Scriptural Resonance Forums - Registration Agreement

Main Principles

Scriptural Resonance Project
“Steering Group” and “Resource Team”

Bible, Qur’an and Tanakh Scriptural Resonance Project/Trust

1. Project Main Principles:
1.1 The overall aim of the project/(eventually Trust) is:
To promote the educational and/or religious exploration of resonance between Bible, Qur’an and Tanakh.
This aim will be pursued through the facilitation of a project “Steering Group” and, in due course, a project “Resource Team” in shared processes working towards the objectives of:
(a) shared Christian, Muslim and Jewish examination and discernment in engagement with what - in a preliminary way – has been identified as being between 300-500 verses/surahs/perek) that it appears have some similarities in two or more of the Bible, Qur’an and Tanakh.
(b) shared Christian, Muslim and Jewish examination and engagement with how the Bible, Qur’an and Tanakh deal with persons and with themes that appear to be found in two or more of them.
(c) the creation of physical and electronic products and outputs from the above processes, through which people who identify with the religious traditions of these scriptures, and the wider public, can themselves be invited to engage with these verses/surahs/perek, persons and themes in terms of educational and/or religious exploration.
1.2 The word “resonance” has been chosen as a guiding methodological approach for this project/Trust. This is intended to make clear that its work is not purely "comparative" on an historical, or linguistic, or doctrinal level. Nor is it reductionist in claiming that the meaning of one verse/surah/aliyot is “the same” as another except for its cultural and religious clothing. Rather, our use of the word “resonance” intends to convey that the project is concerned with how the distinctive "calls" to humankind in and through each of the scriptures might find a "resonance" both with each other and with readers who are either culturally shaped by these scriptures, and/or who personally and in their communities draw upon them as living points of reference for their belief and practice.
1.3 In pursuing their work, the project teams will proceed by according a careful and respectful priority of listening to the perspective(s) on scriptural passages of those who come from the religious tradition concerned, to which those coming from the other religious traditions will then contribute. This will be with the aim of arriving at a brief shared commentary which focuses on highlighting the resonance identified while, where necessary and appropriate, also including acknowledgement of difference.
1.4 The project teams that will work to deliver the aims and objectives of the project/Trust understands that the outputs and products of its work are intended to communicate with a wide range of people, rather than being targeted towards the scholarly community. At the same time, the project teams will endeavour to ensure that their
work is fully informed by scholarly work on the scriptures while aspiring to communicate with a broad range of believers and practitioners within each of the traditions, as well as with those who would not describe themselves in these ways, but who recognise their historical and/or cultural connections.
1.5 The project teams acknowledge the existence of diverse of understandings, interpretations and, in some cases, even definitions of the scriptures that are associated with different “denominations” and movements within each of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions, and that these diversities that can sometimes become conflictual. Those involved in the project teams aspire, as far as they are able, to avoid advancing fractional understandings in ways that might lead to, or reinforce conflicts within, the traditions.
1.6 The project teams recognise the importance for its work of the historical contexts, cultures and languages of scriptures with which it engages. In their work, the project teams seek both to be as faithful as possible to its understandings of such original contexts, as well as of its understandings of the intended meanings of these scriptures in the project teams’ current contexts, cultures and languages.
1.7 The project teams are cognizant of the fact that many individuals – regardless of whether they see themselves as active believers and/or practitioners in the traditions or not – recognise these scriptural writings as having contributed to the shaping of human cultures. The project teams would like to invite all those who engage with their work also to be open to considering the possibility that these scriptures might also be capable of being a means through which what believers the affirm as the mystery of the divine can be revealed to and encountered by human beings.
1.8 Out of their shared conviction that these scriptures are not only for Christians, Jews and Muslims but can benefit the whole of humanity, the project teams also extend an invitation to people of good will from all religious traditions (including those from beyond the Abrahamic family of religions) and none who, in a similar spirit of openness, may also be ready to engage with these scriptures and with the products and outputs of this project, to do so.
1.9 The project teams affirm the integrity of each of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions and of the scriptures associated with them. At the same time, by its practice in this project, the project teams bear witness to their conviction that a shared engagement with these scriptures, and with the key persons (Moses, Jesus and Muhammad) to whom they attest, can enrich the understanding of those who participate in such engagement in ways that are not possible if reading the scriptures from only within our own traditions.
1.10 The project teams recognise that there are important issues of concern for each of the three traditions, and in the relations between them, that do not form a part of this project. In not discussing these issues, the project teams do not intend to signal that these matters are unimportant, but they want to be honest, transparent and focused on their central vision as set out in this document rather than being distracted into other concerns, however important these may be.
1.11 In their shared contribution to this scriptural resonance work, the project teams are trying, to the best of their ability and understanding, to undertake work that they believe to be consistent with the purposes for humanity of the divine, whose blessing they seek upon, in and through this work.

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Scriptural Resonance Project Main Principles

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