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For this month’s guest post we are featuring an essay published in the Journal of Religion & Society (2014) on how Muslims and Christians might embrace religious diversity. Benjamin DeVan asks and answers this question with a qualified yes. In an arena that is often stymied by complexities and layers of engrained cultural practices, he illuminates the essential concerns that arise when encountering others religiously diverse from oneself:
Given past and present collisions, can Evangelical Christians and Muslims embrace religious diversity and each other, and in what ways? At least three intersecting issue arcs emerge when approaching religious diversity. The first involves optimal ways for adherents of varying religions to interact. The second are truth questions: Are all religions and theologies equally valid, true, false, or do some more accurately or faithfully mediate ultimate reality? A third focus is salvation, telos, enlightenment, eternal joy. If Utopia, the Qur’anic Paradise, the Biblical New Heavens and Earth, the Hindu Nirvana, or the Amida Buddhist Pure Land exists or will exist (cf. John 14:1-3; Qur’an 9:72-73), shall many, all, or proportionally few people participate; and what role if any do religions and religious identity play enabling participation? (p. 2-3)
The body of his work includes DeVan’s synthesis from Muslim and Christian sources of four priorities for “interreligious thriving” as we move forward. Read the full essay >
Benjamin B. DeVan
is a doctoral candidate at Durham University, UK and a visiting scholar at Emory University Candler School of Theology. He completed his MA in Counseling at Asbury Seminary, MDiv at Duke University, and ThM at Harvard. His writing has appeared in many venues ranging from The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women and Islam, to The Huffington Post, and many more. He has taught courses at the college level in religion, philosophy, humanities. When not writing or teaching, Ben enjoys family and friends, and is currently searching for a permanent faculty appointment stateside where he can serve God, love people, and mutually enrich students, colleagues, and mentors’ lives. You may write Ben at
b.b.devan@durham.ac.uk