29 - The Bible in interfaith dialogue

Summary

It is difficult to separate the place and role of the Bible in interfaith dialogue from its role in the missionary expansion of the church into all the regions of the world. In tracing the role of the Bible in interfaith dialogue, it is important to recognise the Bible that provided the rationale for a predominantly missionary approach to peoples of other religious traditions. In Africa the place of the Bible in dialogue has to be seen primarily in terms of Christians entering into an 'inner dialogue' with the religious and cultural traditions to which they belonged at the time. In looking at the role of the Bible in Hindu-Christian dialogue, one needs to make a distinction between the dialogue that the Hindus have had with the Bible by themselves and the role it plays in actual Hindu-Christian dialogues.