Journal of Ecumenical Studies back issues from September 2008:
Plan B in the pluralist-dialogue approach to religious diversity in America.(Essay)
Sep 22, 2008; ... I. Pluralist Dialogue "Pluralism" and "dialogue" are much used yet variously defined terms in contemporary discourse about America's increasingly diverse cultural landscape. In this essay, the phrase "pluralist dialogue" denotes active and appreciative interpersonal engagement ...
The eucharistic presence of Christ in seventeenth-century Dutch protestant popular piety: toward a Catholic-Protestant rapprochement?(Essay)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Introduction The eucharistic doctrine of transubstantiation facilitated a mystical experience for the believer through participation in the body and blood of Jesus throughout the Middle Ages. Late medieval hagiographic accounts relate the close association between drinking, ...
Was Justin Martyr a proto-inclusivist?(Critical essay)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Proponents of inclusivism (1) suggest that the early church had a much more open-minded view of non-Christian religions than has been the dominant view. Indeed, exclusivism (2) is a development that does not reflect either the scriptures or early-church thought, according to inclusivist ...
Teshuvah, ecumenism, and the reign of heaven: the role of repentance in the ecumenical movement.(Essay)
Sep 22, 2008; ... 1. Introduction There is a saying in Judaism that if all of Israel repents the Messiah will surely come. At first glance this rabbinical aphorism would seem to have little or nothing to do with the ecumenical project. I shall argue, however, that the common ground between Jewish ...
Judaism, Christianity, and the Hebrew Bible.
Sep 22, 2008; ... In Sinai and Zion (1985), Jon Levenson made the case that rabbinic Judaism has more in common with its forebears in the Hebrew Bible than scholars have customarily granted. Although the rabbis are often derided as gross innovators, bending their religious expression too readily to ...
That all may be one: a tale of three churches.(Essay)
Sep 22, 2008; ... I. The Past: A Lesson in Tragedy The split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches has been a scandal. Historically, angry words have been hurled at each other over the years, and, even today, accusations are still made by individuals of one group against ...
Muhammad, "the prophet like Moses"?(Essay)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Introduction One of the Islamic positions in respect to Jews and Christians is that they follow books revealed by the one God. Chief among those who received books were the prophets Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad (570-632 C.E.). However, Muslims have held, and not without ...
Toward a Christian theology of dialogic communication at the grassroots level in a multireligious context.(Essay)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Theologies in India Over the years, theological thinking in the South Asian context has undergone many changes. At the beginning of the Indian philosophical schools, it was mainly Brahminical texts and thoughts that influenced the theological framework. (1) Later, contextual ...
The challenge and reconstructive impact of African religion in South Africa today.(Essay)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Introduction "African religion" refers to the indigenous religion of black Africans. It is a religion that includes (1) foundational religious beliefs, such as belief in impersonal mystical powers, belief in spirit beings, belief in a Supreme Being (God), special shrines or ...
Explorations and responses dialogue with science as an ideology?(Essay)
Sep 22, 2008; ... There are a number of excellent organizations that deal with the dialogue between religion and science, such as Metanexus, founded by a former graduate student of mine, Dr. William Grassie. Hence, J.E.S. need not venture into that vast field. However, what Dr. Joachim Ostermann proposes ...
Reflections prompted by Richard Dawkins's: The God Delusion.(Critical essay)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Most of the 374 pages of The God Delusion (1) are mercifully not about God but about religion, specifically the "Three Abrahamic Religions"--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. More specifically, the book is about Christianity and, most specifically, about American Christian fundamentalism ....
Church and Society: Orthodox Christian Perspectives, Past Experiences, and Modern Challenges--Studies in Honor of Demetrios J. Constantelos.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Church and Society: Orthodox Christian Perspectives, Past Experiences, and Modern Challenges--Studies in Honor of Demetrios J. Constantelos. Edited by George P. Liacopulos. Boston, MA: Somerset Hall Press (416 Commonwealth Ave., Ste. 612; 02215), 2007. Pp. 498. $29.95, paper. ...
