Witnessing to Christ in a Pluralistic Age

Christian Mission among Other Faiths

The relationship of Christian faith and mission to other living faiths is a core issue in contemporary mission. In a world where plurality of faiths is increasingly becoming a norm of life, insights on the theology of religious plurality are needed to strengthen our understanding of our own faith and the faith of others. Even though religious diversity is not new, we are seeing an upsurge in interest on the theologies of religions among all Christian confessional traditions. One reason is the ‘discovery’ in the West of other religions living in its own midst and neighbourhood. One may justifiably claim that no other issue in Christian mission is more important and more difficult than the theologies of religions. This will remain a major challenge for mission in a new century. ‘Christian Mission among Other Faiths’ was one of the Edinburgh 2010 themes. As part of the study process, position papers and case studies were invited from a wide range of contributors representing various theological positions, confessional traditions and denominational bodies. The quality of the studies and the variety they represent convinced us to publish in this form. The position papers are reflections on the theme by scholars belonging to Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Protestant-Conciliar, Protestant-Evangelical, Pentecostal, and Seventh-Day Adventist Churches. Among the case studies are articles on Christian mission among Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, new religious movements and folk or primal religions.