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Books by Kyle Wisdom
God Needs No Defense: Reimagining Muslim-Christian Relations in the 21st Century, 2021
Humanitarian Islam is a global movement that seeks to restore rahmah (universal love and compassi... more Humanitarian Islam is a global movement that seeks to restore rahmah (universal love and compassion) to its rightful place as the primary message of Islam, while positioning these efforts within a broader initiative to preserve and strengthen a rules-based international order founded upon shared civilizational values. The inspiration for Humanitarian Islam is the unique example of the 15 th /16 th-century Wali Songo ("Nine Saints") who proselytized Islam Nusantara ("East Indies Islam")-rooted in the principle of rahmah-stressing the need to contextualize Islamic teachings and adapt these to the ever-changing realities of space and time, while presenting Islam not as a supremacist ideology or vehicle for conquest, but rather, as one of many paths through which humans may attain spiritual perfection. Established by leaders of Indonesia's 90-million-member Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the Institute for Humanitarian Islam and Center for Shared Civilizational Values work with a group of closely affiliated organizations including Nahdlatul Ulama; the NU's 5-million-member young adults movement, Gerakan Pemuda Ansor; LibForAll Foundation; and Bayt ar-Rahmah, which helps coordinate the global expansion of NU operations. The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) was founded in 1846 by Anglican, Baptist, Scottish Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregationalist leaders from the British Isles, as well as by prominent representatives of American and European Protestants, the latter especially from Germany. It is the largest international organization of evangelical churches, representing over 600 million Protestants and national evangelical alliances in 140 countries. WEA seeks to strengthen local churches through national alliances, supporting and coordinating grassroots leadership and seeking practical ways of showing the unity of the body of Christ. Evangelicals are recognized by their high regard for the Bible as the Word of God that guides their daily lives; the conviction that salvation is only received
Papers by Kyle Wisdom
Abrahamic Faiths Initiative, 2023
In January 2020, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious leaders and scholars participated in an ... more In January 2020, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious leaders and scholars participated in an international colloquium in Rome, Italy, focused on fostering mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation, for the sake of peaceable coexistence. This gathering of representatives and scholars from Orthodox, Masorti, and Reform Judaism; Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christianity; and both Sunni and Shia Islam launched an interreligious, international, interconfessional network called the "Abrahamic Faiths Initiative" (AFI). Pope Francis encouraged this initiative during a cordial meeting with the AFI faith leaders in his residence at Saint Martha's House in the Vatican. In December 2020, an expanded virtual dialogue convened to discuss this document and other AFI objectives, leading to a working group that drafted this invitational guide. During this process an historic event occurred: in March 2021, Pope Francis travelled as a "penitent pilgrim" to Abraham's native land. Hearing the testimony of survivors in the warravaged city of Mosul, the Pope acknowledged and lamented the horrors of religiously motivated persecution. In Najaf, where Imam Ali bin Abi Talib is buried, he met with preeminent Shiite religious authority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. And in the ancient city of Ur, which is widely regarded as Abraham's birthplace, he o ered a prayer for the people of Iraq: "…grant us a strong faith, a faith that abounds in good works, a faith that opens our hearts to you and to all our brothers and sisters… Open our hearts to mutual forgiveness and in this way make us instruments of reconciliation, builders of a more just and fraternal society." BACKGROUND OUR MISSION Strive to ensure that our respective faith communities-whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim-live and consistently behave in a peaceable, compassionate, and benevolent manner for the well-being of all: within our own communities among and between those communities often described as "Abrahamic" towards humanity at large.
International Journal of Religious Freedom, 2023
WEA Theological News, 2022
Brief report on the WEA presence at the G20 religion forum in Bali, Indonesia 2022
International Journal of Asian Christianity
Although much scholarly work has been done to present the depth and diversity of Islam around the... more Although much scholarly work has been done to present the depth and diversity of Islam around the world, positive encounters between Islam and Christianity in modern democracies continue to merit exploration. Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim majority nation, includes organizations and thinkers at the forefront of re-examining assumptions of Islamic orthodoxy. This article will present the current activities of Humanitarian Islam and its partnership with Christian organizations to build peace and shared civilizational values. Unique partnerships like this are possible through Muslim reform efforts, which have been underrepresented. These significant efforts are partly conceivable due to two Indonesian thought leaders, Nurcholish Madjid and Abdurrahman Wahid, who made significant contributions to Indonesian expressions of Islam. Two recent events in Indonesia show the progress and challenge for Christian minorities in Muslim majority contexts. While tension remains, Muslim reform...
Book Reviews by Kyle Wisdom
International Journal of Religious Freedom, 2023
Book review of the book What about us? Global perspectives on redressing religious inequalities
Conference Presentations by Kyle Wisdom
Conference Paper, 2024
Measuring and comparing religious freedom across countries and over time requires reliable and va... more Measuring and comparing religious freedom across countries and over time requires reliable and valid data sources. Existing religious freedom datasets are either based on the coding of qualitative data (such as the Religion and State Project or the Pew Research Center), on expert opinions (V-Dem or the World Watch List) or on surveys (Anti-Defamation League). Each of these approaches has its strengths and limitations, but none of them captures the full spectrum and complexity of religious freedom violations. In this paper, we present the Violent Incidents Database (VID), a novel tool designed to collect, record, and analyze violent incidents related to violations of religious freedom based on media reports and other public sources. We critically describe the criteria and process for selecting, coding and verifying the incidents, as well as the categories and indicators used to classify them. We also compare the VID with other existing religious freedom datasets, and show how the VID provides a complementary picture of the nature and dynamics of religious freedom violations. We offer preliminary analysis on the data collected through the end of 2023 with selected figures for data visualization. We conclude by discussing anticipated improvements for the VID as well as its potential applications for policy makers, advocates, and practitioners.
