The Church of England and Islam:

Hospitality and Embassy - Theologies of Religion in Process

3. Initiatives of the Church of England

By Richard Sudworth

Part III of IV (see parts I, II, IV)

For many years, the Church of England was content to focus national initiatives on relations with Islam through ecumenical groupings, and in particular through the World Council of Churches.¹ At diocesan and city level, though, in many cases the Church of England had taken a lead in initiatives such as community relations, interfaith chaplaincies and local bi-lateral dialogue groups from the early 1970’s.² It must be noted too that the Church of England’s parish system, legal obligations to non-adherents of the Christian faith and involvement in church schools provide longstanding forums of encounter with Muslims.³

The 1976 publication A New Threshold: Guidelines for the Churches in their relations with Muslim communities⁴ deserves mention as one such ecumenical initiative focussed on Muslim-Christian relations. Written by Bishop David Brown of Guildford, incidentally another former CMS missionary, it embodied the work of the British Council of Churches and the Conference of Missionary Societies in Great Britain and Ireland. Until The Way of Dialogue, this would have been the only formal, institutional resource available to Anglicans in Britain in their understanding of the interface between Christianity and Islam.

Published in the same year as the Festival of Islam in London, A New Threshold seems to reflect something of the effort to reconcile Christians to the new vista of religious pluralism in Britain. It is indicative that in the Preface to the document, the Community and Race Relations Unit of the Church of the Church of England are especially noted as having prior involvement in the document in addressing questions of religious and cultural identity now posed to “our society which have grown out of our Christian heritage”.⁵ Already, the sensibility of host/guest relations is evoked and the spectre of racism suggested as a backdrop to the need for the guidelines produced.

A New Threshold provides brief descriptions of Islam, its diversity and core theology and something of the history of Muslim-Christian relations. In the section, “Theological Issues”, David Brown declines to present a “theology of religions” and admits something of the provisional nature of the document, suggesting that the theological implications of religious diversity in Britain have yet to be worked out: “It will take some years for the theologians and governing bodies of our Churches to adjust to the realities and perspectives of the pluralist society which Britain, in common with the rest of the world, is rapidly becoming.”⁶ Whilst admitting the tradition of religious plurality across the globe, no attempt is made to retrieve this in informing practice in Britain; an omission that we have seen could be argued is characteristic of the era culminating in The Way of Dialogue.

David Brown does not explicitly name Abraham but his rationale for what he terms “spiritual kinship” clearly points to an obligation to “share in mutual understanding with people who worship God” draws from the pattern of Jewish revelation and our common “spiritual heritage”.⁷ This seems to anticipate The Way of Dialogue’s establishment of Old Testament roots shaping the nature of Christian-Muslim-Jewish relations in the manner of Vatican II. After affirming commonalities, David Brown then identifies “factors which divide”.⁸ First and foremost here are the “social factors” which sometimes lead to racism and exclusion of Muslims, perhaps suggestive of one of the primary concerns behind the document being to foster sensitivity and welcome greater religious and cultural diversity amongst Christians.

David Brown recognises the incarnation (and consequently the trinity), sin (and the fact and necessity of the crucifixion), and Christian sectarianism and hierarchy as the three main points of Islamic theological contention with Christianity.⁹ Interestingly, again, the emphasis here is on Islamic issues with Christian theology. Thus, no mention is made of Christian issues with regard to traditional Islamic notions of apostasy, religious governance of public affairs or the belief that the Bible is a corrupted text, for example.

The “threshold” referred to in the title is what David Brown refers to as the “modern Antioch” of Christian encounter with other faiths in contemporary Britain, revitalizing and reframing theology.¹⁰ The “purifying and enriching” process of interaction with Islam suggest three new insights for Brown: “a new awareness of the universality of the divine love”, “a more modest assessment of the authority of ecclesiastical institutions”, and “a clearer grasp of what is unique in the Christian faith”.¹¹ Establishing some commonalities and differences, the tone of the document is decidedly provisional, qualifying “present interim theologies”¹² in the light of the challenge and opportunity of interaction with Muslims.

Chapter II’s postscript of “Problems of Relationships”¹³ does little to alter the perception that A New Threshold is speaking into an understanding of the Church’s privilege and dominance, suggestive of the host/guest paradigm we have noted elsewhere. Thus, problems entitled “Human Rights and Community Relations” are actually about the human rights of Muslims culturally and economically. “The Sharing and Use of Buildings” and “Recognition of Islamic Occasions by the Churches” all place an onus on the Church in its vocation of hospitality, and prefigure some of the later objections of Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali. “Evangelism” is recognised as integral to both faiths but beyond the mention of this having “political overtones” “in the past” within Islam, it is merely noted that “principal missionary societies are making a reappraisal of mission” in the light of mutual sensitivities.

