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The speakers—Mons. Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku K., secretary, Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue; and Rev. Canon Dr Peniel Rajkumar, global theologian and director of Global Mission, United Society Partners in the Gospel—discussed how they navigate the relationship, and sometimes the tension, between Christian mission and interreligious dialogue.
"Both are actively engaged with their respective churches and on the frontlines of interreligious dialogue and, while they are currently based in the heart of Europe, they come from what is often referred to as the Global South,” noted Prof. Dr Angeliki Ziaka, WCC programme executive for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation.
The online intergenerational learning series, an initiative of the WCC Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation Reference Group in collaboration with the Young People in the Ecumenical Movement programme, aims to foster meaningful dialogue, mutual understanding, and shared reflection across religious and cultural traditions.
Krupa Sastry Pilli, an alumnus of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, moderated the discussion on 28 September. He noted: “We gather today at a time when interreligious dialogue is an integrated part of our human experience.”
Kodithuwakku, in his remarks, reminded those gathered that Christian witness should not divide or polarize but unite, heal, and reconcile. He introduced a joint document published in 2011 by the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, World Council of Churches, and World Evangelical Alliance, Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct.
He also shared Swiss theologian Emil Brunner’s famous statement: “The church exists by mission, just as a fire exists by burning,” in Brunner’s 1931 book The Word and the World.
“Without flame, no fire—without mission, no church,” said Kodithuwakku.
Rajkumar noted that we live in a world that has often been described as irreversibly interreligious. “We can only be religious alongside people of other faiths, and therefore in such a world mission becomes inevitable,” he said. “Mission is crucial for Christian identity.”
He described Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct as a roadmap as we navigate the difficulties of being Christian and of living out a Christian discipleship in a multi-religious world.
In small groups, those gathered discussed their familiarity with Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct and how it has influenced their approach to Christian witness and engagement with people of other religions.
Participants also discussed how they, together, as churches and ecumenical partners, can strengthen Christian witness that is respectful, credible, and conducive to mutual understanding and cooperation.
Kodithuwakku reflected during the closing that the dialogue was a learning process for speakers and audience alike. “Ignorance is the enemy of peace, so knowledge is a friend of peace,” he said.
