EDITORIAL: THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION - THE INTERFAITH DIMENSION

Terence Lovat 

The importance of theology, theological education and theological reflection have been particularly in my mind throughout this year as world tensions, at least in part theologically based, seem to have reached boiling point. This is especially around the Middle East and the millennial-old rivalry between the three great Semitic religions which is a root cause of so much tragedy in that region and beyond.

This year, I found myself close to the heart of this issue through international conference attendance in Tunisia and Switzerland. The Tunisian conference was a particularly good opportunity to see the Muslim perspective take centre-stage.  Most of the keynote speakers were prominent Muslim scholars, including the Syrian Bassan Bari and the Egyptian Hassan Hanifi. These are scholars with a profound sense of the rigour and richness of Islamic theology and of its interface and interdependence with the theologies of Judaism and Christianity. Like most who attended this conference, these scholars are essentially moderate and accommodating in their standpoint, yet they displayed deep frustration at the lack of contemporary understanding about the mutual dependence of these three traditions, and especially about the wild-eyed policy-making to be found at the extremes of both Islam and the so-called 'West.'  Indeed, the point was made that one of the biggest threats to our future is that the mutual hostility that used to characterize the extremes seems increasingly to be capturing the middle ground.  Granted these sentiments were offered only a few weeks before events in Lebanon clearly strengthened the hold of Hezbollah on the broader Lebanese population, they were particularly prophetic. 

There were many wonderful events at the Tunisian conference but there were two particular highlights for me.  One was a breakfast but not for its culinary delight.  Quite by accident, I found myself at table with four Muslim scholars, each from a different Middle-Eastern background.  It was a long breakfast as we struggled to find a way forward that we might put to the world community as an alternative to the daily-worsening mess.  It struck me yet again how important it is to reach out across the boundaries that society imposes and the stereotypes that most hold to be true.  The perspective of these scholars is precisely like mine, namely, that far more unites us than divides us, and that this is the inevitable conclusion to be drawn from any exposure to the common theological tradition.

The other highlight was to meet up with Mohamed Talbi, the now 86 year old Tunisian scholar who has been such a profound advocate for Islamic tolerance and dialogue.  Living within a stone's throw of the old city of Medina where Muhammad's initial 'Constitution of Medina' was re-established in the Thirteenth-Century, he is imbued with the richest sense of Muhammad's vision of what sort of people those professing to submit to God should be.  For Talbi, Islam should be leading the charge for world peace and enhanced understanding because this is what characterized Islam in its foundation.  His voice is now frail but his determination unbent that the great task before all of us, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, is to resurrect Islam's origins through theological education and to bring shame to those who sully its reputation through misrepresentation.  He sees an especially important role for Western scholarship in this task because, currently at least, it has the greater fabric for open and unbiased exploration.  It has been through my reading of Talbi that I have come to the determined view that Jews and Christians cannot fully understand their own faiths without profound understanding of Islam and that it is a veritable duty incumbent on Western scholarship to promote that understanding.

In Switzerland, there was one major highlight.  It was in chairing a symposium between two Jewish and two Palestinian scholars who work together under extreme difficulties.  Indeed, while technically living in the same country, Israel , they cannot safely ever meet there and so rely on international conferences to do so.  Their collaboration is an oasis in a desert. They are using theological education to confront the chronic misunderstandings and hatreds that surround them.  From a research point of view, they are having some wonderful results and there was a rare sense of buoyancy in the symposium that more of this kind of work might eventually work to eradicate the mess.  Of course, while I came home to beaches and vineyards, they went back to tanks and missiles.  Emails received since have dampened the enthusiasm of the symposium but have strengthened our mutual resolve that good theological education is more essential than ever.

Wherever I go in the educational world, the more I gain a sense that recognition is growing that theology, religious education and values education are being seen in a new light.  Once so far on the margins of education that they were barely on the radar, people are coming to see that not only are the dramatic issues of the Middle East unlikely to be resolved other than through enhanced forms of theological, religious and ethics education, but that many of our more mundane societal ills can similarly only be addressed in such a way.  It seems we're moving out of the delusion that science and technology are the keys to human betterment to a newfound grasp of an age-old truth that there is no happiness without a sense of purpose, that education has a powerful role to play in instilling that purpose, and that the part to be played by good theological, religious and values education in enhancing that role is inestimable.  I commend the efforts of all who work in these fields to take heart that they are not on the margins of education but at its centre.  In particular, I commend those who have worked hard to develop the Australian E-Journal of Theology as a forum for rigorous, interfaith theological education and reflection.  I know from personal experience that it is read widely across the world and that it is having an impact where it matters.

Professor Terence J. Lovat

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Arts) 

The University of Newcastle

Special thanks to Terry Lovat for his stirring piece on the importance of theological education and reflection across the world's religious traditions. We are also appreciative of his acknowledgement of the role of journals such as Australian Ejournal of Theology in this enterprise. Again, in this our third issue for 2006, readers will find an impressive variety of topics by scholars and students of theology, both national and international.

