Inter Faith Relations

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Inter Faith Relations

Recognising the significant changes which have led to religious plurality in our society, the General Synod as long ago as 1981 endorsed the Four Principles of Inter Faith Dialogue agreed ecumenically by the British Council of Churches:

• Dialogue begins when people meet each other
• Dialogue depends upon mutual understanding and mutual trust
• Dialogue makes it possible to share in service to the community
• Dialogue becomes the medium of authentic witness

The Church of England, in partnership with other Christian churches, seeks to build up good relations with people of other faith traditions, and where possible to co-operate with them in service to society.

The point of contact for enquiries on Inter Faith Relations is

Partners

The Anglican commitment to working ecumenically in inter faith relations is strong and is reflected in its involvement with a number of organisations. Bishops, clergy and lay people of the Church of England are involved in several national inter faith initiatives.At parish level congregations are engaged with the other faith communities of their neighbourhoods.

Churches Commission on Inter Faith Relations one of the commissions of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

Inter Faith Network for the UK works to build good relations between the communities of all the major faiths in Britain: Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian. The Bishop of Southwark is currently one of the two Co-Chairs of the Network.

Inner Cities Religious Council a body in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, brings together representatives of faith communities with a substantial presence in England's cities to work together with the Government in tackling the problems facing urban areas.

Council of Christians and Jews, of which the Archbishop of Canterbury is one of the Presidents, seeks to bring together Christian and Jewish Communities in a common effort to fight prejudice, intolerance and discrimination.

Network for Inter Faith Concerns (NIFCON) The Church of England is also in touch with inter faith issues internationally through being a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes churches in very diverse situations of religious plurality. Within the Anglican Communion, NIFCON links those in different provinces with a particular concern for inter faith relations, and coordinates news and resources in this area.

al-Azhar al-Sharif, The Archbishop of Canterbury has, on behalf of the Anglican Communion, developed a dialogue with this leading centre of Sunni Islamic scholarship worldwide, based in Cairo.

Diocesan Inter Faith Advisers: across the country, a network of Inter Faith Advisers and contacts in each diocese provide specialist advice and encouragement for church leaders and members seeking to develop good relations with members of different faiths. Bishops often have a particularly important role to play alongside other religious leaders and ecumenical colleagues in speaking for the faith communities. Some of the ways in which local churches are involved in inter faith work include :

• Joining or helping to establish councils of faiths or inter faith groups
• Practical partnerships, e.g. caring for homeless people or asylum seekers; urban regeneration schemes; young people's projects; groups to fight racism
• Building up links with nearby mosques, synagogues, temples, or gurdwaras - arranging visits, exchanging seasonal greetings, and so on
• Combating misinformation, prejudice and bigotry about other faiths
• Responding courteously to requests to use church halls and other premises
• Studying inter faith issues and reflecting theologically on them
• Forming small groups where people of different faiths can meet to share experiences in trust, friendship and prayer

The Church of England also has a major involvement in the areas of education, health care, the prison service, and civic life; in all of these dimensions of communal life, the presence of significant numbers of people from other faiths is leading to new patterns of pastoral ministry and spiritual care. Click here for the inter faith dimension of chaplaincy in hospitals, for Chaplaincy in Prisons, for Governments relations with faith communities

Resources

Presence and Engagement: the churches' task in a multi Faith society. Issues of inter faith relations are mainstream concerns for Government and society.  This report, produced for the July 2005 General Synod debate,  focuses on the situation of churches in multi Faith neighbourhoods, with the aim of re-affirming the commitment of the Church of England’s ministry in these areas, encouraging dioceses to review their strategies for supporting clergy, and encouraging theological reflection.  The report includes research carried out in the Presence and Engagement project, which investigated the Church of England’s role in parishes with significant multi Faith communities.

Porvoo Guidelines The Porvoo Communion draws together Anglican churches from Britain and Ireland with Lutheran churches from Scandinavia and the Baltic. These guidelines emerged from a consultation held in Oslo in December 2003. They have no official status, but offer some practical guidelines on pastoral issues.

Inter Faith Marriage Guidelines Two documents that give background guidelines: one that will be of  help to clergy, one that will provide pastoral help to those contemplating a mixed faith marriage.

