Journal of Ecumenical Studies

The Summer 2016 of JES was all about interreligious dialogue and working together across faiths. Check out the table of contents below: EDITORIAL: "Religion: Fading or Flourishing?" by Leonard Swidler... ARTICLES: "Responses to The Church: Towards a Common Vision from a September, 2015, Gathering of the North American Academy of Ecumenists" "Renewing the Church as a Community of Hope: The German Catholic Church Confronts the Shoah" by Janice A. Thompson "Interrogating the Approaches of Christian-Muslim Encounters in West Africa Cosmas" by Ebo Sarbah "Going beyond Nostra Aetate: The Way Forward for Interreligious Dialogue" SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai "'Our Loyalties Must Become Ecumenical': Martin Luther King, Jr., as a Pluralist Theologian" by Roy Whitaker

"[T]he Japanese internment camps during World War II provide a stark reminder of how fear often drives us in directions we later come to regret. If we are not careful, current attitudes in some circles toward American Muslims could drive us in that same direction." - Douglas M. Johnston in his article "Combating Islamophobia" (JES 51.2). https://muse.jhu.edu/article/627328

Article Spotlight: In Anti-Islam Discourse in the United States in the Decade after 9/11: The Role of Social Conservatives and Cultural Politics," Professor David D. Belt traces Islamophobia in the years following 9/11 and examines the ways conservatives "opportunistically seized the topic of Islam as yet another platform upon which to advance their ongoing struggle against their domestic political rivals, the Democrats and the Left more broadly." Find the Muse link to the article here: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/627332

JES Issue 51.2 (Spring 2016) is a special issue on Islamophobia. Articles feature discussions of the roots of Islamophobia in America, anti-Islam discourse in the decade after 9/11, and what the interreligious community is doing to combat anti-Muslim bigotry. Check out the table of contents here: EDITORIAL: "Focus on Jewish-Christian-Muslim Commonalities" by Leonard Swidler... SPECIAL SECTION ON ISLAMOPHOBIA: "Combating Islamophobia" by Douglas M. Johnston "America’s Unique Constitutional Framework and the Fit of Islam" by Howard A. Cohen "The Relationship between the Muslim World and the United States and the Root of Islamophobia in America" by Imam Feisal A. Rauf "Persecution of Christians in Muslim-Majority Countries" by Elijah M. Brown "Anti-Islam Discourse in the United States in the Decade after 9/11: The Role of Social Conservatives and Cultural Politics" by David D. Belt "American Evangelical Islamophobia: A History of Continuity with a Hope for Change" by David L. Johnston "National and International Religious Freedom: An Essential Part of Christian Mission in the Twenty-First Century" by Rick Love "The Moral Ties within the Family of Abraham: A Primer on Shared Social Values in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam" by Joseph V. Montville "Shoulder to Shoulder with American Muslims: What the Interreligious Community Is Doing to Combat Anti-Muslim Bigotry in America" by Catherine Orsborn "Beyond Cooties and Crushes: The Potential for Evangelical Leadership in Christian Engagement with Islam" by David McAllister-Wilson "Muslims in America" by Majid Alsayegh ARTICLE: "Turn It and Turn It Again: The Vital Contribution of Krister Stendahl to Jewish-Christian Relations" by Mary C. Boys EXPLOR ATIONS AND RESPONSES: "African Christians and Islam: Reflections from the 'Majority World'" by Benjamin B. DeVan

Article Spotlight: In "Warrants for Reconstruction: Christian Hegemony, White Supremacy," Fordham University's Professor Jeannine Hill Fletcher traces the Christian theologies of religious supremacy that have informed racist ideologies and legislation and argues that we must reconstruct Christian theologies with anti-racist, anti-supremacist tools. Find it here on Project Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/613750

JES 51.1 (Winter 2016) is all about interfaith movements and inclusivism! Check out the table of contents below: EDITORIAL: "Dialogue Dimensions, Directions, and Degrees" by Leonard Swidler... ARTICLES: "The Interfaith Movement in a Liminal Age: The Institutionalization of a Movement" by Nathan R. Kollar "Pluralistic Inclusivism and Christian-Muslim Dialogue: The Challenge of Moving beyond Polite Discussion toward Reconciliation and Peace" by Todd Johanson "Warrants for Reconstruction: Christian Hegemony, White Supremacy" by Jeannine Hill Fletcher "Descandalizing Multiple Religious Identity with Help from Nicholas Black Elk and His Spirituality: An Exercise in Interreligious Learning" by Hans Stefan Gustafson "'The Bond of Peace': A Hermeneutical Rapprochement?" by William O’Neill EXPLORATIONS AND RESPONSES: "Of Lasting Value: Raimon Panikkar, Bruno Barnhart, and Donald Nicholl in Conversation about Eucharist" by Kenneth P. Kramer "The Ecumenical Feminist: Arlene Anderson Swidler (19282008)" by Minjung Noh "Dialogic Engagement Reinforces University Students to Counteract Extremism" by Ziad Fahed

