Authors: Patrick Kamau and Daryll Stanton
Africa Nazarene University
Email: pkamau@anu.ac.ke
Abstract
This paper addresses the WTD conference theme question: Are there borders which should
separate Christians from people of other faiths? Notably, there some barriers separating
Christians and Muslims, nonetheless interfaith dialogue is necessary and possible. Biblical and
Qur’anic teachings on interfaith dialogue are addressed. Secondary and primary data is
integrated to identify biblical and Qur’anic teaching on interfaith dialogue. Biblical teaching
related to Christian-Muslim dialogue is looked at first, broadly examining issues such as socioreligious values, socio-economic dialogue as well as leadership and governance. It is noted that
there is provision for explicit interfaith dialogue in the Bible. Thereafter it proceeds to exemplify
Qur’anic teaching related to Muslim-Christian dialogue, also taking into consideration socioreligious values, socio-economic dialogue, and leadership and governance ideals. It is seen that
in the Qur’an, Christians are presented as partners in interfaith dialogue. This is followed by a
more focused discussion on divergent irreconcilable issues in biblical and Qur’anic teachings as
they relate to interfaith dialogue. A survey of some cross-cutting issues in biblical and Qur’anic
teachings on interfaith dialogue is also presented. It is revealed that Christian and Muslim
informants in Kenya appear to agree that dialogue should not be confined to the corridors of
persuading or interfaith competition, but accommodating each other. Furthermore, it is pointed
out how impractical and insufficient it is to read other religious systems in the light of the
assumptions of one’s own. Similarly, Muslims and Christians could expand distinctive paths
towards accommodation and dialogue by drawing inspiration from their specific interests and
conditions taught in the Bible and Qur’an. Interfaith dialogue should transcend the hallways of
academia and spread to the masses through education and other possible means of diminishing
the Christian-Muslim border.
Keywords: socio-religious values, socio-economic dialogue, Socio-Religious Grace, SocioReligious Peace, Socio-Religious Trust and Reconciliation, Socio-Religious Holiness, socioreligious compassion and love, Socio-religious ummah, Sharia “Africa Nazarene University P.O. Box 53067, Nairobi 00200, Kenya”
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Suggested Citation
Kamau, P. and Stanton, D.(2020). Christian and Muslim Borders Bane or Blessing. African Journal of Religious Studies, 1 (1). Available online at https://writersbureau.net/journals/ajrs/christian-and-muslim-borders-bane-or-blessing.pdf
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