ABSTRACT
The German Christian–Muslim Theological Forum (Theologisches Forum Christentum – Islam) was initiated in 2002. However, the first two meetings, in 2003 and 2004, were preliminary gatherings of Christians only in order to confer on how best to prepare the way for the Forum proper, which had its first annual conference (Tagung) in 2005. An academic network and dialogical discussion vehicle in the area of Christian–Muslim relations, the Forum examines socio-politically relevant topics from respective theological perspectives, seeking to elaborate how each of the two religions approaches the issues and how these are, or perhaps could be, addressed in the 21st century. The development of collegial friendships, scholarly and practitioner networks, and promoting the capacity to engage dialogically as equals in all respects, have been ancillary aims of the Forum. This chapter will outline the methodological orientation of the Forum and give a brief overview of the annual conferences down to and including 2017, together with a concluding comment on the 2018 and 2019 Forum meetings. The scheduled meeting for 2020 was cancelled on account of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
