At the conclusion of the Interfaith Dialogue, presenters and participants pause for a photograph. L-r: Retired pastor, Rev. John Stoner; Abdullah Bozkurt, Director, Lehigh Dialogue Center; Zeki Saritoprak, professor of Islamic Studies at John Carroll University; Steve Simmons, director of Continuing Ed at MTS; Walter Wagner, adjunct professor New Testament at MTS; Peter Pettit, director of the Institute for Jewish and Christian Understanding at Muhlenberg College; and MDiv student, Katrina Fritz.
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Volume
37, No. 2 [back]
SEMESTER HIGHLIGHTS
Christians and Muslims encountering each other’s scriptures for the first time are often surprised to discover how many patriarchs and matriarchs of faith we have in common, and the different perspectives from which we view them.
On October 11th, this was brought home to an audience that gathered to hear Zeki Saritoprak, a Muslim scholar from John Carroll University in Cleveland, and Walter Wagner, Lutheran New Testament scholar and MTS adjunct faculty member, discuss the figure of Moses, who is revered in both Islam and Christianity. Using texts from the Hebrew Scriptures, the Qur’an, and later legends that have grown up around Moses, Dr. Wagner and Dr. Saritoprak created a rich and multifaceted picture of this “friend of God” who is so foundational to our respective faiths.
The event was cosponsored by the Office of Continuing Education and the Lehigh Dialogue Center, a group of area Muslims who have been working to promote interfaith understanding. A sequel, “What Do Muslims Say About Jesus?,” is planned for April 24th of 2008.
— Steve Simmons
Continuing Education
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