Gott im Gespräch

Religious pluralism confronts us with a dialogical imperative. A culture of conversation is necessary for making sure that the 'clash of civilizations' does not turn into a war of religions. Christoph Schwöbel investigates the foundations of a theology of conversation from the perspective of Christian faith. The Christian understanding of God, he argues, provides the framework for an understanding of pluralism in which religious claims to truth are seen as a constitutive element for personal and communal identity. This implies a notion of dialogical tolerance, based upon an understanding of dialogical reason. A Christian theology of conversation not only enables a critical analysis of the »re-enchantment« of the world and of modern and post-modern tendencies towards idolatry, it also inspires a view of reality in which being human means »being in conversation,« since God's trinitarian being itself can be understood as »God in conversation.«