Religiously Exclusive, Socially Inclusive

Is it possible to be religiously exclusive and socially inclusive? How do we deal with those outside of our own religious community who have completely different and sometimes conflicting views on what should be considered true and right behaviour? What if a religious tradition orders the expulsion or killing of those who leave the faith community and adopt another worldview? This book focuses on biblical texts concerning exclusivity and apostasy, studying different interpretations of such texts. It starts with the Jewish and Christian tradition of the Hebrew Bible, continues with texts from the New Testament, and explores diverse social studies to find ways of understanding the relationship between exclusion and inclusion today. Part of this exploration is the interaction with Jewish and Islamic voices. The collection ends with a systematic and missiological reflection on the issues Christian churches and other religious communities must address today.

Bernhard Reitsma is professor by special appointment for The Church in the Context of the Islam Chair at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. He is also professor of diversity and professionalism at the Ede Christian University of Applied Sciences. Erika van Nes-Visscher is a researcher for The Church in the Context of the Islam Chair at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Exclusion versus Inclusion: Searching for Religious Inspiration (Bernhard Reitsma), A Humble Exclusivism? Reconstructing Exclusivism under Justificationist Rather than Bivalent Parameters (Dirk-Martin Grube), Apostasy in Terms of Moral Deviance (Robert Ermers), Apostasy: A Social Identity Perspective (Jack Barentsen),Deuteronomy 17:2-7 within the Context of Tanakh (Joep Dubbink and Klaas Spronk),Otherness and Exile: Jesus's Attitude towards Apostates and Outsiders (Henk Bakker),Discerning the Body in 1 Corinthians 10: The Physical Negotiation of Exclusion and Inclusion by Paul as a Theologian of the Body (Peter-Ben Smit), The Dynamics of Exclusion and Inclusion in 1 Peter (Jacobus [Kobus] Kok),Hebrews, Deuteronomy, and Exclusion in the Early Church (Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte), 'Idolatry' in Rabbinic Discussion: To Destroy, to Bury or Something Else? Some Observations on the Subject of 'Idolatry' in Rabbinic Questions and Answers on the Internet (Leo Mock), Al-wal.' w' al-bar.' (Loyalty and Disavowal); Reconstructing a 'Creed' in the Muslim Hermeneutics of 'Otherness' (Yaser Ellethy), Apostasy in Islam: An Overview of Sources and Positions (Razi H. Quadir),Exclusionary Texts in 'A Common Word' (Gé Speelman), Canaan and the New World: Native Americans Engage the Legacy of Exclusionary Readings (Eleonora Hof),The Pela as a Model for Inclusive Peacebuilding (Simon Ririhena), Gender-Related Inclusionary and Exclusionary Practices within Evangelical Churches in the Netherlands (Laura Dijkhuizen and Jack Barentsen),Religious Exclusivism, Social Inclusion: Missiological Reflections (Dorottya Nagy), Religious Exclusivism, Social Inclusion: Theological Reflections (Bernhard Reitsma and Erika van Nes-Visscher)