Revision as of 2011 April by MJ. Smith

A Common Word documents

Alternate Labels

Church documents
Interfaith documents
Islamic documents
Christian documents

Web Links

Key Passages

Reading List

Foundational document and responses

Christian responses

In English

Response from Prof. Richard Heinzmann of the Eugen Biser Foundation | October 6, 2010
Response from Konrad Adenauer Siftung | October 1-4, 2009
Response from The Presbyterian Church in Canada | August 21, 2009
A response on behalf of the Uniting Church in Australia | July 20, 2009
United Methodist Council of Bishops’ Response to A Common Word Between Us and You | January 05, 2009
Response from the Methodist Mission and Ecumenical, New Zealand | November 13, 2008
Response from His Beatitude Chrisostomos, Archbishop of Cyprus | November 10, 2008
Response from the OASIS group, Italy | November 07, 2008
An Ecumenical Response to A Common Word Between Us and You by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA | October 08, 2008
Response to A Common Word Between Us by the Episcopal Commission for Interfaith Dialogue, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops | August 28, 2008
Letter sent to the Archbishop of Canterbury by the President and the General Secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. | August 11, 2008
Response by the Church in Wales | July 18, 2008
Detailed Response from The Archbishop of Canterbury to A Common Word | July 14, 2008
Response from The Maranatha Community | April 30, 2008
Response from The Religious Society of Friends in Denmark | April 25, 2008
Response from the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, His Holiness Patriarchy Alexy II | April 14, 2008
Response from Professor James S. Cutsinger (Professor of Theology and Religious Thought, Department of Religious Studies, University of South Carolina) | April 09, 2008
Response from The Danish National Council of Churches | April 09, 2008
Response from Archbishop Yeznik Petrosyan, General Secretary For Inter Church Relations on behalf of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin | April 02, 2008
Response from the World Evangelical Alliance | April 02, 2008
Response from The World Community for Christian Meditation | March 11, 2008
Letter recieved by H.R.H Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad from the Annemarie Schimmel Forum | March 03, 2008
Response from The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations | February 13, 2008
A Christian Response from an Indian setting to the Letter of Muslim Leaders to the Pope and other Christian Leaders | February 08, 2008
Response from Aram I Armenian Orthodox Catholicos | February 06, 2008
GodVoter.org Responds To A Common Word From Muslims | January 31, 2007
Response from Mor Eustathius Matta Roham (Archbishop of Jezira and the Euphrates, Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch) | January 31, 2008
Arab Orthodox Patriarchs endorse A Common Word in the Final Communique of the Third International Conference of “Coexistence and Peace Making” | January 22-23rd, 2008
Response from Daniel Madigan SJ, the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims | January 18, 2008
Joint Muslim-Evangelical Christian endorsement of A Common Word in Libya | January 3-6th, 2008
Response to A Common Word from Building Bridges, Cambridge | December 21, 2007
Response from Columbia Theological Seminary | December 21, 2007
West Yorksire Church Leaders’ Statement of Support for Islamic Scholars’ Report | December 10, 2007
Response from Metropolitan Mykhayil Javchak the Archbishop of New York | December 9, 2007
Response from the leaders in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) | December 5, 2007
Comment by Karen P. Hughes | December 4, 2007
Pope Benedict’s Message to Prince Ghazi regarding A Common Word | November 27, 2007
- HRH Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad’s response to Cardinal Bertone | December 12, 2007
Leith Anderson on why he signed Letter of the 300 | November 20, 2007
Response of over 300 leading Christian scholars to A Common Word as published in its entirety as a full-page advertisement in the New York Times | November 18, 2007
Catholicism and Islam: Points of Convergence and Divergence, Encounter and Cooperation by H.E. Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Notre Dame University (Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations) | November 15, 2007
Response from The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)- Britain Yearly Meeting | November 15, 2007
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Statement | November 14, 2007
