Thursday, January 08, 2015

The NAE and "Top Theological Issues for Seminaries"


Today in my email inbox I received a copy of NAE Insight: The Newsletter of the National Association of Evangelicals (Winter 2014/15). It included a feature titled "Top Theological Issues for Seminaries" which can be read at this link. This feature is composed of statements by Evangelical seminary presidents who are members of NAE where they share their thoughts on the theological priorities for their students. Unfortunately, the issues of multi-faith engagement and peacemaking are not specifically mentioned as theological priorities. There are statements about addressing pluralism and "competing worldviews," but no mention of the need for seminary students to wrestle with the practical realities of a neighborhood theology of multi-faith engagement.

How do we encourage organizations like NAE, and Evangelical seminaries, to include multi-faith engagement and peacemaking as theological priorities in our post-9/11 age frequently characterized by religious friction in the public square and violence around the world?