WAYS OF MEETING |
christians & others |
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Throughout my faith journey I have often struggled with how my Christian faith has interpreted and addressed the reality of religious difference in the world.
As a young teenager, I attended workshops and classes in N.Ireland on 'How to Convert a Catholic Child' and how to initiate a conversation with an 'Unbeliever' while handing out tracts. As I got older and went to university in Scotland, my real-life encounters with other faith traditions multiplied. I began to see beauty and wisdom in places and religious contexts that growing up I was taught both explicitly and implicitly to essentially target for evangelism. Still, as I discerned the ministry into which God was calling me following my undergraduate studies, I explored international mission work with agencies that frequently referred to vast nations and ethnic communities as 'Unreached People Groups.' |
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My unease with such characterizations only increased when, in emigrating to the United States, I found my place within more moderate/mainline Christian communities. These communities seemed to appreciate the pluralistic context in which they found themselves, and they seemed to intentionally set themselves up against the more proselytizing factions of American Evangelicalism, favoring instead mission work that prioritized humanitarian aid and social justice. My exposure to other religions during this time also increased: I regularly joined the Reformed Synagogue in worship, and I attended lectures by Imams and events by Orthodox Priests. I started to integrate conversations with these Abrahamic faith traditions within my Confirmation Curriculum with youth. My interest, from this point on, in opportunities for Interfaith Dialogue has continued to expand and I've tried to be intentional about searching out ways to engage with communities and leaders from other faiths, believing that we've yet to plumb the depths of all we can learn from one another.
To that end, I have submitted a curriculum that I developed in my "Christians & Others" class for SLO6. It is designed to be used in a youth ministry setting, and I had High School aged students in mind primarily. This curriculum draws much of its content from the work of Paul F. Knitter, Introducing Theologies of Religions (2005). Over the course of 4-6 weeks students will be introduced to Knitter’s four different theological positions on the relation of Christianity to other religious ways: 1) The Replacement Model; 2) The Fulfillment Model; 3) The Mutuality Model; and 4) The Acceptance Model. Now, this typology is not perfect and does not represent all the different ways in which Christianity or Christians have or can in the future relate to people and communities of other faiths. There are numerous nuances and variations inside and outside this typology, however it remains a helpful tool and framework that I believe would be useful and relevant to older teens. Through this series it would be my hope that the student’s interest would be sparked for further exploration and that they would be equipped for self-reflection, as well as better able to articulate their own position and Christian faith vis a vis non-Christian religious faiths. This is a journey that I myself have been on and find has enriched my faith beyond measure.
To that end, I have submitted a curriculum that I developed in my "Christians & Others" class for SLO6. It is designed to be used in a youth ministry setting, and I had High School aged students in mind primarily. This curriculum draws much of its content from the work of Paul F. Knitter, Introducing Theologies of Religions (2005). Over the course of 4-6 weeks students will be introduced to Knitter’s four different theological positions on the relation of Christianity to other religious ways: 1) The Replacement Model; 2) The Fulfillment Model; 3) The Mutuality Model; and 4) The Acceptance Model. Now, this typology is not perfect and does not represent all the different ways in which Christianity or Christians have or can in the future relate to people and communities of other faiths. There are numerous nuances and variations inside and outside this typology, however it remains a helpful tool and framework that I believe would be useful and relevant to older teens. Through this series it would be my hope that the student’s interest would be sparked for further exploration and that they would be equipped for self-reflection, as well as better able to articulate their own position and Christian faith vis a vis non-Christian religious faiths. This is a journey that I myself have been on and find has enriched my faith beyond measure.
| Loane_Interreligious Youth Curriculum |