Interreligious Theology?

The Academy of World Religions at the University of Hamburg (Germany) is directed by Wolfram Weisse and Katajun Amirpur (respectively, a Protestant and a Muslim scholar). The Academy intends to foster dialogue between the world religions. It was founded a few years ago, but earlier this year it received a large grant from the German government, allowing it to greatly expand its activities. There is no great mystery as to why the German government should be interested in interreligious interaction. The focus, naturally, has been on Islam. The Academy has been involved in the training of imams in Europe. But it has also staged events dealing with Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Domestically, the integration of Muslims (several millions of them) in German society has been a great concern, especially in term of school policies. In foreign affairs, Germany, along with other Western democracies, has been drawn into the confrontation with radical Islamism. The Academy has developed an international network of very competent experts who are involved in a range of activities: dialogue between representatives of different religious traditions on substantive issues of faith and values; development of ways of teaching about religion in schools with ethnically and religiously mixed student populations; and social-scientific research about interfaith relations in urban centers in Germany, Britain, and Scandinavia. There is a stimulating mix of theoretical and practical concerns. Like John Wesley, Professor Weisse might say that the world is his parish.