Lausanne World Pulse – Evangelicals and Interfaith Dialogue: A New Paradigm

By Gina A. Bellofatto
June / July 2014

It is extremely problematic for adherents of the world’s religions to ignore differences and focus only on commonalities. Many of the world’s religions do not have the same ontological goals at stake—for example, reconciliation with a creator God (Christians) versus breaking free from samsara, the cycle of life and death (Buddhists). If all members of an interfaith dialogue must agree in order to discuss successfully, then even the most basic of religious beliefs of particular traditions must be put aside, which undermines the goals of dialogue.

As a consequence of these approaches, interfaith dialogue has been over-represented by liberal representations of Christianity.⁴ Liberal Christians—who typically thrive in such pluralistic environments—have often whole-heartedly embraced interfaith dialogue as a means of adding to their own theology and have not welcomed exclusivist voices at the dialogue table. From an evangelical perspective, non-Christian partners in dialogue under the old paradigm have been presented with only a partial Christian message, one that does not adequately reflect the entirety of biblical truth.

The New Paradigm of Dialogue
The new, or “emerging,” paradigm of dialogue takes a very different approach than the current one. No longer do partners seek the lowest common denominator between traditions, but rather embrace and encourage differences. This move against the relativistic tendencies of the old paradigm encourages a more robust dialogue in which each party brings to the discussion what they believe to be binding truth, whether or not those truths are universal among traditions. In this kind of model, exclusivist views are valued, not discouraged.

A major theme of the new paradigm is that participants are not required to agree with each other. Since dialogue is about learning about others and exposing stereotypes, it is natural and acceptable that partners in dialogue have differing viewpoints on the nature and practice of religion. This opens the door to participants who were frowned upon in the old paradigm, including exclusivists, conservatives, evangelical Christians, and other proselytizing traditions.

Additionally, dialogue requires commitment. In the old paradigm, individuals are asked to leave their religious convictions behind upon approaching discussion. How can people reciprocally understand and appreciate another faith tradition without seeing authentic commitment to that faith? The new paradigm seeks religious adherents who embody the true nature of their faith; there is therefore a great need for more evangelical Christians to take up the task.

In embracing the new paradigm of dialogue there arises an opportunity for evangelical Christians to refine their views toward other religious traditions while still retaining traditional, exclusivist beliefs. The majority of evangelical Christians have historically been tentative to the notion of God working through other religions out of fear of reducing the revelation and authority of Jesus Christ.

This is not just a logical, but also a biblical and spiritual concern. At the dialogue table, however, it is not evangelical theology that has received the most criticism, but evangelical attitudes.⁵

Harold Netland argues that if evangelicals “have a view of the relation among religions that is epistemologically sound and accurately portrays the values and beliefs of the respective religions, something like traditional Christian exclusivism is unavoidable.”⁶

The new paradigm of dialogue does not advocate leaving exclusivist claims behind, but rather shifts dialogue into a much more exclusivist-friendly environment.

Having more respect for other religions opens up venues for interfaith dialogue to occur and for relationships to be formed based upon trust, love, and compassion. To appropriately and correctly engage in dialogue, it is helpful for evangelicals to have a deep understanding of their own religious identity and theological stances on a variety of issues.

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Gina A. Bellofatto graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with an MA in religion, where her studies focused on Christian mission and its intersections with the world’s religions, in particular evangelicals and interfaith dialogue. She worked at the Center for the Study of Global Christianity under the direction of Todd M. Johnson. She specialized in Jewish demography, contributing to the World Christian Database and the World Religion Database. Bellofatto also served as senior editorial assistant on the forthcoming Atlas of Global Christianity (Edinburgh University Press).