Sharing One Hope? Church House Publishing 2001 (ISBN 0 7151 5546 6)

A report exploring relations between Christians and Jews over the past two millennia, a relationship that has been described as 'the longest hatred'. This report challenges the Church of England to find hopeful and honest ways to help in transforming that hatred into respect and trust.

Scriptures in Dialogue Church House Publishing 2004 (ISBN 0 7151 4012 4)

Edited by Michael Ipgrave, this book contains papers by Tom Wright, Esther Mombo, Mona Siddiqui and others and includes a major lecture on inter faith relations given by Rowan Williams. The book comes out of a seminar held in Doha at the invitation of the Amir of Qatar, the focus being the intensive study of passages from the Qur'an and the Bible addressing questions such as discernment of the Word of God, the place of women in their believing communities, and making space for the religious 'Other'.

The Road Ahead Church House Publishing 2002 (ISBN 0 7151 5002 2)

Drawing on the insights and expertise of Christians and Muslims from a wide variety of nations and cultures, this book offers a message of hope to all who seek to build bridges between those who follow the world's two biggest religions.

Building Good Relations (ISBN 0 9517 4324 4)

This useful leaflet published by the Inter Faith Network of the UK offers a code of conduct for encouraging and strengthening relationships between people of different faiths, with the emphasis on honesty, compassion and generosity of spirit.

Multi-faith Worship?(ISBN 0 7151 5530 X)

The Inter-Faith Consultative Group discusses the various types of mult-faith worship, and considers the theological issues involved.

Lambeth Conference Resolutions Resolutions on inter faith issues passed at the 1998 Lambeth Conference.

The following publications are available from Inter Faith Relations, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3NZ:

Communities and Buildings:A report that looks at the use of church buildings by those of other faiths, in agreement with the church;  and what should happend to those church buildings which are no longer needed by local Christians.

Room for Religion: a paper offering principles and guildeinesfor those who find themselves asked for advice about the construction, adaptation or use of a building, a set of rooms or a single area which is to be used for worship and prayer by people from a variety of faith traditions.

Multi-Faith Worship: Some guidelines on the actual decisions which have to be made when some form of 'multi-faith worship' is proposed. Focuses on general principles, rather than attempt to spell out a detaild code for every specific occasion.

Multi-Faith Worship: Questions and suggestions from the Inter Faith Consultative Group.  Offers among other things, theological perspectives; guidance for when visiting a place of worship of other faiths; the legal position.

Sharing one Hope?: this paper is presented as a contribution for  carrying forward a growing tradition of reflection and debate - it presents a specifically Church of England perspective and it's focus is the Christian side of Christian-Jewish relationships.

Some other relevant links:

Churches Commission for Religious Justice

The Churches' Commission for Racial Justice (CCRJ) was set up by the British and Irish Churches so that they could engage in issues of race and justice together. It is a part of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

Committee on Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns

Issues to do with minority ethnic Anglicans in the Church of England. Racial justice within the Church. Priorities to promote minority ethnic vocations to the ordained ministry, encourage minority ethnic young people, follow up the findings of the Stephen Lawrence report.

World Council of Churches

Inter Religious Relations and Dialogue team for this world wide ecumenical organisation.

Roman Catholic Church

Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue - resources from this Vatican body.

Reflections

Archbishop of Canterbury, inter faith related lectures As leader of the Anglican Communion as well as through his role as the senior religious figure in England, the Archbishop of Canterbury has addressed inter-faith concerns in several speeches at home and abroad.

News

Church of England's response to "Preventing Extremism Together: Places of Worship" (accompanying press release)

Inter Faith Exchange

CTBI  online discussion forum goes live today following the launch of the major study on ethical prosperity,'Prosperity with a Purpose', in the House of Lords. Go to http:// www.ctbi.org.uk/pwap   Read it and have your say. Join in the debate before the General Election.

The Holocaust Exhibition : Imperial War Museum

Four years in the making, the Imperial War Museum's Holocaust Exhibition uses historial material to tell the story of the Nazis' persecution of the Jews and other groups before and during the Second World War.

Crimes Against Humanity : Imperial War Museum

An exploration of genocide and ethnic violence. A specially-commissioned 30-minute film is the central element of the Museum's new permanent exhibition with examines the theme of genocide and ethnic conflict.

© The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2004