On a frequent basis we upload opinion articles to this website. These blogs are written by a diverse group of authors from a Christian or Islamic background. The topics are related to the Church in the Context of Islam, or to our current research project surrounding inclusion and exclusion. The content of the blogs does not necessarily represent the vision of the Chair.
Conversation Guide #17: Missiological Reflections – by Dorottya Nagy
By Erika van Nes
/ 10 September 2024
Initiating conversations about religious exclusivism and social inclusion at the level of faith-communities implies conversations about belonging. Conversations on belonging...
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Conversation Guide #16: Gender Related Inclusionary and Exclusionary Practices – by Laura Dijkhuizen and Jack Barentsen
By Erika van Nes
/ 24 July 2024
Inclusive and exclusive practices are part of innovation and changes in religious organisations like churches. This research offers unique insights...
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Conversation Guide #15: The Pela as a Model for Inclusive Peacebuilding – by the late Simon Ririhena
By Erika van Nes
/ 17 July 2024
In his book The Clash of Civilizations, Samuel P. Huntington posited the thesis that cultural and religious identity (Christian West...
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Conversation Guide #14: Canaan and the New World – by Eleonora Hof
By Erika van Nes
/ 10 July 2024
This article argues that we have much to learn from Native American theologians when finding constructive ways to deal with...
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Conversation Guide #13: Exclusionary Texts in ‘A Common Word’ – by Gé Speelman
By Erika van Nes
/ 3 July 2024
In Muslim-Christian encounter, exclusionary texts both from the Qur’an and the Bible play a role. Often, Christian authors have tried...
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Conversation Guide #12: Apostasy in Islam – by Razi H. Quadir
By Erika van Nes
/ 26 June 2024
Apostasy in Islam is a sensitive and topical subject. In certain Muslim majority countries, apostasy is a punishable offence, including...
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Conversation Guide #11: Al-walā’ w’ al-barā’ (Loyalty and Disavowal) – by Yaser Ellethy
By Erika van Nes
/ 19 June 2024
The notion of al-walā’ w’ al-barā’ is entrenched in some classical and modern Muslim discourses as one of the tenets...
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Conversation Guide #10: ‘Idolatry’ in Rabbinic Discussion – by the late Leo Mock
By Erika van Nes
/ 12 June 2024
This article focuses on the concept of idolatry in online discourses of contemporary rabbis belonging to Israel’s Religious Zionist movement....
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Conversation Guide #9: Hebrews, Deuteronomy, and Exclusion in the Early Church – by Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte
By Erika van Nes
/ 5 June 2024
In the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author of which is unknown, several warnings are found that aim at keeping...
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Conversation Guide #7: Discerning the Body in 1 Corinthians 10 – by Peter Ben Smit
By Erika van Nes
/ 22 May 2024
1 Corinthians 10 is a text clearly concerned with inclusion and exclusion. The key site of inclusion and exclusion in...
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Conversation Guide #6: Otherness and Exile – by Henk Bakker
By Erika van Nes
/ 15 May 2024
According to leading Jewish scholars, Jesus should basically be understood within the conservative Palestinian settings in which he was raised....
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Conversation Guide #5: Deuteronomy 17 – by Joep Dubbink & Klaas Spronk
By Erika van Nes
/ 8 May 2024
In Deuteronomy 17 it seems that apostasy or ‘leaving your religion’ is punished by death, a shocking outcome for the...
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Conversation Guide #4: Apostasy, A Social Identity Perspective – by Jack Barentsen
By Erika van Nes
/ 1 May 2024
Apostasy is a counter-cultural concept for many western Christians. Freedom of speech and thorough-going individualism underpin a climate of pluralism...
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Conversation Guide #3: Apostasy in Terms of Moral Deviance – by Robert Ermers
By Erika van Nes
/ 24 April 2024
In this article I argue that apostates – people who renounce their family’s and their community’s religious beliefs – often...
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Conversation Guide #2: A Humble Exclusivism? – by Dirk-Martin Grube
By Erika van Nes
/ 17 April 2024
In this article, I develop a humble exclusivism. The guiding motif is to conceptualize an exclusivism that avoids (what I...
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Conversation Guide #1: Exclusion versus Inclusion – by Bernhard Reitsma
By Erika van Nes
/ 10 April 2024
‘I killed God and buried Him.’ That is what Jason Walters said after he was deradicalized. Walters is an ex-Jihadist...
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Bookpublication!
By Erika van Nes
/ 24 August 2023
The current research of the Chair The Church in the Context of Islam Foundation led to the publication of a book....
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Actions speak louder than words – By Willem Jansen
By Erika van Nes
/ 14 December 2022
It is a normal Monday afternoon. I am helping my son move in Delfshaven, Rotterdam. He lives with a number...
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TIME FOR ANOTHER LANGUAGE
By Erika van Nes
/ 28 May 2021
Everything starts with language. The deeply human experience of religion is grounded in language, because religion cannot possibly flourish without...
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Can inclusivity go too far?
By Erika van Nes
/ 6 May 2021
"Come on, come on!" The man in the immaculate white dishdasha (long robe) gestures invitingly to his front door. I...
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