Humanity: Texts and Contexts

Humanity: Texts and Contexts is a record of the 2007 Singapore "Building Bridges" seminar. Building Bridges is a project in Muslim-Christian dialogue cosponsored by Georgetown University and the Archbishop of Canterbury. This volume explores issues of human identity, diversity, and humanity's relationship with the natural world. Leading Christian and Muslim scholars also discuss gender, alienation, and human dignity; Archbishop Rowan Williams provides the afterword. Extensive excerpts from the book are available in the PDF, provided by Georgetown University Press, that follows the book's table of contents below.

Table of Contents

"Humanity in Context"
Michael Ipgrave

Part One: Human Identity, Difference, and Guardianship
1. Being Human
     "The Image of God, Human Dignity, and Vocation"
         Ng Kam Weng
     "Being Human in Islam"
         Mona Siddiqui
2. Living with Difference
     "Affinity, Inclusion, and Mission: Christian Resources for Living with       Difference"
         Michael Ipgrave
     "Islam and Human Diversity: Vernacular Religion Confronts the Categories of       Race and Culture"
         Vincent Cornell
3. Guardians of the Environment
     "Guardianship of the Environment: An Islamic Perspective in the Context of       Religious Studies, Theology, and Sustainable Development"
         Azizan Baharuddin
     "Slayers or Stewards? Ecological Guardianship in the Christian Tradition"
         Michael Northcott

Part Two: Scriptural Texts on Being Human
4. Human Dignity
     "Genesis 1:26-31"
        Ellen Davis
     "al-Baqara 2:30-35"
         Muhammad Abdel Haleem
5. Human Alienation
     "Genesis 3; Romans 7:15-25"
         Mona Siddiqui
     "al-Baqara 2:36-39; Ta' Ha' 20:115-124"
         Daniel Madigan
6. Human Destiny
     "Isaiah 65:17-25; Revelation 21:1-8, 21:22-22:5"
         Roland Chia
     "al-Rahman 55:26-78; Al-Qiyama 75:20-25"
         Seyed Amir Akrami
7. Humanity and Gender
     "Genesis 2:18-25, Ephesians 5:21-33"
         Tim Winter
     "al-Ahzab 33:35; al-Rum 30:21; al-Nisa' 4:34; al-Baqara 2:228"
         Jane Dammen McAuliffe
8. Humanity and Diversity
     "Isaiah 2:1-5; Galatians 3:28-29; Revelation 7:9-10"
         John Prior
     "Hud 11:118; al-Rum 30:20-22; al-Fatir 35:27-28; al-Hujurat 49:13"
         Osman Bakar
9. Humanity and the Environment
     "Jeremiah 5:20-25, 18:13-17; Romans 8:18-23"
         Michael Northcott
     "al-An'am 6:141-42; 6:38; al-Rum 30:41; al-Nahl 16:112"
         Mohamed Yunus Yasin

"Afterword: Reflections on Humanity in Text and Context"
Rowan Williams