Hundred years of Christian-Muslim Relations: Mission to Interfaith Relations

In this paper, the phrase ‘Christian-Muslim ’ is understood as being part of the broader academic and activist notion of ‘interfaith’. The terms, ‘interfaith ’ and ‘intercultural’, are being used interchangeably but the focus here will not be on the reflections of local religion/culture on Christianity or the history of or efforts at the development of a culturally sensitive Christianity nor on the academic and pluralist theology but on the development of the idea of relations or exchanges (which to many can be/are a source of intercultural/interfaith theologies of religion). The phrases, ‘Interfaith ’ and ‘Christian-Muslim ’ are used often as terms denoting an actual example or potential state of ‘relations ’ and are seen by many to be a positive strand of development in Christian thinking from ‘confrontation ’ to ‘understanding, reconciliation-peace and collaborative action ’ for common human good. In Christian theology these may represent movements from stark ‘dualism ’ (people are saved apart from their religion through Christ and his Church) to ‘qualified pluralism ’ (religions play a significant and positive part in human salvation in Jesus Christ) to ‘absolute pluralism’ (religions have a central role in God’s single plan of salvation). Clearly, whilst the firs