New resource: Reaching Out in Love

News from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI)

From Christian Unity to Interreligious Dialogue

The churches have played a vital role in the promotion of good relations between different faiths. In our context, the British Council of Churches and its successor body, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI), have had a long-standing commitment to the promotion of interreligious dialogue. Through this resource, we seek to build on more than five decades of experience in facilitating CTBI member churches to engage collectively in interreligious encounter and dialogue as an integral element of how we live out the call to Christian unity in a society that is becoming increasingly diverse and multicultural.

Deputy General Secretary, Rev Dr Peter Colwell, introduces the resource:

Reaching out beyond the walls of the church is essential to the task of Christian mission and a critical part of that is the work of reconciliation and mutual respect. In this task our relationship to people of other faiths are as important today as it ever was and it would seem this is all the more relevant at a time when communities may feel under siege and where some faiths are characterised in negative terms.

Of course, there is a good deal of inter faith work already existing in our communities and this is something that we celebrate. For others, this work is only just beginning. Reaching Out in Love is a new resource from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, which offers a series of units to help those who are setting out on this amazing journey of Christian engagement with people of different faiths.

The resource aims to build confidence in our Christian faith as well as providing tools that equip us for the task of dialogue and cooperation. Forming friendships and collaborative partnerships are important and valuable steps. This course emphasises the distinctive contribution that an intentional focus on dialogue can make, deepening those relationships and supporting all to live out their faith in the service of the whole community.

Reaching Out in Love is explicitly grounded in our calling as followers of Christ and the values that flow from our faith and seeks to build on the learning from the dialogue of difference that has been developed in our ecumenical journey. It emphasises that, in engaging in this work, we are building on a long tradition of Christian thought and practice in which we can find inspiration and guidance.

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