God Needs No Defense: Reimagining Muslim-Christian Relations in the 21st Century, 2021
Humanitarian Islam is a global movement that seeks to restore rahmah (universal love and compassi... more Humanitarian Islam is a global movement that seeks to restore rahmah (universal love and compassion) to its rightful place as the primary message of Islam, while positioning these efforts within a broader initiative to preserve and strengthen a rules-based international order founded upon shared civilizational values. The inspiration for Humanitarian Islam is the unique example of the 15 th /16 th-century Wali Songo ("Nine Saints") who proselytized Islam Nusantara ("East Indies Islam")-rooted in the principle of rahmah-stressing the need to contextualize Islamic teachings and adapt these to the ever-changing realities of space and time, while presenting Islam not as a supremacist ideology or vehicle for conquest, but rather, as one of many paths through which humans may attain spiritual perfection. Established by leaders of Indonesia's 90-million-member Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the Institute for Humanitarian Islam and Center for Shared Civilizational Values work with a group of closely affiliated organizations including Nahdlatul Ulama; the NU's 5-million-member young adults movement, Gerakan Pemuda Ansor; LibForAll Foundation; and Bayt ar-Rahmah, which helps coordinate the global expansion of NU operations. The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) was founded in 1846 by Anglican, Baptist, Scottish Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregationalist leaders from the British Isles, as well as by prominent representatives of American and European Protestants, the latter especially from Germany. It is the largest international organization of evangelical churches, representing over 600 million Protestants and national evangelical alliances in 140 countries. WEA seeks to strengthen local churches through national alliances, supporting and coordinating grassroots leadership and seeking practical ways of showing the unity of the body of Christ. Evangelicals are recognized by their high regard for the Bible as the Word of God that guides their daily lives; the conviction that salvation is only received
Abrahamic Faiths Initiative, 2023
In January 2020, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious leaders and scholars participated in an ... more In January 2020, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious leaders and scholars participated in an international colloquium in Rome, Italy, focused on fostering mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation, for the sake of peaceable coexistence. This gathering of representatives and scholars from Orthodox, Masorti, and Reform Judaism; Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christianity; and both Sunni and Shia Islam launched an interreligious, international, interconfessional network called the "Abrahamic Faiths Initiative" (AFI). Pope Francis encouraged this initiative during a cordial meeting with the AFI faith leaders in his residence at Saint Martha's House in the Vatican. In December 2020, an expanded virtual dialogue convened to discuss this document and other AFI objectives, leading to a working group that drafted this invitational guide. During this process an historic event occurred: in March 2021, Pope Francis travelled as a "penitent pilgrim" to Abraham's native land. Hearing the testimony of survivors in the warravaged city of Mosul, the Pope acknowledged and lamented the horrors of religiously motivated persecution. In Najaf, where Imam Ali bin Abi Talib is buried, he met with preeminent Shiite religious authority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. And in the ancient city of Ur, which is widely regarded as Abraham's birthplace, he o ered a prayer for the people of Iraq: "…grant us a strong faith, a faith that abounds in good works, a faith that opens our hearts to you and to all our brothers and sisters… Open our hearts to mutual forgiveness and in this way make us instruments of reconciliation, builders of a more just and fraternal society." BACKGROUND OUR MISSION Strive to ensure that our respective faith communities-whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim-live and consistently behave in a peaceable, compassionate, and benevolent manner for the well-being of all: within our own communities among and between those communities often described as "Abrahamic" towards humanity at large.
International Journal of Religious Freedom, 2023
WEA Theological News, 2022
Brief report on the WEA presence at the G20 religion forum in Bali, Indonesia 2022
International Journal of Asian Christianity
Although much scholarly work has been done to present the depth and diversity of Islam around the... more Although much scholarly work has been done to present the depth and diversity of Islam around the world, positive encounters between Islam and Christianity in modern democracies continue to merit exploration. Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim majority nation, includes organizations and thinkers at the forefront of re-examining assumptions of Islamic orthodoxy. This article will present the current activities of Humanitarian Islam and its partnership with Christian organizations to build peace and shared civilizational values. Unique partnerships like this are possible through Muslim reform efforts, which have been underrepresented. These significant efforts are partly conceivable due to two Indonesian thought leaders, Nurcholish Madjid and Abdurrahman Wahid, who made significant contributions to Indonesian expressions of Islam. Two recent events in Indonesia show the progress and challenge for Christian minorities in Muslim majority contexts. While tension remains, Muslim reform...
International Journal of Religious Freedom, 2023
Book review of the book What about us? Global perspectives on redressing religious inequalities
Conference Paper, 2024
Measuring and comparing religious freedom across countries and over time requires reliable and va... more Measuring and comparing religious freedom across countries and over time requires reliable and valid data sources. Existing religious freedom datasets are either based on the coding of qualitative data (such as the Religion and State Project or the Pew Research Center), on expert opinions (V-Dem or the World Watch List) or on surveys (Anti-Defamation League). Each of these approaches has its strengths and limitations, but none of them captures the full spectrum and complexity of religious freedom violations. In this paper, we present the Violent Incidents Database (VID), a novel tool designed to collect, record, and analyze violent incidents related to violations of religious freedom based on media reports and other public sources. We critically describe the criteria and process for selecting, coding and verifying the incidents, as well as the categories and indicators used to classify them. We also compare the VID with other existing religious freedom datasets, and show how the VID provides a complementary picture of the nature and dynamics of religious freedom violations. We offer preliminary analysis on the data collected through the end of 2023 with selected figures for data visualization. We conclude by discussing anticipated improvements for the VID as well as its potential applications for policy makers, advocates, and practitioners.