Schirrmacher publishes article on the compatibility of Christian apologetics and interreligious dialog
(Bonn, 30.05.2025) In his book ‘Kritik der pluralistischen Religionstheologie’ [Critique of pluralistic religious theology], Archbishop Thomas Paul Schirrmacher has compiled various lectures and essays from the last two decades that address the question of whether apologetics of the Christian faith towards other religions and worldviews is fundamentally compatible with interreligious dialogue or not and whether truth claims make dialogue with other religions and worldviews impossible or very difficult.
Now, the first chapter of this book is published as IIRF Report under the title ‘Christian Dialogue is oriented towards Truth in Relations: Apologetics, Dialogue, and Pluralistic Theology of Religion’. “I argue that both sides can, indeed must, go together. That is to say that dialogue with other religions and worldviews is both (1) intellectually honest and (2) in keeping with the essence of the Christian faith, and that it is only so if we face up to the truth claims of central Christian statements of faith and at the same time seek serious conversation on an equal footing,” Schirrmacher writes.
The report is thus also a defense of the position of the 2011 document adopted by the Vatican, the World Council of Churches and the World Evangelical Alliance, “Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World,” which states that Christian world mission can and must go hand in hand with a dialogue with followers of other religions and with religious freedom and peace among religions.
According to a number of representatives of pluralistic theology of religion or similar concepts, dialogue can only take place if one strongly relativizes or completely abandons one’s own claim to truth. For example, Catholic theologian Paul Knitter says that dialogue is impossible if one of the partners enters into it with a claim to truth. Schirrmacher says: “In reality, a dialogue in which both sides give up their claim to truth never takes place, at least not if representatives of Islam are involved. Dialogue in which only one side does this takes place quite rarely. Most often, in reality, an intensive dialogue takes place between followers of religions and worldviews who listen to each other in a friendly and peaceful manner, who want to serve society together, but who do not consider the essence of their faith to be open to question.”
Downloads and Links
- IIRF Reports 2025/10: Christian Dialogue is oriented towards Truth in Relations: Apologetics, Dialogue, and Pluralistic Theology of Religion’: https://iirf.global/?p=6048
- The German book ‘Kritik der pluralistischen Religionstheologie’: https://thomasschirrmacher.info/?p=22735
