For the first half of the day, we will deal in turn with each of the following issues raised in the book: salvation history, Christology, the ethic of human relationships, spirituality, and missiology. We will review Biblical passages that have been too often distorted or taken out of context by Christians -- passages that have been used to condone religious intolerance and even violence. During the second half of the day, we will share our thoughts. Participants will have the opportunity to share what missiology means to them, and to comment generally on the five points discussed. General concerns about diluting Christianity via new era missiology will also be addressed.

Day Two of the Workshop is entitled "Interfacing with Interfaith: How to Participate in Interfaith Dialogue." During the first half of the day, we will review how successful interfaith dialogues take place. We will watch videos of interfaith dialogues, and go over Cracknell's approach. We will also touch upon the different approaches of other notable spiritual leaders who participate in interfaith dialogue ranging from the Dalai Lama to Bishop Desmond Tutu. During the latter half of the second workshop day, participants will engage in an interfaith dialogue of their own. Using role playing and modeling, we will place ourselves in the shoes of others. We will learn successful means of communicating, and we will cultivate skills of listening and two-way exchanges of spiritual, theological, and ethical ideas.

On Day Three, our last day, we will discuss "Christ the Colorful: How Christianity Fits (and doesn't fit) with other Faiths." Our goal for the day will be to learn enough about other faiths to become an effective partner in multifaith discourse. Likewise, we will learn how to become effective Christian ministers even when we are not necessarily addressing Christian audiences. What is Christ to members of non-Christian faiths? Can atheists believe in Christ? What specific challenges to our personal faiths will arise as we implement A Missiology for a New Era.

DAY 1: On a Mission: Theology for a New Era

Learning Goals: By the end of the day, participants will:

Define and creatively expand upon each of the following theological concepts: salvation history, Christology, the ethic of human relationships, spirituality, and missiology.

Develop a personal development plan focusing on at least one of the five theological concepts. The personal development plan will identify areas of weakness and outline concrete ways of addressing them.

Develop a professional development plan that will be created in accordance with individual goals. For example, an individual who has a desire to work with missions in Africa will demonstrate how salvation history, Christology, and the ethic of human relationships each impacts program development.

Identify and begin to overcome fears about missiology, ministry, and the theology for a new era.

Materials:

Authorized copies of Kenneth Cracknell, entitled In Good and Generous Faith: Christian Responses to Religious Pluralism (Pilgrim Press, 2006) or selected authorized excerpts

Holy Bible

Projection screen and Apple computer presentation software

PC, PDA/Smartphone, or Tablet for participant responses

Activities:

9:00-9:10: Opening prayer

9:10 -- 11:00 AM: Using a multimedia presentation and the projector, the following five concepts will be addressed in turn. Salvation history, Christology, the ethic of human relationships, spirituality, and missiology.

11:00-12:00 PM: Identification of key Biblical passages invoked in missiology and the ways many are distorted. Alternative interpretations will be discussed as a group.

12:00-1:00: Lunch

1:00-3:00: Mock Dialogue session. Each group of at least four participants consists of four different faiths. Mock religious affiliations are randomly selected, and participants engage in dialogue using the principles they learned in the early half of the day.

3:00-4:00: Mock Dialogue sessions. In pairs, participants take turns as "themselves" and as a member of an alternative faith. As "themselves," participants develop a cohesive rhetoric that facilitates dialogue. As the "other," participants imagine what areas of concern or confusion might arise, such as Christology or ethics.

4:00-5:00: Wrap-up and time for Q&A.

DAY 3: Christ the Colorful: How Christianity Fits (and doesn't fit) with other Faiths

Learning Goals: By the end of the day, and therefore the end of the workshop, participants will:

Identify the fundamental theological, ethical, and philosophical stances of major religions and their sub-groups ranging from Santeria to Bahai.

Identify prejudices and biases in traditional Christian approaches to non-Christian religions, both in general and specifically.

Identify possible objections to Christianity, in terms of theology, ethics, and missiology.

Resolve the challenges associated with new era missiology and new era ministry, by developing a comprehensive plan for the future.

Materials: Today's materials will be the same as the previous days.

Activities:

9:00-9:10: Opening prayer

9:10-11:00: Crash course/review of world religions based on credible source material written from each faith's point-of-view or from a non-biased, scholarly source.

11:00-12:00: Each participant uses his or her personal electronic device or notebook to write down specific areas of concern and possible roadblocks to interfaith dialogue.

12:00-1:00: Lunch

1:00-2:00: Share the concerns addressed by each participant openly, engaging in a dialogue of our own. Understanding that our participants are from diverse backgrounds, each will have unique perspectives on multiple faiths. Some will have had first-hand experiences with other faiths. This is the time to share, and may run over the allotted hour.

2:00-3:00: Brainstorm the possible obstacles to understanding the Christian point-of-view, both in general and from the specific perspective of other religions.

3:00-4:00: Privately compile a list of issues to work on in future ministry or missiology. Write down goals of dialogue, and specific rhetorical strategies that can be used, referencing the speakers we watched earlier in the day. Participants will develop lists of areas of agreement, focusing on the intersections between Christianity and other religions.

4:00-5:00: Wrapping it all up. Questions to be asked and discussed in group setting include the following. How does interfaith dialogue work? Why does it work, and why is interfaith dialogue important? How can interfaith dialogue be improved? How can it become more integrated with politics and public policy? What role will you, the participant, play in interfaith dialogue?

Reference

Kenneth Cracknell, In Good and Generous Faith: Christian Responses to Religious Pluralism (Pilgrim Press, 2006).