About the Course
In his first encyclical Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis draws our attention to the faith and devotion of Muslims: “It is admirable to see how Muslims both young and old, men and women, make time for daily prayer and faithfully take part in religious services. Many of them also have a deep conviction that their life, in its entirety, is from God and for God” (252).
As Islam grows in the West, Catholics have an opportunity to learn from their example. At the same time dialogue with Islam involves honest conversation about theological differences: the Qur’an and many Muslim scholars have criticized Christian teaching, especially on the Trinity, Christ’s divinity, and the Bible.
How can Christians make an account for the hope that is in them (1 Peter 3:15) in response to Islamic challenges?
In this team course, taught by one Muslim and two Catholic professors, we will explore the origins of Islam, its principal doctrines, and the history of Muslim Christian relations. Together we will contemplate the challenges and lessons of Muslim-Christian dialogue.
About the Professors:
Gabriel Said Reynolds
Crowley Professor of Islamic Studies and Theology
University of Notre Dame
Did his doctoral work in Islamic Studies at Yale University. Currently, he researches the Qur’ān and Muslim/Christian relations and is the Crowley Professor of Islamic Studies and Theology in the Department of Theology at Notre Dame. From 2012–2013, Reynolds serves as a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on the committee for dialogue with Muslims. He is the author of The Qurʾan and the Bible (Yale, 2018) and Allah: God in the Qur’an (Yale, 2020), among other works. At Notre Dame, he teaches courses on theology, Muslim/Christian relations, and Islamic origins.
Professor of theology at the Department of Theology
University of Notre Dame in Indiana
Is assistant professor of theology at the Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame in Indiana. He is the author of Controversies over Islamic Origins: An Introduction to Traditionalism and Revisionism (2021) and Scriptural Polemics: The Qur’an and Other Religions. He earned his PhD in Islamic Studies from the Divinity School, University of Chicago in Illinois. Currently he serves as co-editor of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations (journal).
Rita George-Tvrtković, PhD
Professor of Theology
Is professor of theology at Benedictine University in suburban Chicago, where she specializes in medieval Christian- Muslim relations and contemporary interreligious dialogue. Her books include A Christian Pilgrim in Medieval Iraq: Riccoldo da Montecroce’s Encounter with Islam; a co-edited volume, Nicholas of Cusa and Islam; and Christians, Muslims, and Mary: A History. Her articles have appeared in Theological Studies, Catholic Historical Review, Journal of Jesuit Studies, Medieval Encounters, and America. A former associate director of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, she was recently appointed by Pope Francis to be a consultor for the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.