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Dr. Rowan Williams delivered a lecture at the Michaelhouse Centre on three key aspects of Jesus at the opening of Valuing Diversity Among the Three Abrahamic Faiths, a resource on religious education and citizenship aimed at pupils 11-16.

̽��ֱ��Archbishop has long been a proponent of interfaith dialogue and is heavily involved in the Building Bridges seminar, which provides a forum for discussions between Muslim and Christian scholars.

He also took questions from the audience, answering on a range of issues, including how to extend interfaith dialogue to the general public, the role of the Church in environmentalism and how to talk about faith with young people, a problem which Valuing Diversity will help address.

̽��ֱ��Archbishop said: “ ̽��ֱ��Centre for the Study of Muslim-Jewish Relations and the Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations ( ̽��ֱ��Woolf Institute) together with ̽��ֱ��Society for Dialogue and Action, have made a valuable contribution to inter religious dialogue by producing the resource: Valuing Diversity.”

“Its theme of mutual respect and understanding is an important one and in offering practical and thought provoking material for use by teachers, it meets a real need. Because it is rooted in the experience of Christian, Jewish and Muslims, it has a realism which is of particular value.”

̽��ֱ��book is intended to promote a better understanding of moral, social and cultural issues in Britain, as well as provide a framework for lessons in conflict resolution.

Pupils are encouraged to think about the impact of plural identities and to take part in practical, classroom-based exercises. Ideas for scenarios and debates are drawn from interactions between Jews, Muslims and Christians and examples from the relationships between the three faiths are used to develop skills of conflict resolution and tolerance.

Valuing Diversity ties in to the National Curriculum requirements for 11-16 year old pupils to study the social, cultural and religious context of the UK and elsewhere. It has been developed in conjunction with specialists in school material publications and with advice from leading secondary education experts.

̽��ֱ��course has been developed by the Centre for the Study of Muslim-Jewish Relations, the Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations and the Society for Dialogue and Action. It is a revised edition of a popular course published in 2001, updated to include Muslim perspectives. ̽��ֱ��course is available in 470 schools across the UK.

Dr Amineh Hoti, Director of the Centre for the Study of Muslim-Jewish Relations, said: “It was a great privilege to hear the Archbishop speak cogently and with so much compassion about three key themes of Jesus that he conveyed to the young.”

“Valuing Diversity aims to promote better understanding of religious and cultural issues in Britain, and it provides a necessary framework for lessons in conflict resolution. I strongly recommend every school to order a free copy!”

̽��ֱ��Centre for the Study of Muslim-Jewish Relations, which is based at Wesley House in Cambridge, aims to promote deeper mutual respect and understanding between Islam and Judaism and develop Muslim-Jewish relations as an academic discipline. As part of its remit to combat prejudice and ignorance through education, research and dialogue it offers a wide range of educational programmes.

̽��ֱ��Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations, also based at Wesley House, is one of the world's leading institutes working in the area. Both Centres are part of the Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths.

̽��ֱ��Society for Dialogue and Action is based at Cambridge's Lucy Cavendish College, and aims to promote dialogue and understanding among the members of the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and other communities. It especially encourages the participation of women and young people.