ECUMENICAL REVIEW最新文献

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has recently stated that we live in a “poly-crisis” world. This context raises questions about finding common ground with people of other faiths or no faith for the common good. How do Christians practise ecumenical diakonia in the public sphere and offer transformative diaconal services in their contexts? To explore these questions, I reflect on the essence of faith in Korean Sŏn Buddhist monk Chinul (知訥, 1158–1210) and that of the contemporary Canadian theologian Douglas John Hall to identify implications for the practice of ecumenical diakonia and its commitment to interreligious dialogue. Chinul and Hall agree that faith encourages reaching out to others. Buddhists and Christians can be companions on the journey of working together across differences for the common good of the world.

This reflection highlights the importance of women's agency in response to crises and challenges today. The inclusion and participation of women improves the well-being of all, be it in education, health care, the economy, or the government. There is a need to challenge interreligious dialogue settings that exclude or sideline women. Another critical area relates to the “freedom of religion or belief” agenda that sometimes concedes to misogynist perspectives in religious traditions. The text pleads strongly for full inclusion of women in the dialogue and human rights agenda.

This article reflects on the context and experiences of the project Advocacy for Gender Justice in Facing Fundamentalism, which has been developed in the ACT Brazil Ecumenical Forum (Fórum Ecumênico ACT Brasil: FEACT Brazil) since 2021. The article discusses the reality of growing violence, feminicide, and religious fundamentalism in Brazil, underlining the importance of analyzing the root causes and effects of religious racism. Seeing through an intersectional lens, the article reflects on key dimensions of gender justice and proposes strategies to confront domestic violence as well as other forms of violence. Finally, it reflects on the history of five “Ecumenical and Interreligious Journeys” as an important space of dialogue, collaboration, and networking.

How can a society be democratic when a section of its population is deprived or barred from participating in decision-making platforms because of their gender? How can we talk about equality and freedom when the Naga society in Northeast India is marred by the fact that a few affluent sections of the population – those who are male – have the prerogative? Can egalitarianism be imagined while Indigenous customs and laws give freedom and authority to the people in decision-making roles, are largely prohibitive, and fail to promote egalitarianism? The Naga society in Northeast India is fiercely patriarchal, where gender roles and responsibilities are defined according to norms that restrict women's roles in the social and political arena.

The article begins by explaining some of the terminology used and proceeds to share highlights of work undertaken under the auspices of the United Nations and at an international multireligious organization over the last 25 years. The key argument is that working to bring together different religious organizations in service to the common good, which also includes gender equality and women's empowerment, creates the space for genuine collaboration among and between people and organizations/institutions. It concludes with a few reflections on the love of the Divine and the imperative of the multireligious encounter as an enabler of this love, which itself is a prerequisite for gender justice.

Women are providing significant leadership across the interfaith movement in the US context. While their leadership is increasingly acknowledged, this article will explore how women experience interreligious leadership. What are the challenges and opportunities they face? How do they view and engage their work and their networks? What is the vision they hold for transformed and transformative interreligious relations? How is women's interreligious leadership both an indicator of and a means for contributing to gender justice? This article will feature primary sources – leaders living in the United States and serving in local, national, and global positions with impact in all spheres – along with analysis from secondary sociological and theological sources. Thus, this article will contribute a rare first-person assessment of women's interreligious leadership to a growing, much-needed body of research on this topic.