Patrick Viscuso, The Quest for Reform of the Orthodox Church: The 1923 Pan-Orthodox Congress.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Patrick Viscuso, The Quest for Reform of the Orthodox Church: The 1923 PanOrthodox Congress (Berkeley, CA: InterOrthodox Press, 2006). Patrick Viscuso, priest of the Greek Orthodox Diocese and specialist in Byzantine canon law, offers a highly readable translation and insightful ...
Robert Shaffern, The Penitents' Treasury. Indulgences in Latin Christendom, 1175-1375.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Robert Shaffern, The Penitents' Treasury. Indulgences in Latin Christendom, 1175-1375. Scranton, PA: University of Scranton Press, 2007. Pp. 275. $25.00, paper. With the 1999-2006 signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by Lutheran, Catholic, and ...
William G. Rusch, Ecumenical Reception: Its Challenge and Opportunity.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... William G. Rusch, Ecumenical Reception: Its Challenge and Opportunity. Grand Rapids, MI, and Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007. Pp. 142. $20.00, paper. Like a skilled suspense writer, Rusch delays the definition of his subject until almost half his book ...
Paul-Werner Scheele, Ein Leib-ein Geist: Einfuhrung in den geistlichen Okumenismus.(Brief article)(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Paul-Werner Scheele, Ein Leib-ein Geist: Einfuhrung in den geistlichen Okumenismus. Thema Okumene 4 (Johann-Adam-Mohler-Institut). Paderbom: Bonifatius, 2006. Pp. 122. 13,90 [euro], paper. Scheele, Bishop-Emeritus of Wurzburg and member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting ...
Christopher Spehr, Aufklarung und Okumene: Reunionsversuche zwischen Katholiken und Protestanten im deutschsprachigen Raum des spateren 18. Jahrhunderts.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Christopher Spehr, Aufklarung und Okumene: Reunionsversuche zwischen Katholiken und Protestanten im deutschsprachigen Raum des spateren 18. Jahrhunderts. Beitrage zur historischen Theologie 132. Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2005. Pp. 484. 99,00 [euro]. Much literature that introduces ...
The Catholic Church and the Jewish People: Recent Reflections from Rome.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... The Catholic Church and the Jewish People: Recent Reflections from Rome. Edited by Philip A. Cunningham, Norbert J. Hofmann, and Joseph Sievers. The Abrahamic Dialogue Series. New York: Fordham University Press, 2007. Pp. 271. $50.00. This book has fifteen chapters based on ...
Thomas A. Idinopulos, Betrayal of Spirit: Jew-Hatred, the Holocaust, and Christianity.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Thomas A. Idinopulos, Betrayal of Spirit: Jew-Hatred, the Holocaust, and Christianity. Aurora, CO: The Davies Group, Publishers, 2007. Pp. 224. $24.00, paper. Idinopulos draws upon a long career as theologian, scholar of comparative religions, and reader and teacher of Holocaust ...
Post-Shoah Dialogues: Re-Thinking Our Texts Together.(Toward a Dialogical Community: A Post-Shoah Christian Theology)(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Post-Shoah Dialogues: Re-Thinking Our Texts Together. Edited by James F. Moore. Studies in the Shoah 25. Lanham, MD, and Oxford: University Press of America, 2004. Pp. 258. $35.00, paper. James F. Moore, Toward a Dialogical Community: A Post-Shoah Christian Theology. Studies in ...
Friends on the Way: Jesuits Encounter Contemporary Judaism.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Friends on the Way: Jesuits Encounter Contemporary Judaism. Edited by Thomas Michel. The Abrahamic Dialogues Series. New York: Fordham University Press, 2007. Pp. 230. $45.00. The authors of this book are seven Jesuits, one former Jesuit, and two Jewish scholars. The essays ...
Liturgy, Time, and the Politics of Redemption.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Liturgy, Time, and the Politics of Redemption. Edited by Randi Rashkover and C. C. Pecknold. Radical Traditions: Theology in a Postcritical Key. Grand Rapids, MI, and Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2006. Pp. 254. $30.00, paper. The premise underlying the ...
