Anglican-interfaith resource issued as i-book
Episcopal News Service. May 20, 2011 [052011-03]
ENS staff
The Anglican Communion Network for Inter Faith Concerns (NIFCON) has issued an i-book study guide to assist Anglicans and other Christians in their engagement with people of other faiths, according to a news release from the Anglican Communion News Service.
The guide is a companion to "Generous Love: the truth of the Gospel and the call to dialogue," an Anglican theology of interfaith relations created by NIFCON members and released in 2008. The report was the basis for work at the 2008 Lambeth Conference in this field.
"When 'Generous Love' was published the team responsible for it committed themselves to work on a 'study guide' designed to help clergy and laity make more effective use of the report," said the release. "The 'i-book' published this week online on the Anglican Communion website is the result. It offers notes and articles on a number of the topics covered in the report, linked Bible studies, prayers and questions for discussion."
"One of the important features of the resource is that it can grow and change to respond to new needs and new insights," said Clare Amos, director for theological studies in the Anglican Communion Office, in the release. "Also as it is online it is widely available throughout much of the Anglican world. As well as written material it incorporates some video and audio resources, and we want to expand on these over the coming few months.
"The study guide acknowledges the importance of context in relation to our engagement with people of other faiths," Amos said. "The situation in Pakistan, for example, is very different to the context in Britain, while that for Anglicans in Egypt, Nigeria, India or the United States is varied yet again. I want to make a positive request to Anglicans around the world to share with us any material (particularly video and audio) that they may have which illustrates their engagement with people of other faiths.
Such materials will be incorporated into the i-book "where possible and appropriate," Amos said.
"I see this i-book as a possible model for further resources in theological education which I hope we will develop over the next year or so," she said.
For further information or to offer material for inclusion contact the Rev. Rana Khan of the Anglican Communion Office at rana.khan@aco.org.