Brief responses from several writers Every society experiences violence. Francois Houtart focuses on social dimensions that link religion and violence: animal sacrifice, good versus evil, using defense to expand. Such connections appear in Hindu Rig Veda rituals, the Gita battle between immortal souls, and lawmaker Manu’s caste relations. Buddhism’s focus on nonviolence, compassion, and ethical […]
Presented to Association of Anabaptist Missiologists – Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, Manitoba – Oct. 13, 2007. First published in Mission Focus Annual Review 2007,52-72; appears here with permission Forty-five years ago, I first went to India for three years. That cross-cultural and interreligious context shaped my entire adult experience—parenting and ecumenical tasks, teaching and writing. Feminist […]
Earlier appeared in Mission Focus Annual Review, vol. 18, 2010, 100-23 Appears here by permission. Writers about historic times choose contexts for reflecting on events. In addition to presenting details of the missionary gathering of a century ago, this article focuses several aspects of Commission IV. Among eight Commissions, the fourth focused “The Missionary Message […]
World Religions/Workshop “Crossing the Line” Conference at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, VA – June 2017 On hearing that the theme for this conference focused on meeting or crossing borders and boundaries, I knew that engagement with diverse religions applies. Borders might appear where or how people worship, as before a sacred symbol. They may also […]
As a new century begins, the framework for my interest in and commitment to plurality builds on foundations like the following. I have a poster that states in eighteen languages, “There will be peace on earth when there is peace among the world religions.” Diana L. Eck, director of the Pluralism Project: World Religions in […]
(Initially requested to be written for a possible interfaith resource in Europe which never materialized. Instead of full footnotes, page numbers of sources in the bibliography appear in parentheses.) Through the centuries many Mennonites have presumed a traditional, evangelical stance toward other religions, promoting an exclusivist view that Jesus alone is the prime channel to […]
This lecture was first given at New Perspectives on Faith, Goshen, IN, March 2, 2008 It appears in my self-published book Multifaith Musing: Essays and Exchanges, 2010, 19-38. Religious Exchange: Personal and Others’ A word about this essay’s title informs. (Friedrich) Max Mueller (1823-1900), the source of the quote, is called the founder of the […]