Muslims and Christians get closer on two continents

There are two encouraging stories in the media today in which Christians and Muslims are engaging in ever deeper dialogue. In North America, Yale University will be hosting a conference on “A Common Word”, and England’s Archbishop of Canterbury has invited Christian and Muslim leaders to a conference in October to tackle religious violence and freedom of worship.

Both gatherings are important. A Common Word was a groundbreaking invitation by Muslim religious leaders worldwide to engage in wider dialogue with Christians and Jews, and fully deserves a further engagement. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s appeal has a more practical slant in working to stem religious tensions.

As with the Saudi-led interfaith talks in Spain that began today, the real challenges will be (a) translating talk into action, and (b) taking the message from the leadership to the grassroots. The former will enable the latter, as the proof of the sincerity of the participants will be in the outcomes that they are able to achieve once they get home.

Dave