- Author: The Doctrine Committee and CRPOF of the Scottish Episcopal Church
- Price: £2.50
- Published: 2006
It is important for the Christian Churches to respond to [the] new diverse context that is Scotland. We need to recognise that current forms of institutional Christianity are in decline, and that inter-faith encounters occur in the contexts of a diverse religious landscape and the myriad spiritual quests of individuals.
Increasingly, some see religious identity not just in terms of belonging to one denomination or faith tradition: rather, it is discovered through the process of engagement with different faiths, 'picking and mixing' in ways that have not previously been seen. Such a pluralist environment presents a serious challenge to institutional religion: a widespread fear of the meaninglessness implicit in such relativism (if all religions are equally valid, then none can be considered to be absolutely true) can lead to the need to demarcate and define more tightly the place of religion. In extreme situations, such identity-formation leads to forms of fundamentalism, as members of faith communities turn away from dialogical engagement with the secular world and with other religions.
To avoid this, it is necessary to hold together a sense of identity, shaped by faith, alongside a willingness to engage with others. Tolerance, a virtue lauded by secular commentators, is not enough, since it can so easily mask indifference. This is true at a personal level as well as a civic or institutional level. We should not be satisfied with an easy tolerance: the imperative for Christians is to go beyond such a laissez faire attitude, and to see the enriching encounter with others as central to the Gospel.
However, we should realise that there can be no 'neutral ground' for such encounter, since all who participate in it bring with them very different sets of political, cultural and theological issues. It is extremely difficult to 'clear the ground' before we begin, since this would amount to an attempt to clear it away altogether. These complexities really are 'the ground' we stand upon in a modern secular Scottish society. Yet some awareness of the degree of complexity involved in the context of our discussions certainly helps us to guard against frustration and impatience as we embark on this vital journey of inter-faith dialogue. Whilst some Christians may find the variety of religious expression threatening to their own theology and sense of what it means to be Christian, we believe the converse to be true, as this Essay will testify.
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How to order
This publication can be ordered online from the Cornerstone Bookshop, Edinburgh, or ordered from the Scottish Episcopal Church General Synod Office. Please note that orders outwith the UK must be made through the Cornerstone Bookshop.
