Interreligious Studies

Interreligious studies, sometimes called interfaith studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field that researches and teaches about interfaith dialogue and encounters between religions. The field emerged in the 1980s and 1990s as a result of the collective efforts of theologians and interfaith practitioners, including scholars, during a period of interfaith activism, especially in North America.

History of the field

The academic field emerged from pioneering scholarship on religious diversity. In 1991, Professor Diana L. Eck started engaging students in research, which later became the ''Pluralism Project'' at Harvard University. Robert Wuthnow and Robert D. Putnam were among the scholars who investigated religious diversity and interactions. In 2013, there were several academic initiatives, including the founding of the Interfaith and Interreligious Studies Group at the American Academy of Religion and an Office of Religion and Global Affairs at the United States Department of State. A call for an interfaith studies field was issued by Eboo Patel, founder of Interfaith Youth Core, who subsequently helped secure funding for academic programs at some U.S. universities.

By 2018, institutional growth of the field included 20 undergraduate programs with majors, minors, or certificates; four universities or seminaries with tenure track faculty positions; and 22 centers with an interfaith focus.

In the UK, the OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation (originally founded as The New Seminary, then The Interfaith Seminary) has been offering ordination-based training in interfaith ministry since 1996, making it one of the earliest institutions in Europe to provide formal spiritual formation beyond traditional denominational boundaries. OneSpirit’s roots trace back to The New Seminary, founded in 1981 in New York City by Rabbi Joseph Gelberman and others committed to building bridges across religious traditions. Inspired by this work, Miranda Macpherson (then Holden), a UK-based graduate of The New Seminary, returned home and, with support from colleagues in the U.S, established a UK programme for interfaith ministry. The first two-year training launched in London in 1996, and the inaugural class was ordained in 1998. Today, OneSpirit operates as an educational charity committed to inclusivity, spiritual exploration, and service across diverse worldviews. It has trained and ordained over 1,000 interfaith ministers, many of whom now serve in chaplaincy, spiritual accompaniment, community leadership, and ceremony.

Academic journals include the ''Journal of Interreligious Studies'' and ''Interreligious Studies and Intercultural Theology''. In 2017, Jennifer Howe Peace founded the Association for Interreligious / Interfaith Studies (AIIS), which convened annual meetings through 2023 and collaborated with the European Society for Intercultural Theology and Interreligious Studies (ESITIS). In 2022, the Frankfurt–Tel Aviv Center for the Study of Religious and Interreligious Dynamics was launched by the Israeli Tel Aviv University and the German Goethe University Frankfurt.

By 2023, at least 47 empirical studies had been conducted on interfaith initiatives. Twenty-seven studies were from the U.S. and eight from Europe. A review of this research found that "interfaith initiatives can positively impact participants’ knowledge about other worldviews, communication skills and appreciation for other worldviews. At the same time, it can be challenging for interfaith initiatives to positively impact participants’ knowledge of socio-political challenges, awareness of power imbalance and privilege and behaviour as interfaith leaders."

Definition

Heidelberg University said, "Interreligious Studies addresses the increasing societal and economic need for interreligious competence. Courses provide students with a comprehensive appreciation of issues which impact or inhibit the peaceful co-existence of varied religions, and equip students with an understanding of how interreligious understanding might be achieved."

Historical precursors

Interreligious studies was grounded on a century long shift in theology and religious activities. As a prelude to pluralism; for example when Christian missionaries formulated the belief that Christianity could help "fulfill" Islam, and thus, later led to a broader ecumenical approach. Another step were the multi-faith dialogues in such events as the Parliament of the World's Religions, first held in 1893.

Criticism

As an academic field, interreligious studies has been criticized about the involvement of practitioners and advocates of interfaith dialogue. Some scholars say there is insufficient "skeptical detachment" from religiosity and, as noted in a 2016 ''New York Times'' article, "Many professors of religious studies bridle at the new field’s orientation toward real-world application rather than pure scholarship."

A notable practitioner, Alon Goshen-Gottstein, acknowledged that academic work in interreligious studies may reveal "the interests of those who engage in it by studying and appreciating, but more importantly, advancing the field of interreligious dialogue through relevant studies." He mentioned connections to the more faith-based endeavors of Comparative theology and Theology of religions.

References

Further reading

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Religious studies
Academic disciplines