Waiting for Gospel, by Douglas John Hall

Chapter 12 – Many Churches * Many Faiths * One Planet

1.  Hall introduces this chapter with the heading, “The ambiguity of religion in the light of the new world-consciousness.”  He illustrates with the words, “Religion Kills,” which were used as graffiti on the outer wall of the Presbyterian College in Montreal.  A letter to the editor of the International Herald Tribune echoed a similar sentiment, citing “religious fanaticism and extreme belief systems.”  How has the rapid expansion of the global community forever changed the way we view religion and its role in our culture? 

2.  How do you respond to Hall’s statement, “Is there in this extended Christian experience of ecumenical dialogue any wisdom to be gained that is applicable to the larger diversity of religious faiths?”

3.  Next, Hall asks, “How Can Christian Ecumenical Experience Facilitate Interfaith Dialogue?”  He responds with four areas of ecumenical Christian experience from which certain principles may be deduced.  Briefly review and discuss each:

(1) That the well being of the world is the foundational rationale of ecumenical endeavor;

(2) That particularity profoundly appreciated is our entrée to a deeper universality;

(3) That the quest for power always impairs ecumenical discourse;

(4) That hospitality towards and dialogue with other traditions does not diminish but can in fact enhance one’s knowledge and appreciation of one’s own tradition.

“While keeping our eyes wide open to the conflicts that religion inspires or is caused to sanction, we should never lose sight of the blessings that all humankind’s great faiths, at their best, wish to bestow upon the world.”  What are these blessings for us?