The Response of the Mennonite Church to A Common Word by James Schrag (Executive Director, Mennonite Church USA) | November 5, 2007
Between us and them by the Christian Century editors | November 3, 2007
Cardinal Pell: Prospects for peace and rumours of war: Religion and democracy in the years ahead (Archbishop of Sydney) | October 30, 2007
Response from Prof. Karen Armstrong | October 29, 2007
Appreciation of An Open Letter and Call from Muslim Religious Leaders A Common Word between Us and You by the staff members of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI) of Rome | October 25, 2007
Response from H.E. Cardinal Angelo Scola (Patriarch of Venice) | October 24, 2007
Statement by Hazel Blears (UK Secretary of State for Communications) | October 23, 2007
Response from Dr Paul D. Murray (Director of the Centre for Catholic Studies) | October 23, 2007
Response from Prof. Dr. Christian Troll, S.J. | October 22, 2007
Response from Prof. John Esposito (Professor of Religion and International Affairs, Professor of Islamic Studies and Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. | October 22, 2007
Response from Prof. Kenneth Vaux (Professor of Theological Ethics, Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary) | October 21, 2007
Response from Fr. Tom Michel United Catholic Asian News (UCAN) | October 20, 2007
The Letter of 138 Muslim scholars to the Pope and Christian Leaders by Samir Khalil Samir, sj | October 17, 2007
Responses from the Baptist World Alliance
- Response from Rev David Coffey (President of the Baptist World Alliance) | October 16, 2007
- Extended response from the Baptist World Alliance signed by The Revd. David Coffey, President of the Baptist World Alliance; The Revd. Neville Callam, General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance; The Revd. Prof. Paul S. Fiddes, Chair of the Commission on Doctrine and Inter-Church Cooperation of the Baptist World Alliance;The Revd. Regina Claas, Chair of the Commission on Freedom and Justice of the Baptist World Alliance | December 26, 2008
Response from Abbot Mark Serna, O.S.B. Monastic Interreligious Dialogue | October 16, 2007
The National Council of Churches execs welcome Muslim leaders’ letter | October 15, 2007
Response from Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia (World Council of Churches (WCC)) | October 15, 2007
- Official response from Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia to A Common Word | March 18, 2008
- Response from H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal | March 28, 2008
Response from World Alliance of Reformed Churches Signed by: Rev. Dr Clifton Kirkpatrick, President & Rev. Dr Setri Nyomi, General Secretary | October 15, 2007
Response from Clifton Kirkpatrick (The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)) | October 15, 2007
Response from Iain Torrance (President of Princeton Theological Seminary and Professor of Patristics) | October 15, 2007
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) response to A Common Word | October 13, 2007
Responses by Cardinal Tauran
- Vatican cardinal discusses the risks and opportunities presented by interreligious dialogue at London theological college | May 28, 2008
- Muslims and The Vatican agree to a new World Muslim-Catholic Forum based on A Common Word Press release signed by Cardinal Tauran and Prof. Abdal Hakim Murad | March 06, 2008
- Vatican says Pope cannot sign collective response to Muslims | October 23, 2007
- Cardinal Praises Muslims for “Eloquent” Letter | October 19, 2007
- Cardinal Tauran : “La religion fait peur, car elle est pervertie par le terrorisme” | October 18, 2007
- Muslim leaders write to Pope, Cardinal Tauran calls letter a “very encouraging sign” | October 12, 2007
Tony Blair’s Response to A Common Word | October 12, 2007
Response from Yale Divinity School Scholars | October 12, 2007
- Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to A Common Word between Us and You
Response from Richard Chartres (The Bishop of London) | October 12, 2007
Response from Bishop Rev. Mark S. Hanson (Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) | October 12, 2007
Responses from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams
- Joint Communique of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Chief Rabbis of Israel | October 31, 2007
- Religion should not be used for hate, says Pope | October 22, 2007
- Press release from Lambeth Palace – Archbishop’s response to A Common Word | October 11, 2007
Response from David Ford (Cambridge University Regius Professor of Divinity) | October 10, 2007

