Martha Frederiks, Centrum IIMO, Faculty of Theology, Utrecht,
The Netherlands.
E-mail:
MFrederiks@theo.uu.nl
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Abstract
Kenosis as a Model for Interreligious Dialogue
As no abstract was sent, we have posted the conclusion of
the paper:
According to my observation, the model of kenosis links up with a world-wide
lived reality that Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, African traditional believers
etc perceive each other first of all as fellow human beings, as neighbours,
friends, colleagues or relatives with whom they share the ups and downs of life.
It is the reality of going to school together, of participating in naming
ceremonies, marriages and funerals, of tilling the same soil, of working in the
same office and of suffering from the same diseases, the same draughts, and the
same electricity cuts. It is on the basis of this shared humanity that
relationships develop, friendships are built and faith is shared. The model of
kenosis emphasises that it is in sharing life that the love of God is share.
In the context of this shared humanity, the Christian relationship to people of
other faiths takes the form of kenosis. The model sees radical self-emptying as
a necessity to establishing meaningful relationships with people of other faiths
and other cultures. It is only in true and radical openness to the other in the
totally of his/her being and openness to his/her deepest motivations in life,
that the witness of God’s love for all people can be shared. Inculturation and
interreligious dialogue therefore are not just optional for the interested few,
but, according to the model of kenosis, they belong to the core of the Christian
calling to imitate Christ in his self-emptying love for people. They are
authentic expressions of the Christian identity. Understanding the culture, the
religion, the socio-political framework of the other is crucial in the
understanding of the other as a person and a prerequisite of sharing his/her
life with him/her.
For Christians in The Gambia for example the model of kenosis offers a way of
relating to the Muslim community and to the people of the African traditional
religions with whom and among whom they live. Kenosis calls upon Christians to
fully participate in the events of everyday life. This means that the
participation in religious festivals, the eating of Tobaski meat, the joining in
prayers while attending a funeral or the study of Islam or traditional
religions, are no longer optional or even questionable activities. Rather, it
belongs to the core of the Christian calling to participate in these crucial
events in the lives of people, in trying to understand their deepest convictions
and in inviting them to share in one’s own life and one’s own faith. It is in
visiting Muslim friends at the end of Ramadan in order to congratulate them with
the end of the fasting period and in celebrating the event with them and in
inviting them to join in the Christmas celebrations and in the Good Friday dish
of nanburu, that the other feels taken seriously, as a person and as a religious
being. And it is this experience of being loved as a fellow human being in all
dimensions that can enable the experience of the message of God’s love for all
human beings.
Thus, the model of kenosis, with its setting in God’s mission of reconciliation,
combines the positive aspects of the models of diakonia (service and the strife
for justice and human rights), presence (the silent witness of life) and
dialogue (openness and respect for others and the willingness to learn from the
other), but firmly grounds it in the context of a shared humanity. It is there,
in our shared lives, that the love of God for human beings, becomes visible and
credibly. For it was in sharing our lives with us, even share death with us,
that Christ showed God’s love for the world