Daniel F. Polish, Talking about God: Exploring the Meaning of Religious Life with Kierkegaard, Buber, Tillich, and Heschel.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Daniel F. Polish, Talking about God" Exploring the Meaning of Religious Life with Kierkegaard, Buber, Tillich, and Heschel. The Center for Religious Inquiry Series. Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths Publishing, 2007. Pp. 133. $21.99. This book's argument is evident in the "Preface" ...
Bruce Chilton, Abraham's Curse: Child Sacrifice in the Legacies of the West.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Bruce Chilton, Abraham's Curse. Child Sacrifice in the Legacies of the West. New York: Doubleday, 2008. Pp. 259. $24.95. Soren Kierkegaard, in Fear and Trembling, made the episode known as the binding of Isaac, or the Aquedah, the centerpiece of his multi-dimensional exploration ...
Johanna W. H. van Wijk-Bos, Making Wise the Simple: The Torah in Christian Faith and Practice.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Johanna W. H. van Wijk-Bos, Making Wise the Simple: The Torah in Christian Faith and Practice. Grand Rapids, MI, and Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005. Pp. 329. $20.00, paper. Van Wijk-Bos argues that for most Christians the Hebrew Scriptures are ...
Edith Wyschogrod, Crossover Queries: Dwelling with Negatives, Embodying Philosophy's Others.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Edith Wyschogrod, Crossover Queries: Dwelling with Negatives, Embodying Philosophy's Others. Perspectives in Continental Philosophy 52. New York: Fordham University Press, 2006. Pp. 566. $85.00, cloth; $30.00, paper. Some scholars and many scientists who are hostile to ...
Charles P. Lutz and Robert O. Smith, Christians and a Land Called Holy: How We Can Foster Justice, Peace, and Hope.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Charles P. Lutz and Robert O. Smith, Christians and a Land Called Holy: How We Can Foster Justice, Peace, and Hope. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2006. Pp. 168. $15.00, paper. This book, co-written by two members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, presents itself ...
Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Amal Khoury, and Emily Welty, Unity in Diversity: Interfaith Dialogue in the Middle East.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Amal Khoury, and Emily Welty, Unity in Diversity: Interfaith Dialogue in the Middle East. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace Press, 2007. Pp. 285. $19.95, paper. If you have not yet met the work of Abu-Nimer, an academic who speaks Arabic, ...
Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, Islam and the Secular State: Negotiating the Future of Shari'a.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, Islam and the Secular State: Negotiating the Future of Shari'a. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2008. Pp. 309. $35.00. This work is the latest from the liberal Sudanese Muslim legal scholar, whose important work, Toward an Islamic Reformation ...
Risto Jukko, Trinity in Unity in Christian-Muslim Relations: The Work of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Risto Jukko, Trinity in Unity in Christian-Muslim Relations: The Work of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. History of Christian-Muslim Relations 7. Leiden and Boston, MA: Brill, 2007. Pp. 365. $179.00. In seven chapters, Jukko attempts to "explore the ...
Curtiss Paul DeYoung, Living Faith: How Faith Inspires Social Justice.
Sep 22, 2008; ... Curtiss Paul DeYoung, Living Faith. How Faith Inspires Social Justice. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007. Pp. 186. $15.00, paper. Peacemakers in Action: Profiles of Religion in Conflict Resolution. Edited by David Little with the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious ...
Julio de Santa Ana et al., Beyond Idealism: A Way Ahead for Ecumenical Social Ethics.('O Acompanhamento: Ecumenical Action for Human Rights in Latin America, 1970-1990', 'For All Peoples and All Nations: The Ecumenical Church and Human Rights')(Book review)
Sep 22, 2008; ... Julio de Santa Ana et al., Beyond Idealism: A Way Ahead for Ecumenical Social Ethics. Edited by Robin Gurney, Heidi Hadsell, and Lewis Mudge. Grand Rapids, MI, and Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2006. Pp. 223. $25.00, paper. Charles R. Harper, O ...