Dialogue and Beyond

Abstract

For many years, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has been engaged in Christian-Muslim relations worldwide, ranging from humanitarian work in Mauritania

to study programs on interfaith dialogue. From 1992 to 2002, the Department for

Theology and Studies (DTS) carried out a study program on Islam. An initial period

of

inner-Lutheran deliberations was followed by a further phase that included Muslim dialogue partners. The LWF conducted three consultations of Muslim and Christian scholars in areas of conflict: Bethlehem/Middle East (1999); Dar es Salaam/Tanzania (2000); and Yogyakarta/Indonesia (2002). These consultations went far beyond academic dialogue; they led to an enriching, cross-cultural and interfaith sharing of theological reflections, life and faith, spirituality, interfaith prayer and a walking together

toward peaceful neighborliness and pro-existence.

Some of the lectures delivered at the Yogyakarta consultation are published in this book. It is our hope that the insights gleaned will encourage churches and Islamic communities in their dialogue and beyond, as they work toward reconciliation, peaceful coexistence and for a just, participatory and sustainable society.