Look out for JES 52.2, out soon! The issue features a special section from the North American Academy of Ecumenists 2016 Conference commemorating the Reformation. The issue considers the Reformation, its divisive effects on Christianity, and the possibility of moving toward a more united future. Registration for the NAAE 2017 Conference is open now! https://naae.net/site/

The Winter 2017 issue of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies is all about Religious Pluralism. Find the full text on Project Muse and the table of contents below. For subscription info, go to jes.pennpress.org. Part 1: Thinking Together on Religious Pluralism "Truth or TruthsHow Does This Fit in a World of Religious Plurality?" by Hans Ucko... "Religion and PluralityCentral Theological Issues in the Christian Faith" by S. Wesley Ariarajah "Judaism and Pluralism" by Tikva Frymer-Kensky "The Significance of the Hindu Doctrine of Ishtadeva for Understanding Religious Pluralism" by Anantanand Rambachan "Jesus the ChristThe Only Way to God and to Human Flourishing" by M. Thomas Thangaraj Part 2: Thinking Together on Religion and Violence "Introduction to the Theme, 'Religion and Violence'" by Hans Ucko "Religion and Violence: A Protestant Christian Perspective" by S. Wesley Ariarajah "Islam and Violence Revisited" by A. Rashied Omar "Elements of Violence and Nonviolence in Judaism: A Contemporary Israeli Perspective" by Deborah Weissman Part 3: Thinking Together on the Other "The Coexistence of Violence and Nonviolence in Hinduism" by Anantanand Rambachan "The Other Is a Significant Other" by Hans Ucko "No Longer Strangers or Aliens: 'Otherness' as a Binding to Be Loosed in Christian Tradition" by Jay T. Rock "The South African Indian Experience as the Other" by Ravin Ramdass "In the Name of God, Most Compassionate, Most Caring: Polishing the MirrorNotes toward a Muslim Theory of Change" by Rabia Terri Harris "Do Others Exist?: Buddhist Perspectives on 'The Other'" by Rita M. Gross "Who Is the Other?: An Indian Christian Perspective" by M. Thomas Thangaraj "Creating Space for the Non-Buddhist in Sri Lanka: A Buddhist Perspective on the Other" by Mahinda Deegalle "Tribalism with a Human Face" by Deborah Weissman "From Xenophobia to Philoxenia: Creating Space for the Other in Our Religious Traditions and in Life Together" by Anantanand Rambachan Book Reviews History of the World Christian Movement by Dale T. Irvin, Scott W. Sunquist, and: Faith and Order in the U.S.A.: A Brief History of Studies and Relationships by William A. Norgren (review) by Timothy T. N. Lim Conciliarism: A History of Decision-Making in the Church by Paul Valliere (review) by Timothy T. N. Lim The Meeting of Opposites? Hindus and Christians in the West by Andrew Wingate, and: Jesus and Buddha: Friends in Conversation by Paul Knitter, Roger Haight (review) by Erik J. Ranstrom https://muse.jhu.edu/issue/36156

In his introduction to the special section on "Theology without Walls" in JES 51.4 (Fall 2016), author Jerry L. Martin explains, "If the aim of theology is to understand ultimate reality as fully as possible and if evidence about and insight into that Reality are not limited to a single tradition, then what is needed is a 'theology without walls'without confessional boundaries, without blinders, as it were. That does not mean that we do not stand somewhere but that our sense of our goal is not limited to where we stand at the outset." Read more in "What Is Theology without Walls?" (and the full issue) on Project Muse. Jerry L. Martin is the coordinator of the Theology Without Walls project at the American Academy of Religion. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/648075

What is the interreligious community doing to combat Islamophobia? In "Shoulder to Shoulder with American Muslims", Catherine Orsborn of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign explains how the organization works on national and local levels to address anti-Muslim bigotry in its many manifestations in American society. Check out the article on Project Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/627336

The theme for JES 51.4 (Fall 2016) was "Theology without Walls." Check out the full table of contents in the image below!

Article Spotlight: In "'Our Loyalties Must Become Ecumenical': Martin Luther King, Jr., as a Pluralist Theologian," Professor Roy Whitaker argues that theologian and pluralist are contested categories in religious-studies scholarship to such a degree that the pluralist theologies of people of color have been thwarted from many ecumenical discourses. Whitaker examines Martin Luther King's pluralist theology, saying that King preached that Christian and non-Christian traditions provided resources for sharing and learningespecially for ethical values. Check out the article on Project Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/635642! Get access to all our articles through jes.pennpress.org.