Featured Articles include revised/edited presentations of talks given at the Melbourne and Brisbane Campuses of Australian Catholic University: Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor provides a positive link between the post-modern experience and young people's return to God; James Alison articulates a theology of salvation as "God's risky project"; Noel Preston speaks of an emergent universal ethics in terms of eco-spirituality.

Ethical issues are also the concern of John Ozolins' discussion of IVF in which he provides a Catholic case for "embryo adoption" in special circumstances. Joseph O'Leary suggests new avenues for ecumenical debate by highlighting Martin Luther as a theologian of the Word. Neil Ormerod underscores the challenges of systematic theology as a collaborative, cross-generational task on the basis of insights from Bernard Lonergan and Robert Doran. Denis McLaughlin continues his study of the principles and philosophy inspiring education in the Edmund Rice tradition.

Four articles are situated under the rubric of Theological Issues. Two of these,John Collins' account of Practical Theology and Peter Hai's analysis of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, are directly concerned with the question of theological method. Mary Veling takes a hermeneutical approach to her interpretation of the Trinity as metaphor. Sophie McGrath uses a creative hermeneutic to set up a dialogue between the secular and Catholic traditions represented by Betty Friedan and Pope John XXIII.

Once again, we are presented with a number of articles relating to The Church and Public Theology. Brian Gleeson explores various images and understandings of the New Testament Church. Brian Lewistackles the perennial problem of the role of the Catholic politician in public life. Irvine Ross brings to the fore ongoing issues in regard to Land Rights for Australia's Indigenous Peoples. David White argues that the Church cannot avoid complex issues such as economic or politics and proposes that local churches become learning communities. The final article in this section, by Jerome Sahabandu, reports onBelgium theologian Francois Houtart's approach to the Church's mission in response to issues such as terrorism, democracy, reconciliation and common good ethics.

This is followed by four reflections on Christian Mission and Interreligious Dialogue. Gerard Hall confronts the question of Christian mission and suggests the model of "prophetic dialogue" best articulates the contemporary challenge. Bet Green and Frank Gerry demonstrate the riches and wisdom of Dom Bede Griffiths' spiritual search for the Divine in the particular context of Christian-Hindu encounter. PatrickMcInerney enquires into the question of what it means to be a child of Abraham'a reflection with particular significance for Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Interdisciplinary Studies and Pastoral Reflections cover a variety of topics. Charlotte Šunde relies on the insights of Raimon Panikkar to develop an approach that embraces ecological, geo-political and spiritual concerns. Francois Barriquand provides a comprehensive survey of Christian ministers who have made notable contributions to scientific research. In a timely manner as we approach the end of Ramadam, Mark Mudge looks as the issue of fasting in a religious context. Mariko Hulme challenges the critique of Tolkein "for his use of occult and pre-Christian images" by exploring a deep resonance between Tolkein's work and biblical themes. Cecily Clayton reflects on the place of the irrational from the perspective of Christian reconciliation.

The next issue of AEJT will contain a number of articles on Indigenous Issues, whether Australian Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islanders, Melanesian, Polynesian... We encourage submissions by Indigenous writers and others who have contributions to make in this area or in the field of Interfaith Studies. Please forward manuscripts (articles, artwork, poetry, reflections) to "The Editor" on our new email contact:

ejournal_theo@acu.edu.au

Of course, contributions on other themes are also solicited.

The work of the journal is a collaborative effort of many people whose skill, generosity, time and commitment are graciously acknowledged. In particular, I express my profound thanks to Yuri Koszarycz our technical editor and web designer whose dedication to the task and commitment to excellence of production are outstanding. This particular issue the third for 2006 has been testing for a number of reasons. Suffice it to say that Yuri has met all challenges with his usual spirit of "giving all despite the cost." Thank you Yuri for your continued work and enthusiasm in achieving yet another fine issue of AEJT.

I also express my gratitude to the board of management, editorial consultants, proof-reader, referees, book reviewers, artists not forgetting, of course, the contributors of our major articles. I would like to especially thank Tony Kelly (Deputy Editor) and Anne Hunt whose assistance is ongoing, professional, sometimes challenging, always helpful. Particular thanks also to John Garratt Publishing and Hugh McGinlay of Rainbow Books for forwarding books for review.

For technical reasons, a number of articles that were due to appear in this issue of AEJT have been delayed but (where their acceptance has been indicated to authors) will certainly appear in the first issue of 2007. Thank you for your understanding.

Providentially, I write these words on the Feast of St Luke "apostle, theologian, physician, evangelist" who reminds us that all our words about the living God need to be based on the experience of the Spirit of Jesus among us.

Gerard Hall SM

Editor

Feast of St Luke

18th October 2006