Towards a Theological Reading of Multifaith Spaces

Abstract

AbstractDespite the existence of occasional shared or mixed religious spaces in the past, ‘multifaith spaces’ are relatively new phenomena and issues about their purpose, design, management, use and value are still emerging. While there is no ‘theology of multifaith spaces’, this article pursues an initial theological reading asking: how multifaith spaces relate to the heterotopias, non-spaces and Thirdspaces of some social theorists; what the theological issues around multifaith spaces are for those religious believers who use them; what theological approaches and language might begin to name and explore the potential of multifaith spaces for new shared understandings of human identity; and how multifaith spaces relate to notions of God.