Methodism and multi-faith

There's been an interesting row brewing among Methodists in California which may one day soon have echoes here in the UK.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

In a bow to the growing diversity of America's religious landscape, the Claremont School of Theology, a Christian institution with long ties to the Methodist Church, will add clerical training for Muslims and Jews to its curriculum this fall, to become, in a sense, the first truly multi-faith American seminary.

The transition, which is being formally announced Wednesday, upends centuries of tradition in which seminaries have hewn not just to single faiths but often to single denominations within those faiths. Eventually, Claremont hopes to add clerical programs for Buddhists and Hindus.

Although there are other theological institutions that accept students of multiple faiths, or have partnerships with institutions of other religions, Claremont is believed to be the first accredited institution that will train students of multiple faiths for careers as clerics. The 275-student seminary offers master's and doctoral degrees.......


......But it is straining relations between the school and more conservative elements of the United Methodist Church, which this year was expected to provide about 8% of Claremont's $10-million budget. The church suspended its support for the school earlier this year pending an investigation.

Here in the Midlands we worship cheek by jowl with neighbours of other faiths. In our school system our children are encouraged to learn about all faiths, although Ofsted, the school standards watchdog, recently reported that they are failing when it came to teaching about Christianity.

In many of our institutions such as hospitals and prisons, chaplaincy services already have to provide for a wide span of religious belief. This means that Christian Ministers and Immans for example, share the same offices and line managers. They have to work together and respect one another's faith, even if they disagree with some of their colleagues most dearly held beliefs.

Ray Garston whose blog Pure Unbounded Love has been featured on the side bar of this blog for some time is working for the Queen's Foundation in Birmingham for Ecumenical Theological Education and the Methodist Church in Birmingham and the West Midlands UK as "Inter Faith Tutor and Enabler".

I must admit that I follow his blog but sometimes have a little difficulty completely understanding where he is coming from or even where he is going. Some of Ray's posts make my hair stand on end! But no one says that living in a multi-faith community is easy and there is much evidence from history  that without a great deal of understanding on all sides disaster is often nearby. It will be interesting to see how Ray's work will be seen and understood in the fullness of time.

So in one sense the stance of the Claremont management makes sense: in an increasingly diverse America it makes sense for people of faith to work together. However I find it difficult to accept that this work should be funded by the Methodist people and have some sympathy for those that are asking a few difficult questions.

Respecting the faith of others does not mean that we simply say that the claims of other religious groups have the same validity in our eyes as the claims of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Provided we accept that Jesus as the Son of God and Saviour of the world has a unique place in theology we have nothing to fear. Once we say or do anything to devalue this uniquieness - for example accept the Hindu line that Jesus is simply another "way" or the Muslem idea that he was another minor prophet - we surrender to a syncronism that will eventually lose the respect of those we wish to respect.