Lutheran School of Theology Establishes Christian-Muslim Center
The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago will inaugurate a Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice in the fall.
The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago will inaugurate a Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice in the fall.
On Sept. 21, Christians, Muslims and people of other faiths will have the opportunity to build relationships with one another. The Center is an outgrowth of LSTC building relationships with the Muslim community in Chicago for over two decades.
“The Center allows LSTC to move with strength in this area – both in the classroom and beyond,” said LSTC president James Kenneth Echols. “It will be a resource for the whole people of God.”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The Center’s first conference, “Christians and Muslims Together: Owning Our Pasts-Visioning the Future,” will be held at LSTC and the Chicago Cultural Center Sept. 21-23. Periodically the Center will host guest speakers, sponsor conferences and workshops where members of both faith communities can meet one another in an atmosphere of mutual respect to address issues of concern.
“This is a critically important issue in ministry today,” said Mark Van Scharrel, vice president for advancement. “Even in small Midwestern towns we interact daily with people of various faiths. Those doing ministry need to have a place to gain respect, understanding and appreciation of other faiths. This Center at LSTC has very practical applications.”
LSTC and the Center will work with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to create a consultative panel similar to the ELCA’s panel on Jewish-Lutheran relations.
“Our goal is to move beyond just crisis-to-crisis intervention,” said Harold S.Vogelaar Chair of Christian-Muslim Studies and Interfaith Relations. “There is no substitute for sustained face-to-face learning. Knowledge gained ‘from’ rather than ‘about’ others can often help to ease or even erase those barriers that so often divide us.”
