MASSACHUSETTS

EVENT: Khalil Andani: Shared Theologies between Islam and Christianity
DATE: March 21, 2015
TIME: 2:45 – 4:30 PM
VENUE: Nemaar Annual Conference STM 332 3rd Floor Large Conference Room, Boston College School of Theology, 9 Lake Street, Brighton MA 02467

Facebook Invitation: https://www.facebook.com/events/1609818429252277/

‘God beyond God’ across Muslim and Christian Theology
Khalil Andani (Harvard, Khalil_andani@mail.harvard.edu)

The Islamic metaphysics of Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani and the Christian systematic theology of Paul Tillich employ similar if not identical arguments in establishing the theological position that God transcends the domains of essence-existence and causation. Sijistani and Tillich each resort to special method of discourse to make adequate statements about God. Both thinkers seek to establish a concept of “God beyond God” in relation to the theological views prevalent in their respective intellectual contexts.

“A Universal Capacity to Hope: The Negative Contrast Experience as a Starting Point for Christian-Muslim Dialogue”
Kate Mroz (Boston College, mrozka@bc.edu)

There has been much focus on Karl Rahner’s anonymous Christian as a Catholic resource for interfaith dialogue. I propose that an often neglected, but less theologically problematic resource, can be found in Edward Schillebeeckx’s notion of the negative contrast experience as a universal phenomenon. Putting Schillebeeckx in dialogue with Muslim thinkers, Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Amina Wadud, I intend to demonstrate how the negative contrast experience can heal tensions between Islam and Christianity by demonstrating the inherent capacity in all human beings to protest injustice and envision a better world through the use of a vibrant religious imagination.

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Khalil Andani is a doctoral (Ph.D) candidate specializing in Islamic intellectual history, theology, philosophy, and mysticism at Harvard University and holds a Master of Theological Studies degree (2014), specializing in Islamic philosophy and Ismaili thought, from Harvard University. Khalil’s publications include a book chapter on Nasir-i Khusraw’s philosophical thought in the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Islamic Philosophy and articles in Sacred Web, and The Matheson Trust. He is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA-CPA) and completed Bachelor of Mathematics (BMath) and Master of Accounting degrees at the University of Waterloo (2008). Over the last few years, Khalil has been invited to deliver several guest lectures and conference presentations on various topics in Islamic philosophy, theology and mysticism at Harvard University (SCT 2013, HDS 2014), University of Toronto (Shia Ismaili Islam, Christology Symposium, NMCGSA 2013, NMCGSA 2014), University of Chicago (MEHAT 2013, MEHAT 2014), Carleton University, the American Academy of Religion (Midwest AAR 2014, NEMAAR 2014), the Middle East Studies Association 2013 and 2014