In 1980, the Inter-Faith Consultative Group (IFCG) was established to help the Church of England coordinate and resource the encounter with other faiths and was behind the publication of TTID. In parallel with this, the Network for Inter-Faith Concerns (NIFCON) was set up in 1993 tasked with a similar role across the Anglican Communion. Following the mandate we have noted in the Lambeth Conference of 1998, it is NIFCON that is charged with the sharing of stories and monitoring of Muslim-Christian relations for the Communion.

Archbishop George Carey instigated two projects of especial note which are both part of the wider picture of Anglican engagement with Islam. An agreement was established between the Archbishop of Canterbury, as representative of the Anglican Communion, and al-Azhar al-Sharif, Cairo, “a leading locus of spiritual authority in the world of Sunni Islam”¹⁴. This agreement fosters dialogue and bi-lateral exchanges, making possible a connection between the Church of England and a major source of Islamic teaching and practice globally. George Carey also initiated the “Building Bridges” series of seminars facilitating studied reflections on the Bible and the Qur’an by international scholars around specified themes. The first of these seminars was chaired by Carey in 2002; subsequent annual seminars have been chaired by his successor, Rowan Williams. The published outcomes of these scholarly exchanges provide an invaluable theological resource for the Church of England in its relationship to Islam.¹⁵

In 2005, the report Presence and Engagement: the churches’ task in a multi Faith society was issued by the Mission and Public Affairs Council of the Church of England. The Presence and Engagement Task Group, supported by the Church of England’s national Adviser on Inter Faith Relations has superseded IFCG as the focus for resourcing of the Church of England’s interfaith encounter and this report is thus a significant indicator of the direction of more contemporary reflections. It is surely no coincidence that the motif of Christian Presence, so significant in the missionary theologies of Kenneth Cragg, John V. Taylor and Max Warren is used in the title of this report, and understood in incarnational terms through the coupling with engagement, relevant to context and local realities.¹⁶ The report is especially focussed on the actual contexts of parishes facing a significant proportion of other faiths, reflecting on their understanding of that “presence and engagement”. Utilising 2001 census statistics, the first British census to ask questions about religion and thus to be able to properly assess the nature of contemporary religious diversity, an important picture is drawn of the opportunities and challenges of Church of England parish life in a post 9-11 world. A crucial observation from the report is that “the presence of significant other Faith communities is now one of the major contexts in the ministry of the Church. At the time of the 2001 census, some 900 parishes out of a total of 13,000 had more than 10% of their population as people of other Faiths than Christian and this figure is now higher and growing.”¹⁷ These 900 parishes represent 23% of the total population of all English parishes and 32% of these parishes have over 25% of their population as people of other faiths. What is clearly discernible is a shift from the perceived novelty of religious diversity in the 1970’s and 1980’s to the settled reality of differing faiths in English parishes, of which the Christian faith is frequently now in the minority.

The report draws attention to the fragility of many of these parishes with a significant faith other, reflected in often weak financial sustainability but also in the diversity and vigour of “presence and engagement”. The range of encounters and approaches is interrogated and the sensitivity of “conversion” particularly noted in relations with Muslims: a word that “captures the worst fears and the highest hopes of many people whether of Faith and secular. But it is not a word that can be banished, nor is the concept behind it one that can be removed from the place it occupies at the heart of Christianity and Islam”.¹⁸

The guiding principles of the report process, “identity”, “confidence” and “sustainability”, seem to have freed respondents in providing a snapshot of genuine complexity in the Church of England’s local encounters with other faiths. The stories of celebration are there alongside the vulnerability and fear, and there is a huge spectrum of approach offered (dialogue, evangelism, community action) in a spirit of catholicity. The diversity of encounters with Islam across the Lambeth Communion that was asserted in response to The Way of Dialogue seems to be a feature within the Church of England and not just a matter of Anglican experience globally. That identity, confidence and sustainability should constitute the guiding principles of Presence and Engagement also redresses something of the perceived imbalance of earlier approaches to interfaith relations which set the onus on the Church’s need to change in the encounter with the faith other.

The Presence and Engagement project continues with the support of local initiatives in resourcing and modelling interfaith encounters, notably at the St. Philip’s Centre, Leicester and the Bradford Churches for Diversity and Dialogue (BCDD). An ongoing Presence and Engagement Task Group signposts materials for parishes and hosts web discussion boards, all part of an effort to network and support the Church of England’s mission in a multi-faith context.

