University of Notre Dame theologians from the World Religions World Church program will embark on a seven-session virtual teaching series examining the Catholic Church in a global religion context starting Jan. 26 (Tuesday) and running through October. This program, hosted by ThinkND, will enable learners to enrich their understanding of the Church’s relationship with believers of other faiths around the world.
Gabriel Reynolds, the Jerome J. Crowley and Rosaleen G. Crowley Professor of Theology, is a member of the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims and will lead the first four sessions that delve into the overlap between the Bible and the Quran, the historical relationship between the Church and Islam and the theological tensions and harmonies between believers in both traditions. Reynolds’ sessions will consider questions such as:
- What is the Christian view of the Bible and the Islamic view of the Quran?
- What are Christian and Islamic views of sin and salvation?
- Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?
Further sessions will examine the Church in the Holy Land, the Church in Africa and the Church’s engagement with Buddhist and Hindu traditions. They will be led by Jerusalem Global Gateway Executive Director Daniel Schwake and theologians Rev. Paul Kollman, C.S.C., R. Trent Pomplun and Bradley Malkovsky.
“We take inspiration from Pope Francis’ model of cultivating dialogue and friendship across religious traditions, including the Document on Human Fraternity, which marked the first time the Catholic Church co-authored an official papal document with a non-Christian,” said Reynolds. “The Holy Father’s forthcoming apostolic journey to Iraq further reinforces his belief that all people are children of God.”
This series includes pre-recorded, short videos available at any time, suggested readings and weekly live sessions. All are welcome to participate in this free program, which is hosted on ThinkND, Notre Dame’s open online learning community that features videos, podcasts, articles and other content from Notre Dame faculty and experts.
“As the late Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., said, ‘Notre Dame can and must be a crossroads … where differences of culture and religion and conviction can co-exist with friendship, civility, hospitality, respect and love,’” said Dolly Duffy, executive director of the Notre Dame Alumni Association. “It is in this spirit of connecting, learning and coming together that ThinkND and the Alumni Association are proud to collaborate on this series to help our Notre Dame family better understand the world in which we live.”
Partners for this series include the College of Arts and Letters, the McGrath Institute for Church Life, the Tantur Ecumenical Institute and the Jerusalem Global Gateway.
For more information, visit think.nd.edu.