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The enduring dialogue of religion explored
By Arwen Fleming
Is interreligious dialogue possible? Despite
decades of effort, many critics suggest that its theory and
practice remain dubious. Presented by the University of Calgary’s
Chair of Christian Thought, this year’s Bentall Lectures
on theology will explore the issue of interreligious dialogue
through two lectures by Dr. Tinu Ruparell, BA'90, MA'92, and
an assistant professor of religious studies at the U of C.
Ruparell (left) will present “The Search for Truth
in Interreligious Dialogue” on
Monday, March 19, at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church. In this lecture,
he will discuss why current models of dialogue must be abandoned
and will propose an alternate model that aims for a society
where people can be different without fear.
Ruparell’s second lecture, “Two Dogmas of Interreligious Dialogue,” takes
place on Tuesday, March 20 at The Nickle Arts Museum on campus. “Interreligious
dialogue faces two significant hurdles: the scope problem,
and the scale problem—the problem of who participates in the dialogue
and the focus of the dialogue,” says Ruparell. “My presentation
emphasizes the need to question our western assumptions if we are to move
beyond this impasse.”
Ruparell has been with the U of C since 2003. In addition to his degrees
from the U of C, he holds a PhD in philosophy of religion from
the University of Cambridge. Previously, he was the director
of the Liverpool Hope Centre for the Study of Science and Religion in the
United Kingdom. For more information on these events, please contact Dr.
Douglas Shantz at 220-5886.
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