Encountering the Other: Studies in Reconciliation

 In our increasingly complex and pluralist world, the issues of identity, otherness and reconciliation become vitally important. Yale theologian Miroslav Volf is right to call our attention to the urgency of the matter: “It may not be too much to claim that the future of our world will depend on how we deal with identity and difference.” We cannot avoid any longer the difficult questions of how do we relate to “the other,” of how we live together with our deepest differences. This book is a collection of essays all converging around these important topics and they were presented at various academic gatherings over the years. Most of the chapters deal with various aspects of identity, otherness and reconciliation in the writings of Paul. It is proposed that a study of Paul’ writing, particularly those with a specific emphasis on reconciling practices, offers a strong starting point and a solid basis for reflecting on, and engaging with, “the other.”  It is argued that churches could make a contribution in the social arena by reflecting seriously upon such issues as ethnicity, identity, and otherness in the way they are presented in the biblical texts. Similarly, it is proposed that building on the Pauline understanding of reconciliation, churches in Romania and elsewhere can make a contribution to the social reality in their context. Encountering the Other: Studies in Reconciliation. (Editura Casa cărţii de ştiinţă, Cluj-Napoca, 2009)

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