CHRISTIAN COUNCIL OF
INTERFAITH RELATIONS ECUMENISM AND CHAPLAINCIES
PROGRAM
Introduction
Christian Council of Tanzania
(CCT) has a mandate to serve the member
This noble task needs to be carried in a context where people of all walks of life and beliefs live in peace, harmony and respect. People of this world have been divided by what they believe, worship and cherish as their way to reach the ultimate goal.
Today we live in an Ecumenical age and pluralistic world. The progress in transportation and communication technology has made the world to be like a village bringing people together, who in just half a century ago never would have met. Today people migrate from one nation to another finding new cultures and traditions which they must interact with.
In this new context religions need to be open and come closer, appreciating other religions in order to understand each on its own terms.
Each religion has its own spiritual depth and firmly believe to be carrying the TRUTH, therefore it tends to look inwardly safeguarding its mandate. As noted earlier we are in the era of globalization therefore, each religion needs to open up and engage in constructive dialogue, come out of worship houses and collaborate in social economic issues for the betterment of all people. To achieve this, we need a mechanism or a tool. This tool is what we call Ecumenism and Interfaith (inter religious) relations program.
CCT has seriously taken on the task
to engage in interfaith relations, especially among Christians and
Muslims who hold the majority of citizens in
The Interfaith Relation Programme is central to churches growth and propagation of the Gospel of Christ, as it works for peace which is needed for exercising the constitutional rights of freedom of worship and expression.
Interfaith relation program is
here to build capacity to church leaders, on skills of constructive
dialogue, Christian Muslim relations, inter religious cooperation and
build skills in conflict resolution and conflict transformation, peace
building and reconciliation. This is crucial in our time when the world
saw a swing in the global focus by many a government and institution
towards religion as a key determining factor in social, economic and
political arenas as it began to gain prominence in the affairs of
nations and human beings. The emergency of terrorism proclaimed as
Islamic Jihad by those who carried them and the assumptions of the
Western world that Islam entertains terrorism has divided the world in
two blocks as we had during communism era.
In the recent past and in the present, it has become increasingly
clear that politics, economics and culture, as well as social and
religious issues are part and parcel of package in Christian Muslim
relations which have sometime contributed to or stimulated conflicts
between Christians and Muslims in some parts of