Up until 2006, there was no formal network forging bi-lateral relations between Christians and Muslims in Britain, akin to The Council for Christians and Jews (“CCJ”). However, following over two years of “listening” to Muslim leaders and representatives with a number of church leaders across denominations, initiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, the “Christian-Muslim Forum” was established with Carey’s successor, Rowan Williams, as Founding Patron. The Forum works towards collaborative projects and open discussions between Christian and Muslim leaders through a “web of open, honest and committed personal relationships”.¹⁹ It is noticeable that, though rooted in an initiative of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the representation of the Christian communities on the Forum is ecumenical and includes a representative of a black-majority Pentecostal tradition as well as Roman Catholics and Orthodox. This points to the changing realities of the British Christian scene and a welcome by the Church of England of the interdependencies of ecumenism for Christian-Muslim relations.

Towards the end of 2006, a statement was issued by the Forum, jointly by the Christian and Muslim representatives, about the status of religious festivals. This groundbreaking public statement was made: “As Christians and Muslims we are wholeheartedly committed to the specific religious recognition for Christian festivals. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus and we wish this significant part of the Christian heritage of this country to remain an acknowledged part of national life.”²⁰

This statement is remarkable for enjoining Christians and Muslims in a shared conviction about the place of religion in wider British society. That the Church is seen to be the vulnerable party in a need for advocacy over the status of a festival such as Christmas underlines the significance of secular liberalism as another factor in the outworking of contemporary religious diversity. Notorious efforts to reconfigure Christmas as a non-religious festival in the interests of diversity are clearly in the sights of the Forum.²¹ The subversive nature of the statement rests on the bi-lateral nature of the appeal. The statement thus avoids pandering to the reactionary, folk nostalgia of some of the lurid headlines about the erosion of the Christian heritage while properly stating the religious antecedents of the festival and demonstrating how different faith traditions can mutually support respective, distinct traditions. Muslim representatives evidently believe that support for the cause of the Church, in this instance, best serves an appreciation of faith in public life.

On 22^nd June 2009, the Forum published a further statement this time focussing on combined ethical guidelines of mission.²² This seems to represent a genuine grasping of the nettle of evangelism and conversion, apostasy and persecution. Issues that are contentious for Christians and Muslims are openly addressed with efforts at an agreed ethic that essentially allows for the missionary impulses of the respective faiths. So, coercion, financial inducements, ridicule and manipulation are among practices in the cause of mission that are rejected. Sensitivity to children, young people and vulnerable adults is called for and a fundamental respect for the decisions of individuals to make their own choice in responding to a call to conversion. The underlying tenor of the document is one that recognises the differences of Islam and Christianity and how they might prompt mutual evangelistic appeal (or da’wah). The document acknowledges that it is not a theological treatise as such, and thus implicitly not assuming a unitary foundation for mission and ethics. But this is done with tangible sympathy and with an evident ability to prove the pursuit of the common good between the faiths.

Conclusion

It remains to be seen what future initiatives emanate from the Forum but its initial activities are further supportive of a more mutual approach between the Church of England and Islam, as well as an embrace of the diversity of engagements through the ecumenism of its membership. The endorsement of a diversity of engagements seem to reflect a trajectory for the Church of England, in particular, embodied in the Presence and Engagement report. This trajectory gives space for the struggles and challenges of Christian encounter with Islam, struggles articulated by Asian and African bishops following Lambeth 1988 and now pertinent to a new balance of power for many Church of England parishes. As the series concludes, we will explore how the Church of England begins to articulate a theology that is able to accommodate such a diversity of encounter.

Footnotes

¹ Lewis, P. “Christian-Muslim Relations in Britain: Between the Local and the Global”. In Christians and Muslims in the Commonwealth: A Dynamic Role in the Future, edited by O’Mahony, A. & Siddiqui, A.(London: Altajir World of Islam Trust, 2001), p. 189

² see Lewis, P., “Christian-Muslim Relations in Britain” and “Beyond Babel: An Anglican Perspective in Bradford. The Eighth Lambeth Interfaith Lecture”, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Volume 4, No. 1, (June 1993): 118-138 for a perspective on the Church of England’s contribution to relations with Islam from the context of Bradford

³ Mitchell, B. “The response of the Church of England, Islam and Muslim-Christian relations in contemporary Britain”. In, Christian Responses to Islam: Muslim-Christian Relations in the Modern World, edited by O’Mahony, A. & Loosley, E., (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2008)

⁴ Brown, D. A New Threshold: Guidelines for the Churches in their relations with Muslim communities, (London: British Council of Churches, 1976)

⁵ Brown, D. A New Threshold, Preface by T. Carlisle Patterson and Harry O. Morton, p. V

⁶ Brown, D. A New Threshold, p. 8

⁷ Brown, D. A New Threshold, p. 11

⁸ Brown, D. A New Threshold, p. 11

⁹ Brown, D. A New Threshold, pp. 15-17

¹⁰ Brown, D. A New Threshold, pp. 22-5

¹¹ Brown, D. A New Threshold, pp. 23-5

¹² Brown, D. A New Threshold, p. 25

¹³ Brown, D. A New Threshold, pp. 26-29

¹⁴ Ipgrave, M. “Anglican Approaches to Christian-Muslim Dialogue”, Journal of Anglican Studies, Volume 3, No. 2, (2005): 219-236, p.228