In French

Appréciation de Lettre ouverte et appel des guides religieux musulmans par le staff du PISAI, Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e d’Islamistica (Rome) | 25/10/2007

In Italian

Responses by Cardinal Tauran
- Radio Vatican interview with Cardinal Tauran | October 12, 2007
UDIENZA DEL SANTO PADRE ALLA CURIA ROMANA IN OCCASIONE DELLA PRESENTAZIONE DEGLI AUGURI NATALIZI | 21/12/2007
Risposta a S.E. Cardinale Bertone dei 138 sapienti musulmani | 12/12/2007
Intervista al Patriarca Scola sulla lettera aperta di 138 leaders musulmani Il Foglio, 18 ottobre 2007 | 18/10/2007
Opinione dello staff del Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e d’Islamistica (PISAI) di Roma Una Parola Comune tra Noi e Voi | 25/10/2007

In Russian

Response from the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, His Holiness Patriarchy Alexy II | April 14, 2008

Jewish responses

New fruits of A Common Word

A Common Word: Responding to the Challanges of Religious Pluralism and Conflict Resolution | Apr 19, 2011
- ACMCU Conference: “A Common Word: Responding to the Challenges of Religious Pluralism & Conflict Resolution” | Apr 19, 2011 (audio)
MWBR (Vol. 31, Issue 2) on its pages 12-14 carries a very positive account of the publication named A Common Word: Muslim and Christian on Loving God and Neighbour (Eerdmans Publishing).
Declaration on Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue by The Jordan Times | Dec 17, 2010
Muslim and Christian Understanding: Theory and Application of A Common Word by Waleed El-Ansary and David K. Linnan | Nov 21, 2010
THe Muslim-Christian-Jewish Relations the “Tipping Point” by Leonard Swidler | Nov 20, 2010
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor: International Religious Freedom Report 2010 | Nov 17, 2010
The Council of Heads of Churches in Jordan – Letter of Support for The World Interfaith Harmony Week | Nov 1, 2010
UN Commends A Common Word, A Common Word leads to The World Interfaith Harmony Week | Oct 27, 2010
A Common Word is used as a basis for Christian-Muslim peace in the Philippines | Oct 27, 2010
Text of Senator John Kerry’s Remarks at the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, February 13, 2010 by The Doha Network | Jan 14, 2010
A Broad Dialogue With Muslims Worldwide by Toni Johnson, Staff Writer, CFR.org | Oct 28, 2009
Remarks on the Release of the 2009 Annual Report on International Religious by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, Washington, DC | October 26, 2009
Growing Ecologies of Peace, Compassion and Blessing A Muslim Response to ‘A Muscat Manifesto’ by Aref Ali Nayed | October 21, 2009
Do We Need A Common Word with lectures by: Habib Umar, Abdel-Rehman Malik, Shaykh Abdal-Hakim Murad, Dr. Ingrid Mattson, Mufti Ali Gomaa, and Mufti Mustafa Ceric
Report of Opening Ceremony of Sub Office of the Common Word Message, Islamabad | September 11, 2009

Recommended Reading Lists

Muslim scholars

H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad

Prof. Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Sheikh Ali Goma’a

Prof. Timothy Winter

Dr. Joseph Lumbard

Christian scholars

Dr. Mirolslav Volf

Reverend William Sachs

Borg, Marcus J. The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2003).
Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity (London: Harper Collins, 2001).
Marty, Martin E. The Christian World: a Global History (New York: Modern Library, 2007).
Smith, Huston. The Soul of Christianity: Restoring the Great Tradition (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2005).

Dr Nicholas Adams

McGrath, Alister. Understanding Doctrine, Understanding the Trinity, Understanding Jesus, Justification by Faith (Zondervan, 1997).
McGrath, Alister. Historical Theology: Introduction to the History of Christian Thought (Wiley Blackwell, 1998).
McGrath, Alister. Reformation Thought: An Introduction (Wiley Blackwell, 2000).
McGrath, Alister. The Intellectual Origins of the European Reformation (Wiley Blackwell, 2003).
McGrath, Alister. Christian Theology: An Introduction (Wiley Blackwell, 2006).
McGrath, Alister. The Christian Theology Reader (Wiley Blackwell, 2006).
McGrath, Alister. Theology: The Basics (Wiley Blackwell, 2007).
McGrath, Alister. Christianity’s Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution – A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First (SPCK, 2007).
McGrath, Alister. Heresy: a History of Defending the Truth (SPCK, 2009).
Migliore, Daniel. Faith Seeking Understanding (Eerdmans, 2004).
Ozment, Steven. The Age of Reform, 1250-1550: An Intellectual and Religious History of Late Mediaeval and Reformation Europe (Yale University Press, 1981).

