̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Scripture

World's oldest Korean Bibles at Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Library

sjr81 — Wed, 22 May 2019 23:25:49 +0000

̽��ֱ��library is home to one of the most significant collections of early Korean bibles anywhere in the world.

Inter-faith summer schools train future leaders in art of “intelligent disagreement”

bjb42 — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:38:06 +0000

Each summer, the Cambridge Inter-faith Programme, which is based at the ̽��ֱ��’s Faculty of Divinity, brings together an international group of students from Islamic, Christian and Jewish backgrounds, for a three-week programme of immersion in inter-faith education.

̽��ֱ��aim is to lay the ground for mutual understanding and friendship between them, while nevertheless acknowledging that the three “Abrahamic” religions, as they are known, are far from the same.

̽��ֱ��programme therefore tries to scrutinise what coexistence means in practice, by looking at what models each of the three religions offers the other for peaceful and serious engagement. Ultimately, the hope is that the participants will learn to turn their differences into fruitful faith leadership in a much wider sense as their careers progress.

“ ̽��ֱ��aim is to learn to live well with disagreement, or to disagree intelligently,” Dr Mike Higton, academic co-director with the programme, said. “Coming to an agreement on theology, politics or any other subject is not our aim, nor is the creation of some sort of neutral middle ground.”

“What we can do is explore each tradition, and look for the forms of coexistence and friendship that are possible between traditions that remain distinct and different.”

Over the course of the three weeks, the participants undertake an academic programme based at Madingley Hall, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. They not only study, but also live and dine together, according to the traditional Cambridge college model.

̽��ֱ��programme itself features lectures from academics and a range of guest speakers, including Professor David Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge; the renowned Muslim scholar, Sheikh Abdul Hakim Murad, and Middle East peacemaker Yehezkel Landau.

There are also sessions devoted to the practice of scriptural reasoning, in which the participants meet to read passages of their respective sacred texts, discuss the content, and explain how their various traditions have been shaped by them. Through this, they gain a deeper understanding of both their own sacred texts and those of others, as well as their possible interpretations.

̽��ֱ��programme also involves visits to religious communities around the UK including a weekend in Birmingham, and time in London’s East End.

This year’s cohort involves representatives from Egypt, Kuwait, Pakistan, Tanzania, the UAE, Oman, Israel, the USA, France, Italy, Germany and the UK.

Emerging religious leaders from around the world have arrived in Cambridge for a programme which aims to build understanding between faiths and teach them to “live well with disagreement”.

We aim to explore each tradition, and look for the forms of coexistence and friendship that are possible between traditions that remain distinct and different.

Mike Higton

Cambridge Inter-faith Programme.

Summer school participants during a tour of the ̽��ֱ��.

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Yes

All in the script

bjb42 — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:34:36 +0000

Professor David Ford, who is also Director of the ̽��ֱ��’s Inter-Faith Programme, will give the Pope John Paul II Honorary Lecture today (Tuesday, 5 April). ̽��ֱ��highly prestigious annual lecture, which takes place at the Pontifical ̽��ֱ�� of St Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), examines interreligious understanding.

Scriptural reasoning brings together members of different religious traditions in small groups to read and discuss extracts from their sacred texts. Professor Ford will argue that the process can function as a bridge between Abrahamic faiths which, without necessarily leading to consensus, can result in mutual understanding and respect.

His lecture will begin by describing the 21^st century as a “kairos” – a particularly propitious moment – for engagement between faiths. Professor Ford himself was brought up as an Anglican in the Church of Ireland in Dublin (placing him in a 3% religious minority) and spent parts of his early academic career working in an inner city Anglican parish in Birmingham, which was both multi-ethnic and multi-faith.

“Scriptural Reasoning has transformed my understanding of both Judaism and Christianity,” he said.

“This is not about becoming clearer regarding any of the faiths – I was much clearer about Judaism and Islam before getting to know so many Jews and Muslims. To plunge into a sea of Talmud and Hadith while trying to interpret a scriptural text is often more bewildering than clarifying. To hear Jews or Muslims arguing among themselves subverts many textbook generalisations.”

̽��ֱ��presentation will advocate Scriptural Reasoning as one way in which it is possible to achieve “wise faith”; an understanding of faith as something which doesn’t necessarily always involve clear assertions or imperatives, but is instead about asking questions and exploring and seeking a relationship with God. This, Professor Ford suggests, has the potential to lead not just a deeper understanding of one’s own faith, but to a broader commitment between Christians, Muslims and Jews to the wider, common good.

“ ̽��ֱ��global inter-faith challenge we face requires institutional creativity, conversation, collaboration and thorough theological work and education – locally, nationally and internationally,” he concludes. “ ̽��ֱ��thinking required for this has, I think, hardly got going. As a catalyst for this I have not found anything as helpful as Scriptural Reasoning.”

̽��ֱ��lecture is a central event of the John Paul II Centre for Interreligious Dialogue, created through a partnership between the Russell Berrie Foundation and the Pontifical ̽��ֱ�� of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum). ̽��ֱ��Centre aims to build bridges between Catholic, Jewish and other religious traditions by providing the next generation of religious leaders with a comprehensive understanding of and dedication to inter-faith issues.

Details of the event can be found at https://jp2center.org/, where a full copy of Professor Ford’s lecture will also be published.

̽��ֱ��power of “scriptural reasoning” to transform the way in which different faiths understand one another is to be the subject of a major lecture in Rome, by Cambridge’s Regius Professor of Divinity.

Scriptural Reasoning has transformed my understanding of both Judaism and Christianity.

Professor David Ford

Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme

Scriptural reasoning.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. If you use this content on your site please link back to this page.

Yes