¹⁵ to date, the published “Building Bridges” seminars are The Road Ahead: A Christian-Muslim Dialogue, (London: Church House Publishing, 2002), Scriptures in Dialogue: Christians and Muslims studying the Bible and the Qur’an together, (London: Church House Publishing, 2004), Bearing the Word: Prophecy in Biblical and Qur’anic Perspective, (London: Church House Publishing, 2005), and Building a Better Bridge: Muslims, Christians, and the Common Good, (Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2008), all edited by Ipgrave, M.

¹⁶ Presence and Engagement: the churches’ task in a multi Faith society, (London: Church House Publishing, 2005), p. 8, commended by General Synod in July 2005

¹⁷ Presence and Engagement: the churches’ task in a multi Faith society, (London: Church House Publishing, 2005), p. 8, commended by General Synod in July 2005

¹⁸ Presence and Engagement, p. 50

¹⁹ see the Forum website: http://www.christianmuslimforum.org for details of the aims and objectives, events and statements

²⁰“Religious Festivals and Celebrations”, released by Bishop David Gillett, chair of the national Christian-Muslim Forum and Dr Ataullah Siddiqui, Vice Chair of the Forum, available to download from http://www.christianmuslimforum.org/subpage.asp?id=269

²¹ the headlines of the following two articles are typical of some of the fears expressed by a constituency seeking to shore up the Christian heritage of the nation: Hitchens, P. “A Merry Christmas before it’s abolished”, Mail on Sunday, 22^nd December 2008 downloaded from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/columnists/article-152406/A-Merry-Christmas-abolished.html on 22nd July 2009 and Henry, J. and Miller, V. “School Nativity Plays Under Threat”, Telegraph.co.uk, 2^nd December 2007, downloaded from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1571187/School-nativity-plays-under-threat.html on 22nd July 2009

²² Ethical Witness?, Christian-Muslim Forum 22nd June 2009, downloaded from http://www.christianmuslimforum.org/subpage.asp?id=341&mainid=20& on 22nd July 2009

Bibliography

Brown, D. A New Threshold: Guidelines for the Churches in their relations with Muslim communities, (London: British Council of Churches, 1976)

Henry, J. and Miller, V. “School Nativity Plays Under Threat”, Telegraph.co.uk, 2^nd December 2007, downloaded from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1571187/School-nativity-plays- under-threat.html on 22nd July 2009

Hitchens, P. “A Merry Christmas before its abolished”, Mail on Sunday, 22^nd December 2008 downloaded from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/columnists/article-152406/A-Merry-Christmas-abolished.html on 22nd July 2009

Ipgrave, M. The Road Ahead: A Christian-Muslim Dialogue, (London: Church House Publishing, 2002)

Ipgrave, M. Scriptures in Dialogue: Christians and Muslims studying the Bible and the Qur’an together (London: Church House Publishing, 2004)

Ipgrave, M. “Anglican Approaches to Christian-Muslim Dialogue”, Journal of Anglican Studies, Volume 3, No. 2, (2005): 219-236

Ipgrave, M. Bearing the Word: Prophecy in Biblical and Qur’anic Perspective, (London: Church House Publishing, 2005)

Ipgrave, M. Building a Better Bridge: Muslims, Christians, and the Common Good, (Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2008)

Lewis, P. “Beyond Babel: An Anglican Perspective in Bradford. The Eighth Lambeth Interfaith Lecture”, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Volume 4, No. 1, (June 1993): 118-138

Lewis, P. “Christian-Muslim Relations in Britain: Between the Local and the Global”, In Christians and Muslims in the Commonwealth: A Dynamic Role in the Future, edited by O’Mahony, A. & Siddiqui, A.(London: Altajir World of Islam Trust, 2001)

Mitchell, B. “The response of the Church of England, Islam and Muslim-Christian relations in contemporary Britain”. In, Christian Responses to Islam: Muslim-Christian Relations in the Modern World, edited by O’Mahony, A. & Loosley, E., (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2008)

Reports in Chronological Order

Ethical Witness?, Christian Muslim-Forum 22^nd June 2009, downloaded from

http://www.christianmuslimforum.org/subpage.asp?id=341&mainid=20& on 22^nd July 2009

Religious Festivals and Celebrations, Christian-Muslim Forum, 2006 downloaded from

http://www.christianmuslimforum.org/subpage.asp?id=269

on 26^th May 2009

Presence and Engagement: the churches’ task in a multi Faith society, (London: Church House Publishing, 2005)