Roland Schatz

In General:

Aristoteles, and W. D. Ross. Aristotelis De Anima (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1990).
Descartes, René, and Donald A. Cress. Meditations on First Philosophy: in Which the Existence of God and the Distinction of the Soul from the Body Are Demonstrated. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 1993.
Hobbes, Thomas, and J. C. A. Gaskin. Leviathan (Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008).
Kant, Immanuel, and Heinrich Kunhardt. Grundlegeng Zur Metaphysik Der Sitten in Einer Fasslichen Sprache Dargestellt Und Ihrem Haupt-Inhalte Nach Geprüft Von Heinrich Kunhardt (Lübeck Und Leipzig: Friedrich Bohn, 1800).
Kant, Immanuel, Jürgen Zehbe, and Moses Mendelssohn. Was Ist Aufklärung?: Aufsätze Zur Geschichte Und Philosophie (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck Und Ruprecht, 1994).
Mill, John Stuart, and Gertrude Himmelfarb. On Liberty (London: Penguin., 2003).
Plato, and David Gallop. Phaedo (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999).
Popper, Karl Raimund. The Open Society and Its Enemies (Princeton: Princeton UP, 1966).
Popper, Karl R., and Laura J. Bennett. In Search of a Better World: Lectures and Essays from Thirty Years (Routledge, 1995).
Rawls, John. A Theory of Justice (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1973).
Walzer, Michael. The Company of Critics: Social Criticism and Political Commitment in the Twentieth Century (New York: Basic, 2002).
Höffe, Otfried. Den Staat Braucht Selbst Ein Volk Von Teufeln: Philosophische Versuche Zur Rechts- Und Staatsethik (Stuttgart: Reclam, 1988).

With a Focus on Christianity:

Anselm, Thomas Williams, Gaunilo, and Anselm. Proslogion: with the Replies of Gaunilo and Anselm (Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 2001).
Aquinas, St Thomas. Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas (S.l.: Bookworld, 1988).
Augustine, and Henry Chadwick. Confessions (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998).
Best, Ernest E. The Letter of Paul to the Romans (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1967). (Chapter 8) and Corinthians 1
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Gemeinsames Leben (Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verl.-Haus, 2006).
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, and Eberhard Bethge. Widerstand Und Ergebung Briefe Und Aufzeichnungen Aus Der Haft (Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verl.-Haus, 2005).
Calvin, Jean, and Otto Weber. Unterricht in Der Christlichen Religion = Institutio Christianae Religionis (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1984).
Erasmus, Desiderius, and Emil Major. Das Lob Der Torheit (Wiesbaden: Panorama, 2003).
Kierkegaard, Søren, Emanuel Hirsch, and Søren Kierkegaard. Zur Selbstprüfung Der Gegenwart Anbefohlen ; Erbauliche Reden 185051 ; Urteilt Selbst/ (Simmerath: Grevenberg Verlag Dr. Ruff &, 2003).
Küng, Hans. Existiert Gott?: Antwort Auf Die Gottesfrage Der Neuzeit (München: Piper, 2006).
Luther, Martin. Von Der Freiheit Eines Christenmenschen (Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verl.-Haus, 2006).

For Kids:

Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1994).
Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist (New York: Knopf, 1992).
Frank, Anne. T/he Diary of Anne Frank/ (London: Pan Horizons, 1989).
Saint-Exupéry, Antoine De. Le Petit Prince (Paris: Gallimard-Jeunesse, 2007).
Strasser, Todd. The Wave (New York: Dell, 1981).
Stowe, Harriet Beecher, and Jean Fagan. Yellin. Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008).
Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World (New York: Barnes & Noble, 2002).
Uris, Leon. Exodus: Roman (München: Heyne, 1986).
Uris, Leon. Haddsch: [Roman] (München: Droemersche Verlagsanstalt Knaur, 1987).
Vasconcelos, José Mauro De. O Meu Pé De Laranja Lima (São Paulo: Melhoramentos, 1995).

Movies:

Ben Hur. Dir. William Wyler. Prod. Sam Zimbalist. By Karl Tunberg. Perf. Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Sam Jaffe, Cathy O’Donnell, Finlay Currie, Frank Thring, Terence Longden, Andre Morell, Marina Berti, George Relph, Adi Berber, Stella Vitelleschi, Jose Greci, and Laurence Payne (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1959).
Children of a Lesser God. Dir. Randa Haines (Paramount Pictures, 1986).
Dead Poets Society. (Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, 1989).
Holocaust. Dir. Marvin J. Chomsky (1978).
La Traviata. Dr. Franco Zeffirelli (Universal Classics, 1982).
Luther. Dir. Guy Green. 1974 Mit meinen heißen Tränen. Dir. Fritz Lehner (1986).
On Franz Schubert One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. (MGM/United Artists Entertainment, 1975).
The Chorus (Les Choristes). Dir. Christophe Barratier (Miramax, 2004).

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