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A special event on February 2020 in Geneva marked the launch of the World Council of Churches periodical on interreligious relations "Current Dialogue" as an academic journal for researchers, students, interfaith practitioners, and all those interested in the study of religions. Current Dialogue thereby became the third WCC academic journal to be produced by publishers Wiley, alongside "The Ecumenical Review" and "International Review of Mission", Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC

A special event on February 2020 in Geneva marked the launch of the World Council of Churches periodical on interreligious relations "Current Dialogue" as an academic journal for researchers, students, interfaith practitioners, and all those interested in the study of religions. Current Dialogue thereby became the third WCC academic journal to be produced by publishers Wiley, alongside "The Ecumenical Review" and "International Review of Mission", Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC

Edited by Rev. Dr Peniel Jesudason Rufus Rajkumar, global theologian for United Society Partners in the Gospel, the edition is titled: Fifty Years of Dialogue Embracing the Past, Envisioning the Future.”

Rajkumar is the former WCC programme coordinator for the WCC Office of Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation.

Articles in the edition include "Looking Back, Looking Ahead: WCC Engagement in Interreligious Dialogue” by Douglas Pratt; "Toward a Dialogue of the Heels?: Justice and/in Interreligious Dialogue in the WCCs Journey from Busan to Karlsruhe“ by Rajkumar;From Shared Meals to Interreligious Conversations” by Lea Schlenker; and many others.

Rajkumar said that the special edition highlights longstanding ecumenical and interreligious partners who reflect upon the critical and courageous strides that the WCC Office of Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation has made not only in its theological reflection on the reality and riches of religious plurality, but also in its committed attempts to build relationships of respect and trust with partners from other faiths, since its setting up in 1971. 

"While reminiscing upon the past the issue also opens space to reflect upon the future of interreligious engagement, through contributions from five young theologians who were winners of an essay competition organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the WCCs interreligious programme,” explained Rajkumar.

It has been an enormous privilege to serve as the first editor of the new version of Current Dialogue after it was relaunched in a new format as the third academic journal of the WCC alongside the Ecumenical Review and the International Review of Mission,” he said.

The sheer fact that such a publication initiative was happening after more than 70 years in the history of the WCC was an overwhelming weight of history to bear, added Rajkumar. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with an excellent group of colleagues in the publication of Current Dialogue and for the opportunity to edit the last three issues of this journal,” he said. Nothing but joydescribes my association with Current Dialogue.”

Current Dialogue is produced annually with its own identity and editorial team by the publisher Wiley as a special issue of the WCC quarterly, The Ecumenical Review, which has been published by Wiley on behalf of the WCC since 2009.

For a limited period all articles in the latest issue of Current Dialogue are freely available online

More information about Current Dialogue

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WCC’s work on interreligious dialogue

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